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A collaborative study was carried out in 30 laboratories to validate improvements to the official final action hydrophobic grid membrane filter (HGMF) screening method for Salmonella in foods, 985.42, by comparing the performance of the improved HGMF method against that of the AOAC/BAM conventional culture method. Six products were included in the collaborative study: milk chocolate, raw deboned poultry meat, black pepper, soy flour, egg yolk powder, and nonfat dry milk. The raw deboned poultry meat was naturally contaminated with Salmonella, and the remaining 5 products were each inoculated in advance with low levels of individual Salmonella serotypes. The AOAC/BAM method produced 11 false negative results and the improved HGMF method produced 18 false negative results. The improved HGMF Salmonella method has been approved interim official first action for all foods to replace the HGMF official final action method, 985.42.

A gas chromatographic electron capture detector method is described for the quantitative determination of organochlorine pesticide residues in poultry fat. The samples are rendered and cleaned up using automated gel permeation chromatography. The collaborative samples consisted of 10 fortified samples and one incurred residue sample, all in duplicate. Fortification levels ranged from 0.15 to 1.0 ppm for alpha-BHC, lindane, cis- and trans-chlordane, octachlor epoxide, o,p' and p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-TDE, hexachlorobenzene, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, methoxychlor, mirex, and toxaphene. The average recovery was 91.9% with a range of 81-102%. The ranges of coefficients of variation were: CVo = 3.39-14.79%; CVL = 0-16.6%; and CVx = 5.82-19.0%. The results indicate accuracy and precision comparable to other official methodology. The method has been adopted official first action.

Applications of an improved gel-solvent system for cleanup of pesticide residues by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were investigated. Elution characteristics using Bio-Beads SX-3 gel and a toluene-ethyl acetate (1+3) elution solvent were determined for 16 nonionic chlorinated pesticides, 3 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 14 chlorophenoxy herbicide esters, and 7 organophosphate insecticides. Elution patterns for vegetable and animal lipids were also studied. Quantitative recoveries of the pesticides were achieved. No liquid-liquid partitioning cleanup steps were required with any type of nonionic chlorinated pesticide or sample matrix. Only GPC cleanup was required for the nonionic chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, and organophosphate pesticide residues in chicken and turkey fat samples. Electron capture and flame photometric detectors were used in the gas chromatographic method for the respective pesticides. Samples containing up to 0.5 g lipid each were processed at the rate of one every 30-40 min with the automated system. Results were in excellent agreement with those from accepted manual partitioning methods and were achieved with significant savings of both labor and chemicals.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are described for the detection of poultry and pork in cooked and canned meat foods. These assays are based on species-specific, polyclonal antibodies raised against heat-resistant antigens. The heat-resistant antigens were isolated from raw skeletal muscle tissue of pork and chicken and were found to be immunoreactive even after heating to 120 degrees C for 15 min. The poultry ELISA could detect chicken or turkey at the 126 ppm level, and the pork ELISA could detect pork at the 250 ppm level. Samples of frankfurters, bolognas, pressed meats, canned baby foods, and canned spreads were prepared by simple aqueous extractions.

A rapid diagnostic test for the detection of Listeria in food products has been created. This test, known as Listeria-Tek, uses 2 monoclonal antibodies specific for Listeria in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format. The test requires only 40 h of broth enrichment with no culturing on solid media. It is extremely simple to perform and easy to interpret, and is at least as sensitive and accurate as the best of the culture methods. The test can be used with dairy products, meat products, and environmental samples. The ELISA test is safely performed on the open bench of the laboratory because no live cultures, no radioactivity, no phage, etc., are necessary. There is no need for special licenses or reserved laboratory space, and no waste disposal problems are encountered. If necessary, one technician could easily perform hundreds of assays per day. A printed data sheet is available for permanent records.

The procedure for neomycin residues used a surfactant to improve extraction, a centrifuge step to eliminate solids that interfere with the diffusion of the antibiotic, and a heat treatment to destroy interfering lysozyme activity. The use of Bcillus stearothermophilus and a 65 degree C incubation yielded a rapid assay with a sensitivity of 0.2 microgram neomycin activity/g egg. Frying eggs caused little or no loss of activity, poaching resulted in 25% loss, and soft boiling and hard boiling caused little or no loss of applied activity. Neomycin residues in eggs were quite stable to normal egg preparation procedures.

FDA is engaged in a systematic review of approved animal drugs to determine whether upgrading of safety data is required to provide continuing assurance that the approved uses for these drugs are safe. These reviews will be undertaken on the basis of a priority of anticipated human health significance.

A collaborative study was conducted to compare automated methods for rapid determination of fat and moisture in meat and poultry products with the official AOAC solvent extraction and forced-air oven methods, respectively. Fourteen products were tested, with fat and moisture contents ranging from 2 to 43% and 44 to 74%, respectively. Eight of the collaborating laboratories analyzed the products by using a moisture/fat analyzer; 4 laboratories used the AOAC methods. Standard deviations for within-laboratory repeatability, between-laboratory reproducibility, and bias for each product indicated that the rapid methods were acceptable. The moisture/fat analyzer methods have been adopted official first action for fat and moisture analyses in meat and poultry products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has the responsibility of determining if a method for residues of drugs and pesticides in animal tissues is acceptable for regulatory control, reviewing data on interfering compounds, validating methods, monitoring drug residues in animal and poultry tissues, assigning priority for monitoring drugs and pesticide residues. These responsibilities are carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the areas of method development, determination of priorities, and punitive action.

A method was developed for measuring low levels of total nitrofurans in animal tissues and milk. The antimicrobial nitrofurans (5 or more products) used in agriculture are extracted from tissue with aqueous acid in the presence of ethyl acetate. After centrifugation and evaporation, the organic residue is washed with hexane and the nitrofurans are hydrolyzed to 5-nitrofuraldehyde in aqueous acid at 70 degrees C. The hydrolysis product is extracted with benzene and measured by gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection. Recoveries of nitrofurazone and furazolidone from fortified poultry and swine tissues at the levels of 0.5 and 0.1 ppm are 75 and 65%, respectively. This procedure can be used to detect the total nitrofuran content of as little as 10 ppb muscle tissues and milk, 100 ppb liver, and 50 ppb fat with no interference from related veterinary nitrodrugs.

Residues of isopropyl (2E,4E)-11-methoxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,4-dodecadienoate (Altosid) insect growth regulator are determined in waters, soils, plants, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, poultry and cattle tissues, blood, urine, and feces. Acetonitrile is the primary extraction solvent for all samples. Residues are extracted by high-speed blending followed by vacuum filtration. Fatty extracts are subjected to cold-temperature precipitation and filtration. Samples are cleaned up by petroleum ether partitioning and Florisil and neutral alumina chromatography. The concentrated eluants are analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) on columns of differing polarity, using hydrogen flame ionization detectors. The identity of suspected residues is confirmed by additional GLC and by mass fragmentography. The lower limits of detection were: water samples, 0.0004-0.001 ppm; soils, blood, and urine, 0.001 ppm; forage grasses, forage legumes, and rice foliage, 0.005 ppm; and milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, poultry and cattle tissues, and feces, 0.010 ppm.

A study was undertaken to determine whether free chlorine or sulfide anions could yield positive results for the malachite green test in meat samples when sulfite was not present. Malachite green solution was added to a mechanically deboned poultry (MDP) sample spiked with either chlorine or sulfide ions. The presence of chlorine in MDP samples at any concentration tested did not yield a positive reaction for the malachite green test. When sulfide ions were introduced into MDP samples, positive results were observed at 40 micrograms sulfide ion/g MDP and above. Because aqueous solutions of sulfide at the levels mentioned have a relatively high pH, it was necessary to determine whether the pH or the presence of the sulfide ions had caused this positive reaction to the malachite green test. After a comparison of a solution of sulfide, and a solution of a matching pH, it was observed that the sulfide present caused the positive reaction to the malachite green test.

A method is described for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with 3-7 rings in (I) meat, poultry, fish, and yeast; and (II) oils and fats. The extraction of PAHs from group I is incomplete, and, therefore, group I samples must be dissolved homogeneously by saponification in 2N methanolic potassium hydroxide. The PAHs are concentrated by liquid-liquid extraction (methanol-water-cyclohexane, N,N - dimethylformamide - water-cyclohexane) and by column chromatography on Sephadex LH 20. The PAHs are separated by high-performance gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) with columns containing 5% OV-101 on Gas-Chrom Q and estimated by integration of the flame ionization detector signals in relation to an internal standard (3,6-dimethylphenanthrene and/or benzo(b)chrysene). The sensitivity is significantly higher than that obtained with ultraviolet spectroscopic methods. The reproducibility and margin of error were tested with meat samples fortified with 11 PAHs and with samples of sunflower oil. The method was further applied to meat, smoked fish, yeast, and unrefined sunflower oil. All samples investigated contained more than 100 PAHs (characterized by mass spectrometry) of which only the main components were determined: phenanthrene, anthracene, fluorene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene + benzo (j)fluoranthene + benzo(k) fluoranthene, benzo(e)pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene, perylene, dibenz(a,j)anthracene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene + indeno(1,2,3,-cd)pyrene, benzo(ghi)perylene, anthanthrene, and coronene. In contrast to other methods, the GLC profile analysis allows the recording of known and unknown PAH peaks simultaneously and also allows a compilation of all PAHs.

Two chlorinated insecticide feeding studies from 1967-1968, using broiler chicks, have been completed. In Study I, lindane, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, methoxychlor, and DDT were fed in combination at 3 levels: 0.05, 0.15, and 0.45 ppm. Data show that, in fat tissues, heptachlor epoxide attained a level approximately 20 times the respective levels in the feed; dieldrin 15 times; endrin 10 times; p,p'-DDT 9 times; lindane 3 times; and o.p'-DDT less than the feeding levels. Of the DDT metabolites, p.p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD, only p,p'-DDE was significant at 3 times the 0.45 ppm feeding level. Endrin ketone, a metabolite of endrin, reached plateau levels approximately equal to feeding levels. All residue levels in liver tissues were less than 0.02 ppm. In Study II, technical chlordane was fed singly at the 0.05, 0.15, and 0.45 ppm levels. Results are tabulated for both total chlordane and for 6 identifiable isomers. Total chlordane in fat tissues attained plateau levels 3-5 times the respective feeding levels. Total chlordane levels in liver and breast tissues were all less than 0.01 ppm.