Evaluation and validation of biochip multi-array technology for the screening of six families of antibiotics in honey according to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods for residues of veterinary medicines.

The main chemicals used against varoa are acaricides, and the antibiotics used for the control of bee bacterial diseases are mainly tetracyclines, streptomycins, sulfonamides and chloramphenicol. No maximum residue limits (MRLs) have been set for any antibiotics in honey. Therefore, in the European Union, minimum recommended concentrations (RC) for the analytical performance of methods to control a certain set of these non-authorised chemicals in honey were published by the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL) in 2007. Concerning the strategy for the control for antibiotic residues in honey, there is still a great need for a cheap and single multi-residue method. Biochip array technology is an innovative assay technology for the multi-analyte screening of biological samples in a rapid and easy-to-use format. A multi-array system, called Evidence Investigator™ (Randox, Crumlin, Co., Antrim, UK), was evaluated in our laboratory. It is a semi-automated biochip system designed for research, clinical applications and veterinary use. A competitive chemiluminescent immunoassay is employed for the detection of antimicrobials. The MicroArray II kit (AM II) dedicated to the screening of six different families of antibiotic residues was validated according to the European guideline for the validation of screening methods for residues of veterinary medicines. The specificity was proven to be very satisfactory, and applicability to different kinds of honey was demonstrated. The detection capabilities (CCβ) of six antibiotic residues were determined and were below the RCs when exist. The AM II kit could detect at least six quinolones, four tetracyclines and three epimers, three aminoglycosides, three macrolides, thiamphenicol, florfenicol and ceftiofur along with one of its stabilised metabolites, the desfuroylceftiofurcysteine disulfide (DCCD).