Antibiotic residues in chicken meat in China: Occurrence and cumulative health risk assessment

A national survey of sixteen commonly used antibiotics in chicken meat was conducted for three consecutive years (2016–2018). A total of 4591 chicken meat samples were collected from 24 provinces in China and measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The results revealed that all of the antibiotics studied were detected with an overall detection frequency of 20.47% and an exceeding standard rate of 2.94%. 23.62% of the antibiotic-positive samples contained two or more antibiotics. The most predominant category was tetracyclines, followed by quinolones. Geographical differences and variations with time were observed. The cumulative risk assessment of multiple antibiotics in chicken meat was performed using the hazard index (HI) method and indicated that the exposure for Chinese consumers was at an acceptable risk level. Enrofloxacin+ciprofloxacin was the biggest contributor, contributing 51% to the HI, followed by doxycycline. The results provided important references for monitoring and managing antibiotic residues in chicken meat, as well as guiding the scientific use of these antibiotics in China.