ISO & IDF have just released a standard for nitrofurazone SEM determination in milk and milk products. This document specifies a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the quantification of the inhibitory substance, nitrofurazone, in milk and milk products.
The standard for nitrofurazone SEM determination has been validated for measuring trace levels of intact nitrofurazone to levels down to 1 ng/g in fluid milk and powdered dairy products on a whole product (i.e. powder) basis. While the method is expected to apply to other dairy matrices, additional validation will be required to demonstrate this.
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About nitrofurans & nitrofurazone
Nitrofurans are a class of drugs typically used as antibiotics or antimicrobials. The defining structural component is a furan ring with a nitro group. Members of this class of drugs include Antibacterials (antibiotics) Difurazone (also known as Nitrovin) — an antibacterial growth promoter used in the animal feeds. Drugs like furazolidone, furaltadone, nitrofurazone, and nitrofirantion are the most known members of this family.
Now nitrofurans are already forbidden to use in animal production for many years, and they are also forbidden to use as feed additives. Nitrofurazone is an important member of nitrofuran, the metabolite of which is SEM, semicarbazide, which is the marker residue for this drug. More information can be found here on Merck Veterinary Manuals.
Further reading
Merck veterinary manual, nitrofurans,
