Research undertaken by leading test manufacturer, Randox Food Diagnostics, has demonstrated that investing in products with specific antibodies, as opposed to generic, can provide confidence with a false positive rate of less than five per cent.

As an antimicrobial agent, sulphonamides are used in global food production to treat/prevent infections, however, serious health concerns exist over human consumption and the development of antibiotic resistance. As a result, many countries have banned or limited their use in animal production and set Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for residues in food.

Randox Food Diagnostics Meat & Seafood Manager, Joanne McKnight, said: "Standard products on the market are based on generic antibodies designed to detect a range of sulphonamides. However, that compromises the performance of each individual compound.

"Both our Biochip Array Technology and ELISA products are based on specific antibodies for each individual sulphonamide so this reduces reliance on cross-reactivity and increases accuracy.

"Feedback from customers to date has been very positive, as investing in quality screening reduces false positives, and dramatically cuts associated costs with superfluous confirmatory testing," she said.