A review on the most frequently used methods to detect antibiotic residues in bovine raw milk

Bovine milk is a low cost, high nutritional value product commercialised worldwide. To maintain high standard levels and preserve consumer health, several tests could be used to identify antimicrobial drug residues, run voluntarily or officially planned and performed, according to European legislative requirements. Ideally, a test should detect a wide range of antibiotic residues, be rapid to execute and inexpensive; however, none of the methods actually available possesses all these ideal characteristics. Here, the most important features of immunoassays, high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, microbiological tests and biosensor assays, representative of the most frequently used methods to detect antimicrobial residues in bovine raw milk, are reviewed. The review could be considered a tool for veterinary practitioners and researchers to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of the currently available methods and so choose the one most appropriate for the specific final purpose (e.g., on site screenings, official controls, research).