WITHDRAWAL TIME DETERMINATION OF ERYTHROMYCIN ANTIBIOTIC ON TILAPIA FISH FARMING

Antibiotics are frequently used in veterinary practice for the treatment of bacterial infections. However, these compounds can come into contact with humans by means of the food chain. It is important to pay attention to this contamination because the potential hazards, such as allergies, toxic effects and acquisition of drug resistance in pathogens in the human body. Food safety is the main issue for the global trade competition, so that the exporting countries require controlling the use of antibiotics in fish farming. In the Commission Regulation No. 37/2010, the use of some antibiotic compound is allowed if the residues in the aquaculture products are below the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). The aim of this work was to study the withdrawal time of erythromycin in tilapia fish farming that is specific to the Indonesian environmental conditions, so it can be used as a basis for policy making.

The test performed on nine hundreds tilapia fish with an average weight of 50-100 grams, which is divided into a control group and the treatment group. Drugs administered orally through the feed at a dose of 1 g/4 kg of fish body weight/day for 7 days. After the treatment is completed, feed without antibiotics are given to the fish. Samples were taken for antibiotic residues analysis in fish at the 0; 1^st; 11^th; 22^nd; and 33^rd days (0 day is the last day of the treatment). Antibiotic residues were measured by ELISA method using a commercial ELISA kit.

The test result showed that the highest content of antibiotic residues occurs on the last day of the treatment, which amounted to 1103.63 mg/kg and then decreases along with the time function. Withdrawal time analysis performed by logarithmic regression on the upper value with a 95% confidence interval. Withdrawal time is determined by assuming a residual value is 50% of the MRL. The test result showed that the withdrawal time are 14 days after the last treatment.