Safe Meat, Smart Science: Biotechnology’s Role in Antibiotic Residue Removal

Author: mycolabadmin
12/15/2025
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Summary

Antibiotics used to treat sick animals can leave residues in meat that contribute to dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria affecting human health. This review explores cutting-edge biotechnology solutions like rapid detection sensors, engineered enzymes, and bacterial viruses that can identify and eliminate these harmful residues. When combined with smarter antibiotic use on farms, these technologies offer practical ways to make meat safer and protect public health.

Background

Antibiotic residues in meat products pose significant risks to public health by promoting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which the WHO recognizes as a major global health threat. The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock farming, particularly in the United States where up to 80% of antibiotics are used in animal agriculture, contributes to the persistence of these residues in edible tissues and the emergence of resistant bacterial strains.

Objective

This review synthesizes current biotechnological approaches for detecting and eliminating antibiotic residues in meat, evaluating their effectiveness and scalability. The study aims to explore innovative tools including biosensors, enzymatic degradation, microbial bioremediation, and phage therapy as part of a comprehensive One Health strategy to mitigate AMR risks.

Results

The review identifies multiple biotechnological approaches with varying effectiveness: biosensors enable rapid real-time detection with minimal sample preparation; enzymatic degradation offers high specificity with 70% tetracycline degradation rates; microbial consortia provide enhanced biodegradation efficiency; genetically engineered bacteria show superior catabolic capabilities; phage therapy demonstrates targeted bacterial control without inducing resistance; and phytoremediation achieves up to 86.67% removal efficiency in some systems.

Conclusion

Biotechnology offers promising, science-driven solutions for detecting and eliminating antibiotic residues in meat when integrated with prudent antibiotic-use practices in livestock. A comprehensive One Health approach combining biosensors, enzymatic processes, microbial bioremediation, phage therapy, and regulatory frameworks can significantly reduce public health risks and combat antimicrobial resistance while ensuring safer meat production.

Published in:Antibiotics (Basel),
Study Type:Review,
Source: 41463766