Project

The Interreg POCTEFA TESTACOS project is coordinated by the University of Zaragoza, with the participation of the University of La Rioja, the Bilbao Laboratory of Public Health, the University of Perpignan (France), the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA), and two SME’s specialized in developing new analytical tools: ZEULAB (Spain) and BIOSENTEC (France). Working together, these organizations will elaborate new tools to control antibiotic residues – of both sulphonamides and quinolones – in live animals as well as in meat commercialized for retail sale, with the purpose of assisting the meat production sector in its aim of minimizing the presence of antibiotic residues in meat.

In order to reach that general objective, the project – projected over a total duration
of three years (2018-2020) – proposes the following activities:

Crear un banco de muestras biológicas de referencia.Creating a biobank of benchmark reference samples: a pioneer sample bank in terms of availability of meat samples naturally contaminated with standard antibiotics.

Desarrollar sistemas de autocontrol de antibióticos en animal vivo.Developing autocontrol systems that detect the presence of antibiotics in live animals. The strategy includes the elaboration of a broad-spectrum biotest designed to detect antibiotics and sulphonamides, as well as the creation of a test that specifically detects quinolones. The latter group of antibiotics is widely applied in veterinary medicine, and is the only major group of antibiotics not satisfactorily detected by extant biotests.

Diseñar un sistema analítico integrado de amplio espectro que ponga al alcance de toda la cadena alimentariaDesigning a broad-spectrum integrated analytical system placed at the disposal of all actors along the entire food chain (from the farm to the table), offering easy autocontrol of antibiotic residues in live animals and in commercialized meat.

Realizar un amplio estudio de la incidencia de la presencia de residuos antibióticos en carne de distintas especiesCarrying out a broad study of the incidence of residues of antibiotics in meat from different species in order to evaluate the current situation in our Interregio region. Proposing new methods that may enable our region’s agrofood sector to adequately control and manage the problem…

By attaining these objectives, we would make the following contributions:

Improve

Helping to improve quality in the primary and industrial meat production sectors of the POCTEFA region, thereby increasing the quality of its foodstuffs and, thereby, the competitiveness of the enterprises involved.

Increase

Helping to increase the competitiveness of the region’s biotech industries that are capable of elaborating and producing analytical systems designed to enable operators in the food sector (the livestock industry including farms and slaughterhouses; wholesale and retail distribution) to control the amount of antibiotic residues in their products.

Environmental policies

Helping to promote environmental policies that aim to reduce antibiotic residues in wastewater and soils by improving cattle farming practices.

Sustainability

Helping to promote the sustainability of our primary and industrial resources.

Vanguard

Helping researchers and universities in the region to remain at the scientific forefront by dovetailing different studies and knowledge issuing from several research groups specialized in this field.

Management

Helping to improve the region’s public health management policies.

The project has been 65% cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
through the Interreg V-A Spain-France-Andorra programme (POCTEFA 2014-2020).

You can obtain more information about the POCTEFA-TESTACOS project by visiting the webpage www.ia2.unizar.es