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Background & aim: due to the risks to human health, particularly in terms of carcinogenicity, the application of Furazolidone in animals which their products are consumed by human population is strongly prohibited. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of unauthorized furazolidone in broiler chickens slaughtered in Ahvaz by using HPLC. Methods: In the present cross-sectional study which was conducted within six months, 100 broiler carcasses were randomly collected from Ahvaz slaughterhouses. Then by using ice, the carcasses were transported to the laboratory in less than 24 hours inorder to illicit the amount of furazolidone drug by the HPLC method. After extraction and degrading processes, using Ethyl-acetate and related protocols for isolation of Furazolidone from muscles, and also calibrating HPLC system to obtain standard curves, the amount of 20 microliters of each sample was injected to the HPLC device and the amounts of Furazolidone were determined in the mixture of pectoral and femoral muscles. Finally the obtained results were statistically analysed by using one sample t-test in the SPSS software. Results: The mean Furazolidone concentration in the mixture of femoral and thorasic muscles was 28.15±2.37 mg/kg. Thirty-nine percent of the samples were positive for containing illegal Furazolidone residue. Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, more attention is seriously recommended by authorized responsibilities to prevent the antibiotic residues such as furazolidone in poultry meat.

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ABSTRACT

Background & aim: Consuming high amounts of histamine with food causes histamine poisoning among its consumers. Much information about the content of histamine in various food products is not available in the country. In the present study, the amount of histamine in food samples consumed in human diet which are based on existing data sources can contain histamine were measured.

Methods: In the present study, 240 samples of 16 different types of food consumed in the human diet were examined. Histamine was extracted with 75 % ethanol- 0.4 N HCl in fresh and canned fish samples and extracted in other samples with  0.1 N HCl. After passing the extracts through ion exchange chromatography, the fluorescence derivative of histamine which was generated by O-phthaldialdehyde and the amount of fluorescent light was measured at excitation wavelength of 350 nm and emission wavelength of 444 nm respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Spinach, fresh fish, canned fish and aubergine samples showed the high level of histamine with the mean levels of 5.04, 3.83, 2.77 and 2.64 mg/100g respectively.

All samples tested contains histamine but 53.3, 20.0, 13.3 and 13.3 percent of the samples of these foods contains higher amounts histamine (5mg/100gr)  respectively.Low levels of histamine was observed in a number of samples including tomato, pickles, nuts, bananas, oranges, melons, cheese, curd, yogurt and dough but no detectable histamine was found  olive and tea.

Conclusion: In addition to confirming the fact that fish and seafood products have a high risk of histamine poisoning, but it showed that the risk of histamine poisoning in humans after consumption of fish and its products will not be less than spinach and aubergine.