Fera food scientists are able to highlight and quantify the levels of a range of sedatives, within a variety of foodstuffs. We can also provide the evidence required by regulators to validate the levels of sedatives within your food products.

Sedatives can be used to sedate animals, especially pigs and horses, for a variety of reasons including sedation prior to mixing or transportation, for veterinary examinations and to calm excitable animals.

Veterinary drug residues, when consumed in significant quantities, can result in physiological effects being shared in humans. As a result, the concern about the possible occurrence of residues of this drug in human food has produced a need for analytical methods to monitor for this agent at trace residue levels.

As a result, legislative bodies charged with maintaining the safety of foodstuffs offered to consumers have defined Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for a range of residues. MRL for some sedatives has been defined in Commission Regulation (EU) 37/2010 (or as amended).

Testing is carried out using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and has been validated in accordance with the principles set out in Commission Decision 2002/657/EC, for the majority of analyte/matrix combinations.

This analysis method is accredited to ISO17025 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Within this analysis, our food safety experts highlight the following specific chemicals:

Acetopromazine, Azaperol, Azaperone, Carazolol, Chlorpromazine, Propionylpromazine, Xylazine

Multi-residue option

As well as being purchasable standalone, this test is also included as part of our multi-residue screen process, which includes a broader range of veterinary residues.

See what’s included in our Multi-residue screen (Option 2) here.