Fresh DU study again finds antibiotics in milk samples

Publish: 9:22 PM, July 13, 2019 | Update: 9:22 PM, July 13, 2019

Researchers at Dhaka University have again claimed to have detected traces of antibiotics in 10 samples of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk produced by several companies.

This is the second time DU researchers have reportedly found traces of harmful substances in milk samples.

A media release issued by Professor ABM Faroque, former director of DU’s Biomedical Research Centre, on Saturday said that the latest study found traces of antibiotics, including oxytetracycline, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.

Laboratory tests conducted on seven samples of pasteurized milk of five different brands and three samples of non-pasteurized milk last week confirmed the presence of the antibiotics, the release added.

Three of the 10 samples contained all the four antibiotics mentioned, while six of them had three antibiotics. Only one sample had one antibiotic.

On June 25, a study by the same researchers claimed finding antibiotics, detergent, coliform, and other forms of hazardous bacterial organisms in pasteurized milk products of the same five popular brands.

The study, conducted by a group of teachers from Dhaka University’s Faculty of Pharmacy, also found edible oil, spice powders, fruit juice, and ghee of several popular brands substandard — against the standard levels of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).

However, the DU pharmacy department later said the research was not done by the department itself, but conducted by an independent group.