More Antibiotics in White Meat or Dark Meat?

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Concentrations of antibiotic residues vary between different edible muscle tissues in poultry. In which muscles do antibiotic residues concentrate the most? White meat? Dark meat? Or, both the same? And the answer is: white meat.

Significantly more antibiotic residues in breast meat, compared to thigh. Those were the only two tested, though.

“Even though the present study found greater residue concentrations in breast versus thigh muscle tissues, the possibility also exists that other edible muscle tissues ([like] legs or wings) could have even higher levels.”

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• Reyes-Herrera I, Schneider MJ, Cole K, Farnell MB, Blore PJ, Donoghue DJ. Concentrations of antibiotic residues vary between different edible muscle tissues in poultry. J Food Prot. 2005 Oct;68(10):2217-9.

Images thanks to snowpea&bokchoi and Krista via flickr

• antibiotics
• chicken
• meat
• poultry
• turkey