Emamectin benzoate in tilapia: Alternative method for drug incorporation into feed and associated residual depletion study.

Due to the lack of regulated drugs for aquaculture, the present study considered specific issues relating to environmental and food safety aspects concerning the potential use of emamectin benzoate (EMA) in freshwater fishes such as tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) - an important commercial fish species worldwide. The residual depletion of EMA (EMA-B) in fillet (muscle plus skin in natural proportions) of tilapia treated with a daily dose of 50 μg/kg BW during seven consecutive days was evaluated. To facilitate this, analytical methods for quantitation of EMA in fish feed and in fish fillet employing LC-MS/MS were developed and validated.