Contaminants chimiques organiques des œufs de poule pondeuse Aspects réglementaires, modalités et risques de transfert

Abstract

The current paper reviews current knowledge on the organic chemical contaminants that may be present in hen eggs. They originate either from veterinary drugs or feed additives, from pesticides used for cereals production or from persistent pollutants of the environment. Carry-over studies are carried out before veterinary drugs and additives are allowed. For these compounds, official surveys reveal concentrations that are barely over the maximal residues limits. Excessive concentrations may be detected only in cases of inappropriate use of veterinary drugs or of cross contamination during feed processing, especially for coccidiostats. Carry-over experiments are also conducted before allowing pesticides to be used for cereal production. Effective control against environmental contaminants for animals raised outdoors is not easy. In fact, concentrations of dioxins, furans and polychlorobiphenyls exceeding the maximum concentrations permitted in eggs have been rarely recorded. The worst cases arise in home-produced eggs, probably as a result of practices that stimulate ingestion of environmental matrices, especially soil. In order to prevent the risk of the presence of such contaminants in eggs, factors affecting soil ingestion in animals raised outdoors should be better understood, and the impact of soil on the carry-over of ingested contaminants to eggs should be quantified.