Reps. Markey, Slaughter Press FDA on Antibiotic Use in Ethanol Production

FoodSafetyNews.com
by Helena Bottemiller
May 14, 2012

Congressional query follows IATP report on distillers grains fed to animals


With growing concern over antibiotic resistance, public health advocates have long pushed for more responsible use of these drugs -- both in human medicine and animal agriculture -- but there is one piece of the antibiotics puzzle that has not received as much attention: ethanol production.

Last week, Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) wrote to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking some tough questions about the potential link between ethanol byproducts in animal feed and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are a grave public health threat that is growing worldwide," wrote Markey and Slaughter. "As the threat of antibiotic resistance expands, we must ensure that the unnecessary use of antibiotics in agricultural animals is minimized and FDA has the ability to limit their use if it serves to protect public health."

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Co-Product Antibiotic Levels Nearly Nil

National Hog Farmer
Lora Berg
Mar. 14, 2012 5:38pm

Livestock producers and their nutritionists have been wondering whether antibiotic residues from the ethanol fermentation process might linger in the distiller's co-products used in livestock diets.

A recent University of Minne­sota study indicates distillers’ grains with soluble (DGS) do not contain significant antibiotic residues to be of concern to livestock producers.

Antibiotics are added during ethanol fermentation to control bacterial contamination. Bacteria compete with yeast during the ethanol fermentation process, which can lead to a reduction in ethanol yields and reduced-quality DGS. Virginiamycin and penicillin are designated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in ethanol and DGS production, though they are not the only antibiotics being used.

Livestock producers and their nutritionists have been wondering whether antibiotic residues might linger in the distiller’s co-products used in livestock diets and if they have any biological activity.

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Antibiotics concerns ooze into ethanol process

Des Moines Register
By PHILIP BRASHER • pbrasher@dmreg.com • May 30, 2010

Washington, D.C. - The worries about antibiotic resistance and the rise of superbugs have reached into the ethanol industry.

Ethanol producers have long used antibiotics to control bacteria that can contaminate the fermentation process. But now, the Food and Drug Administration is developing a policy to regulate the use of the drugs and is conducting tests in Iowa and nationwide to determine the extent to which the antibiotics are getting into livestock feed produced by the plants.

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Ethanol plants using hops to eliminate bacteria

Minnesota Public Radio News
by Mark Steil, Minnesota Public Radio
September 14, 2009

Lucan, Minn. — Ethanol companies are looking back to the monasteries of ancient Europe for one possible solution to a troublesome production issue.

They have to control bacteria to make good ethanol. The most common weapon, antibiotics, works well enough, but it's becoming a public relations headache.

Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration said it was finding antibiotic residue in an ethanol byproduct. That byproduct is sold as feed for cattle and other livestock, which is a problem. For the ethanol industry, the findings raised the threat of both bad publicity and government regulation.

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Phibro sets record straight on antibiotic use in ethanol industry

Ethanol Producer Magazine August 2009
By Hope Deutscher
Report posted Aug. 7, 2009, at 2:48 p.m. CST

For years antimicrobials have been used by the ethanol industry to control bacteria breakouts during the process and, according to Tom Slunecka, vice president of marketing for PhibroChem Ethanol Performance Group, antimicrobials – both antibiotics and chemicals – are used by many facilities and are vital for good strong economic production of ethanol.

Recently, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy released a report that called for the ethanol industry to stop using necessary antibiotics in the production process. (Read “Report: Ethanol industry moving away from antibiotic use.”)

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