Following its previous success at the international agricultural exhibition Země živitelka, the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) has once again received the prestigious Golden Ear Award at the 52nd edition of the event. This time, the expert jury recognized the certified methodology “Metabolomics in the Fight Against the Illegal Use of Anabolic Steroids in Pig Production,” which provides a new tool for monitoring substances prohibited for use in livestock production.
The award-winning methodology was developed by Kamil Šťastný and his team at the Veterinary Research Institute. The methodology enables more reliable detection of the illegal use of the anabolic steroid nandrolone in pig production. It employs advanced metabolomics approaches that enabled the researchers to identify two previously unknown nandrolone metabolites. These expand the possibilities for detecting the illegal administration of nandrolone, including in cases where standard analytical methods may not be sufficient to reliably detect its use.
The methodology is based on modern liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. It has gone beyond being merely a research outcome and has been successfully implemented in practice at the National Reference Laboratory of the Institute for State Control of Veterinary Biologicals and Medicines (ISCVBM) in Brno. Its practical significance is further confirmed by its inclusion in the Czech State Veterinary Administration’s Official Control Plan (Ref. No. SVS/2024/00821/0-G).
The outcome represents a significant contribution to enhancing the safety of food of animal origin, protecting consumers, and safeguarding fair producers. At the same time, it provides control authorities with a more effective tool for responding to increasingly sophisticated ways of misusing hormonal growth promoters in livestock production.
The significance of the award-winning methodology extends beyond the Czech Republic. The newly identified metabolites and the methodology used to detect them have the potential to be incorporated into the European monitoring system for residues of prohibited substances, and, in the future, they may thus contribute to harmonising nandrolone control and ensuring uniform protection of consumers and the market across the European Union.
Kamil Šťastný received the Golden Ear Award at the 52nd annual Země živitelka agricultural fair from the Minister of Agriculture, Martin Šebestyán. The award recognizes not only the specific research outcome but also the expertise of the research team, which has successfully translated advances in modern metabolomics into a tool that can be directly applied in official control practice.
This achievement follows VRI’s success at the 50th annual Země živitelka agricultural fair in 2024, when the main Golden Ear Award in the Animal Production category was awarded to QuoCNA, a probiotic veterinary product developed to support chicken health and reduce the incidence of major intestinal pathogens.
This year’s award highlights another important dimension of VRI’s research: the integration of advanced analytical methods, veterinary medicine, and food safety with the practical needs of official control authorities. The certified methodology is an example of the successful transfer of research outcomes into the State Administration practice, with a nationwide and, potentially, European-wide impact.
