Sulfonamides belong to a large and important class of antibacterial drugs and are very common in veterinary and human medicine.

Sulfonamides are illegally used as additives in animal feed because they may have a growth-promoting effect.

The milk and dairy products industries are among the sectors most affected by the presence of antibiotic residues, not only because of the risk of chemical poisoning, allergic reactions, and the development of mechanisms of bacterial resistance, causing a serious threat to human and animal health, but also because of important economic losses derived by the inhibitory effect of these biocides in the fermentation processes (production of cheese and cultured milk products).