SCREENING OF THE SANITARY CONDITION OF COMPOUND FEED MILLS OF UKRAINE

The microbiological contamination of finished animal feed largely depends on the sanitary condition of the production facility. The microbiological landscape of production consists of two main factors: the contamination of raw materials of various types and the sanitary condition of equipment and the production environment. The sanitary condition of the equipment directly depends on the presence of material deposits or residues on or inside it, which become a medium for the development of microorganisms. The final microbiological load can have a significant impact on the animal health, especially of the young. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the sanitary condition of three feed mills in Ukraine: one of them in Odesa region, one in the Kharkiv region, and the last one in Mykolaiv region. We collected samples of deposits and residues from production equipment and the manufacturing environment. All samples were analyzed for two microbiological indicators: total microbial contamination and molds and yeasts. Standard microbiological methods were used for this: first, the samples were suspended in sterile water, then diluted and pour-plated on Petri dishes on MPA (for bacteria) and wort agar (for molds and yeasts). In addition to counting colonies, the presence of certain groups or species (where possible) of microorganisms was also noted, in particular, among fungi, the presence of known mycotoxin producers was noted. The results show that the microbiological burden of the equipment depends on its arrangement and the degree of care: open outdoor receiving equipment was the most contaminated, and significantly increased contamination was recorded in places where the deposits are moistened by atmospheric precipitation (outdoors) or water vapor (indoors). The results show that the proper arrangement of equipment and its proper maintenance is the most important component for obtaining a good sanitary condition of feed production. Based on the results obtained, the mills were offered appropriate recommendations to eliminate deficiencies and improve production.