ASSESSMENT OF RABBIT MEAT QUALITY AND SAFETY IN CASE OF MYCOTOXICOSIS WHILE USING PREVENTIVE COMPLEXES

The objective of the study is to determine the effectiveness of preventive complexes in reducing the harmful effects of mycotoxins in a mixture (aflatoxin B1, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin) on the animal body and in ensuring the safety of meat products for consumers. The objects of the study were mycotoxins, 80 chinchilla rabbits, and preventive complexes (PC). To reproduce mycotoxicosis, the trichothecene toxin T-2 (1.2 mg/kg), the hepatocarcinogen aflatoxin B1 (0.3 mg/kg), and the estrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone (1.7 mg/kg) were selected. The organoleptic, physicochemical, and microbiological parameters of rabbit meat were assessed in accordance with the requirements of the current regulatory documentation. Residual amounts of mycotoxins in meat and liver samples were determined chromatographically. Organoleptic assessment of meat from the toxic control group revealed deviations from the standard parameters, indicating questionable freshness. Meat from rabbits treated with prophylactic complexes (with and without mycotoxin administration) met established quality and freshness standards. In toxicology control meat samples, an increase in volatile fatty acid content to 3.12 mg KOH (meat of questionable freshness) was recorded. Pre-slaughter live weight and fresh carcass weight of rabbits in the toxic control group were lower than those in the biological control group by 10.26 % (p < 0.001) and 18.03 % (p < 0.001). Slaughter yield was 8.68 % lower in the toxic control group than in the biological control group (p < 0.01). In a comparison between the complexes, complex PK3 had higher slaughter yield values. Aflatoxin B1, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin were detected only in the meat and liver of rabbits in the toxic control group. The studied prophylactic complexes had a positive effect on the quality and safety of rabbit meat, indicating the effectiveness of the studied formulations.