Potential Health Risks for Consumers and Handlers of Poultry Products Fed with Poor Quality Feeds

Abstract

In Burkina Faso, livestock farming contributes to the supply of animal protein and the improvement of household incomes. However, the poor quality of poultry feed not only leads to economic losses but also risks of microbial transmission to consumers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess potential health risks to consumers and handlers of poultry products according to the physicochemical and microbiological quality of poultry feed. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters analysis was performed using standard methods. Mean calculations, ANOVA and Tukey tests were performed using Excel 2016 XLSTAT 2016 software. The average water content was 5.42% for broiler feed and 5.03% for layer feed. The average dry matter was 94.58% for broiler feed and 94.77% for layer feed. The average pH was 7.44 for the broiler feed and 7.3 for the layer feed. The average acidity was 0.5% for broiler feed and 0.39% for layer feed. Microbiological analyses showed for broiler and layer feeds, mean loads respectively of 7.64x10<sup>5</sup> CFU/g and 2.82x10<sup>5</sup> CFU/g for Total Aerobic Mesophilic Flora, 7.76x10<sup>4</sup> CFU/g and 1.58x10<sup>4</sup> CFU/g for Sporulating Flora, 1.44x10<sup>5</sup> CFU/g and 1.22x10<sup>5</sup> CFU/g for yeast and Molds, 7.89x10<sup>4</sup> CFU/g and 9.47x10<sup>4</sup> CFU/g for Total Coliform, 2.27x10<sup>4</sup> CFU/g and 8.38x10<sup>3</sup> CFU/g for Thermotolerant Coliforms, and the presence of <i>Salmonella</i>. Compliance evaluation showed the following results: 100% of feeds analyzed were satisfactory in terms of Total Aerobic Flora, Total Coliforms, Yeasts and Molds. However, 100% of foods assessed were contaminated with Thermotolerant Coliforms and 40% with <i>Salmonella</i>. These high levels pose obvious risks to both poultry and consumers of poultry products. Therefore, compliance with good hygiene practices remains an absolute necessity for the protection of poultry and consumers of poultry products.