Veterinary and sanitary characteristics of quail meat by feeding nanocrystalline cerium dioxide

Abstract

The unresolved problem of quail is feed stress and high sensitivity of poultry of this species to feed quality. To eliminate such consequences it is possible with the use of various biologically active feed additives. However, their introduction into the diet automatically raises questions about the quality and safety of the products for the consumer. The purpose of the research is to conduct a veterinary and sanitary assessment of the quality of quail meat for feeding NDC. The purpose of the research is to conduct a veterinary and sanitary assessment of the quality of quail meat for feeding NDC. The object of study were the quails of the Pharaoh breed, at the age of 24 were divided into two groups: experimental and control 30 heads each. The birds were kept in cages with free access to food and water. Quails of the experimental group were added to drinking water feed additive "Nanocerium" at a dose of 8.6 mg per liter of drinking water. Nanocerium feed additive is an aqueous dispersion of NDC with average nanoparticle sizes of 2–7 nm. Antemortem examination of quails of both groups revealed a satisfactory clinical condition of birds. The average weight of the gut carcass of quails of the experimental group was higher by 8.3% compared to the control. Examination of 20 carcasses of quails showed that they can be classified as first class. According to organoleptic parameters, quail meat is of good quality in veterinary and sanitary terms. Microbiological studies of quail meat indicate no effect of NDC in the applied doses on its bacterial contamination. Chemical parameters of meat (pH, aminoammonia nitrogen, volatile fatty acids during storage in the refrigerator) (5 days, t = 4–5 ° C) tended to increase and were within the normal range for fresh product. Tissue in quails of both groups was not detected. The biological value of quail meat in both groups was identical and no toxicity. Tasting evaluation of the broth and meat showed that NDC did not affect the studied taste. The obtained results show that the quails that received the feed additive "Nanocerium" with water according to the indicators of veterinary and sanitary examination are of good quality, which allows to use it in human food without restrictions. Key words: poultry, nanocerium, organoleptic evaluation, microbial contamination, biological value, tasting evaluation.