Ocurrence of microorganisms in animal feed hand-prepared with licuri (Syagrus coronata)

Abstract

During the dry season in the Brazilian Caatinga region when sources of food are very scanty, many farmers use alternative forms to feed their livestock. One of these alternative forms is the feed made with the fruits of licuri palm (Syagrus coronata), produced by hand by farmers or associations without any microbial control, until the present study. The control of the microbial growth in feeds, used in the animal feeding, aims mainly to decrease risks in the health of the meat consumers, by increasing sanitation and hygienic quality of the feed. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out a microbiological analysis (presence of salmonela, counting of mesophilic microorganisms, and contamination by filamentous fungi and yeasts) of the ration of licuri prepared by an association of agricultural producers from the town of Valente, Bahia. The microbiological quality in the analyzed samples was good in accordance with standardized microbiological norms from The Netherlands, without salmonela, low counting of mesophilic microorganisms, and low contamination by filamentous fungi and yeasts in all analyses that were conducted. This is the first work published that describes the microbiological quality of the licuri feed produced by hand.