Avaliação de risco microbiológico qualitativo da farinha de origem animal (FOA) aplicada a avaliação dos riscos da farinha proveniente da mortalidade de suínos

Abstract

The swine production chain still has some gaps, especially as the dead animals on farms destinations. Among the destinations, the industrialization of flour of animal origin (FAO) can be an alternative of recycling biological waste, where the product resulting from the process could be used in the agricultural industry. The lack of studies in the area and restrictions on the use of mortality for any purpose other than controlled decomposition limit information on the risks that this activity could generate in animal and human health and environmental balance. Thus, the objective of this study was to achieve a qualitative microbiological risk assessment of flour of animal origin (FAO) aiming to provide subsidies to indicate the possible hazards and risks associated with the use of flour produced from pigs dead on farms. The results evaluated from FAO suggest that if the conditions of industrialization were carried out adequately, considering time/temperature after slaughter, the risk may be insignificant; but there is a possibility of recontamination after cooling, with Salmonella being the most reported hazard in scientific studies, presenting low to very high risk levels. In addition to the microbiological hazard, chemical hazards such as the biogenic amines generated in the decomposition process may also be present in the FAO, which potentially could compromise not only animal health but also consumers of animal products. However, the conditions of viability of the process of removal and packing of the dead animals cannot be disregarded to obtain an estimate with a lower degree of uncertainty. From the information provided and the scenarios considered, it was not possible to indicate the flour production of animal origin as a probable destination for animals dead on swine farms.