Biomedical Letters

Poultry feed contamination and its potential hazards on human health

Saima Suleman 1, Javed Anver Qureshi 1, Majeeda Rasheed 2*, Waqas Farooq 3, Farkhanda Yasmin 4

1 Instittue of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Lahore, Pakistan

2 Department of Life Sciences, Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

3 Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

4 Department of Bio Sciences, Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

Abstract

The poultry farm industry is growing quickly and tremendously contributing to meeting the increasing protein demand of the rapidly growing population through eggs and meat supplementation. It is a good and cheap source of low cholesterol and high protein meat and provides essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The poultry industry is big and developing worldwide. Because of the tremendous commercialization of poultry farms and the increased number of birds in poultry farms, there was a need to prepare poultry feed on an industrial scale. Because of industrialization and increasing environmental pollution, there are much higher chances that poultry feed may get contaminated with some toxic compounds during the process of preparation. Hazards associated with animal feed can be chemical, biological, or physical. Contamination of poultry feed may occur during handling, storage and transportation, or it may result from accidental or deliberate. Risk management should be based upon prevention rather than reaction after detection of the problem. Food safety hazards should be taken seriously to control side adverse effects in animals and humans. So, governments should take strict measures to avoid any toxic contamination hazardous to human health.