The Effect of Pollution on the Livestock Management, Microbial Evaluation, Health Risks, and HPLC Analysis of Aflatoxins in Animal Meat and Organs

Rokayya Sami^1,2*Sarah Alharthi¹Hilary Uguru³Ovie I Akpokodje³Mohammed Alqurashi¹Salman Aloufi¹Saad A Al-Otaibi¹Jawaher J Albaqami¹Rowa K Zarah¹Hamida Hamdi¹Roqayah H Kadi⁴Suad H Almasoudi⁵Sondos A Alhajouj⁶Rasha M Alzayed⁷Ahmed M Abdulfattah⁸Sameer Hasan Qari⁵

• ¹College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
• ²Taif University, Ta'if, Saudi Arabia
• ³University of Delta, Agbor, Delta, Nigeria
• ⁴Jeddah University, Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
• ⁵Umm al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
• ⁶Jouf University, Sakakah, Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia
• ⁷King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁸King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Free-range animal rearing system is a practical approach to monitor terrestrial pollution in livestock management and public health. This research evaluated the potential health hazards, linked with heavy metals (HMs) and microbial pollution of forage and soil ingested by free-range domestic animals (cattle, and goats) and wild animals, as well as their subsequent impact on human health. Eighty vegetation samples, 40 soil samples, and a total of 240 animal samples (120 muscle tissues and 120 livers) were extensively collected from the Guinea savannah and rainforest regions. The HMs (Cd, Pb, As, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cu) and microbial concentrations of the collected specimens were determined in accordance with ASTM and ISO approved guidelines. The results revealed that the vegetation and soil of the studied area contained significant amount of HMs and pathogenic microorganisms. Likewise, the results depicted that the animals' muscles and liver contained substantial levels of all the HMs examined, although their average concentrations were less than the maximum limits approved by the World Health Organization, for edible food items. Similarly, the results highlighted that the animal specimens exhibited a considerable microbial load, including pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and aflatoxins. The HPLC analysis was used to detect the aflatoxins in the animal bodies. The HMs content and microbial loads were higher in the liver than in the muscle; and the cow muscle and liver tissues recorded the optimal levels of HMs and pathogens, among all the animals sampled. The health risk indices (hazard index and cancer risk) indicated that the consumption of the animal samples posed no non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risks. Findings derived from this study had shown the necessity of consistent environmental control and monitoring. Thus is to prevent the bioaccumulation of toxic HMs and pathogens in the vegetation and animal bodies, along with the associated risks in animal production and the food supply chain.