Abstract
<jats:p>The aim of the study is to investigate the microbiological contamination of plant-based feed used in livestock farming on farms in the Krasnoyarsk Region. To determine the qualitative and quantitative composition of various groups of microorganisms, a grain mixture (50 % spring wheat, 30 % barley, 20 % oats) and a total sample of perennial grasses from two pastures were used from the Borskiy Agricultural Production Complex in the Sukhobuzimsky District. Four samples were used for the research from Solyanskoye Agricultural Farm LLC: the feed mixture and each component of the feed mixture separately – grain mixture, silage, haylage (pea-oat mixture). All samples were characterized by a very high level of microbial contamination. The total microbial count (TMC) ranged from 1,00 • 1010 to 4,74 • 1014 CFU per 1 g; the number of mycelial fungi — from 0 to 1,20 • 106 CFU per 1 g; The number of yeasts and yeast-like fungi is from 0 to 2,91 • 107 CFU per 1 g; The number of Staphylococcus aureus is from 0 to 9,69 • 105 CFU/g; The number of Staphylococcus epidermidis is from 0 to 5,80 • 105 CFU/g; The number of Shigella sonnei is from 0 to 1,60 • 104 CFU/g; The number of Salmonella spp. is from 0 to 6,75 • 104 CFU/g; The number of Escherichia coli is from 0 to 5,00 • 103 CFU/g; The number of coliform bacteria is from 0 to 5,21 • 105 CFU/g; The number of Enterococcus spp. is from 0 to 7,25 • 105 CFU/g; the number of lactic acid bacteria (s.r. Lactiplantibacillus and Lactobacillus) – from 0 to 6,82 • 108 CFU/g. Representatives of the genus Clostridium were not detected in any of the samples. No correlations were found between the levels of the studied microbial groups in the samples. The level of contamination with specific microbial groups depends primarily on the feed type, not the feed manufacturer. The highest overall microbiological contamination was found in pasture grass, while the lowest was found in silage. Despite high levels of contamination with filamentous fungi in four of the six feed samples, mycotoxins were not detected in any of the samples.</jats:p>