The problem of control of zeranol – a growth promoter of ruminant in beef

• Published in: Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Vol. 20; no. 88; pp. 53 - 55
• Main Author: Salata, V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv 17.09.2018
• Subjects: beef, growth stimulator, test system, zeranol, safety
• ISSN: 2413-5550; 2518-7554; 2518-1327
• DOI: 10.32718/nvlvet8809

With the intensification of livestock breeding and the growing demand for meat in the population, producers in order to increase the productivity of farm animals widely apply various feed additives: amino acids, minerals, enzymes, hormones, tranquilizers, antibacterial substances, antioxidants, flavors, dyes, etc. Hormonal supplements or growth promoters used in feeding farm animals, leads to a violation of metabolic processes in the body of animals and poultry, while there are changes in the structure and chemical composition of the biological value of meat. The consumption of such products by a person affects metabolic processes of the organism, hormonal background, endocrine system, breaking the work of the organism as a whole. The purpose of the work was to conduct a search to determine the presence of zeranol, a growth stimulator for ruminants in beef, which arrives at the slaughter shops of the Ternopil and Lviv regions. The determination of zeranol in meat was carried out using a test system for the enzyme immunoassay of RIDASCRIN® Zeranol (manufactured by Ar-Biopharm / R-Biopharm, Darmstadt, Germany). It was found that on average 36% of the samples of beef carcasses entering for processing contained a stimulant for the growth of the mass of ruminant synthetic stimulant-anabolic zeranol, that is below the detection limit of zeranol 0.062 μg/kg. Detected samples, in which the content of zeranol was lower than the limit of this method, indicates that, according to the sensitivity of this method, these tests were attributed to negative ones, that is, zeranol is absent. Two companies with the highest levels of zeranol were also found: it is a beef of MP “Plai”, and PE “Fedoriv”. Consequently, it is recommended that monitoring, sampling and selection of beef meat at meat processing plants be carried out in order to establish safety indicators, in particular, the content of zeranol. Planned monitoring will monitor and analyze the situation with regard to zeranol in Ukraine. The problem of food safety and the assessment of potential risks of meat is extremely complicated and requires the introduction of requirements for the control of this synthetic drug in the normative legal acts of Ukraine. It is also proposed to conduct research on the development of methods for reducing the quantitative content of zeranol in beefmeat during its refrigeration.