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Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Abstract

This study investigated the concentrations of essential (Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, and Mo) and toxic (Pb, Cd, As, and Hg) trace elements in complete feeds used for the intensive rearing of cattle, poultry, and pigs in North Macedonia and predicted their transfer into animal-derived foods. A total of 107 feed samples were collected from 40 farms between May 2023 and April 2024 and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results revealed that while most essential elements were within the regulatory limits, Co exceeded the maximum level in two cattle feed samples. Zn, Cu, and Mn levels were generally at potentially suboptimal concentrations, indicating possible deficiencies that can affect animal health and productivity. Toxic elements Pb, Cd, and As were prevalent across all feed types, although none exceeded the European Union’s maximum limits, while Hg was rarely detected. Using literature-based transfer factors (TFs), this study predicted the transferred levels of these elements in animal-derived foods such as milk, eggs, meat, offal, and fat. The mean and median TF-based predictions indicated compliance with regulatory limits and suggested safety for human health at the screening level. However, worst-case scenario predictions using 95th percentile TFs suggested potential exceedances of regulatory limits for Pb, Cd, and As in certain food commodities, particularly in offal. The findings underscore the importance of continuous monitoring of trace elements in animal feeds to ensure animal health and welfare and the safety of animal-derived foods. This predictive approach using TFs offers a valuable tool for rapid risk assessment and can support regulatory decision-making.

Author ORCID Identifier

ELIZABETA DIMITRIESKA STOJKOVIKJ: 0000-0001-8315-5267

VANGELICA ENIMITEVA: 0009-0001-5611-3018

ALEKSANDRA ANGJELESKA: 0000-0002-7109-2681

RISTO UZUNOV: 0000-0002-4901-1312

DOI

10.55730/1300-0128.4534

Keywords

Animal feed safety, essential and toxic elements, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, seasonal variations, transfer factors, animal-derived food safety

First Page

153

Last Page

166

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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