Influence of mineral sorbent on the accumulation of 137Cs, Pb, and Cd in the muscle tissue and liver of pigs
Abstract
I.M. Savchuk*, S.P. Kovaliova, D.M. Kucher and I.V. Yashchuk
The research is devoted to establishing the most optimal dose of natural saponite mineral in the diets of young pigs of large white breed and determining its impact on the quality and safety of pig products during its production in the III zone of radioactive contamination due to the Chernobyl accident. We registered the positive effect of the mineral sorbent on the ecological quality of pork in reducing the specific activity of 137Cs and the concentration of heavy metals, particularly Cd and Pb, in the longest back muscle. We found that the inclusion in pigs' fattening of the natural mineral saponite in the amount of 3, 5, and 7% by weight of concentrated fodders in the diet reduced the specific activity of 137Cs in muscle tissue of animals of experimental groups relative to control by 10.1-35.7%. At the same time, the sorbent dose of 7% was the best in terms of sorption efficiency. The multiplicity of 137Cs accumulation in the longest back muscle was 0.153–0.257 and was 15.2–68.0% higher in young pigs receiving saponite-free cereals. The concentration of Pb in the muscle tissue and liver of experimental animals was slightly lower than MAC (maximum allowable concentration). In contrast, the contamination of the longest back muscle of young pigs of all Cd groups exceeded the regulatory requirements by 1.54-2.48 times. Giving saponite to fattening pigs reduced the content of Pb and Cd in the muscle tissue of animals of the II-IV (experimental) groups by 5.9-52.7% and 21.8-37.9%, respectively. The most optimal amount of natural mineral to reduce the accumulation of Pb in the muscle tissue of animals was the dose of sorbent 3% (by weight) of concentrated fodders in the diet, and for Cd – a dose of 7%.