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Abstract
The poultry industry in Lebanon has developed since the 1950′s and is expected to be worth $450 million by 2010. Annual egg production exceeds 600 million eggs whereas broiler meat production is over 130,000 t. Lebanese poultry producers are heavily reliant on imported feedstuffs. To evaluate the quality of feedstuffs used in poultry diets, the results of a recent survey are discussed. This was conducted to evaluate the grade, chemical composition, processing quality and aflatoxin concentration of imported corn and soybean meal in Lebanon. During a period of one year, samples of corn, 44% crude protein soybean meal (SBM 44), and 48% crude protein soybean meal (SBM 48) were collected from shipments delivered to four major feed mixing operations in Central Beqa'a, Lebanon. A sample of each of the feed ingredients was collected every week during a period of three months from each of the feedmills under investigation. Bushel weight, percent foreign seed or matter plus broken corn kernel, proximate analysis, and G1, G2, B1, and B2 aflatoxin concentration in the feed samples were measured. Urease activity in soybean meal was determined. Bushel weight and percentage foreign seed or matter plus broken kernels in imported corn grain were 25.9 kg and 22.1%, respectively. Moisture content in corn grain was 14.0% whereas crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, and ash were 8.54, 3.52, 2.09, and 1.51% on dry matter basis, respectively. Moisture and crude protein levels in imported SBM 44 and SBM 48 were similar to that of their premium counterparts. Moreover, SBM 44 and SBM 48 had urease activity within the acceptable pH range and were free of G1, G2, B1, and B2. In contrast, 14% of commercial corn shipments were found to contain between 6 and 30 ppb B1 with no presence of G1, G2, and B2. It is recommended that poultry and animal feed importers in Lebanon re-evaluate their sources of corn grain and rehabilitate their feed storage facilities in order to preserve quality and reduce further contamination and/or mould growth.