Safety evaluation of fox meat and bone meal.

The purpose of the experiment was to study the feasibility of fox carcass as meat and bone meal and evaluate the safety of fox meat and bone meal. Three healthy blue foxes (39 in total) weighing about 15 kg were randomly selected from 13 fox breeding areas in China. Fox carcass (including viscera and toe claws) was made into meat and bone meal by grinding, high-pressure hydrolysis, degreasing, drying, and crushing. Routine nutrients, heavy metals, veterinary drug residues, and canine distemper virus were determined, respectively, and the safety was evaluated. The results showed that the content of crude protein in meat and bone meal was between 55% and 67%, which meets the requirements of crude protein in the first-class index of Bone Meal and Meat and Bone Meal for Feed. The concentrations of lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and chromium meet the requirements of the national standard for the hygiene and safety standards of meat and bone meal. Sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethoxazine, sulfadiazine, penicillin, oxytetracycline, and gentamicin meet the standard requirements of maximum residue limits of veterinary drugs in food. The results showed that fox meat and bone meal was rich in nutritional value, and its hygiene and safety indexes met the raw material standard of protein feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]