open access

Submitted: 2025-09-19
Animal Production and Health
Published: 2025-12-17

Microbiological safety of the main unconventional animal resources consumed as meat in Benin

Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Benin
School of Agronomical Sciences and Water, University of Parakou, Benin
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Benin
UFR biosciences, University Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Benin
School of Agronomical Sciences and Water, University of Parakou, Benin

Abstract

Unconventional animal resources such as bushmeat, amphibians, reptiles, rodents, and wild birds represent an important part of local diets in Benin. This study aimed to assess the microbiological safety of the main unconventional animal resources consumed as meat in Benin. Therefore, 5 fresh compsites samples of deer, grasscutter, partridge, monitor lizard (Varanus exanthematicus), frog (Hoplobatracus occipitalis), shea caterpillars (Cirina butyrospermi) and grasshoppers (Zonoceros variegatus) were collected for microbiological analysis according to the specific ISO Standards. The results showed that in mammalian meat, total aerobic mesophiles were comparable between grasscutter (4.93 × 10⁶ CFU/g) and deer (4.59 × 10⁶ CFU/g), as were total coliforms (3.93 × 10² vs. 3.59 × 10² CFU/g) and fecal coliforms (2.38 × 10² vs. 2.30 × 10² CFU/g). In insects, shea caterpillars showed higher total coliforms (3.70 × 10² CFU/g) compared to grasshoppers (1.78 × 10² CFU/g), while other microbial counts were similar. Among amphibians and reptiles, microbial loads varied significantly according to the species with total aerobic mesophiles ranged from 1.68 × 10⁶ CFU/g in frog to 5.03 × 10⁶ CFU/g in monitor lizard, total coliforms ranged from 1.05 × 10² to 3.99 × 10² CFU/g, and fecal coliforms from 0.48 × 10² to 2.53 × 10² CFU/g. Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli counts followed similar patterns. No Salmonella spp. was detected in any sample. Effective hygiene practices are essential to ensure microbiological safety of these unconventional animal resources consumed as meat.

Keywords: Benin, game meat, insect, frog, monitor lizard, microbial safety