Organic Cultivation of Tomato in India with Recycled Slaughterhouse Wastes: Evaluation of Fertilizer and Fruit Safety

Abstract

Environmental and health safety of recycled slaughterhouse wastes-derived fertilizer and the produce obtained through its application is not well understood. Waste bovine blood and rumen digesta were mixed, cooked and sun-dried to obtain bovine-blood-and-rumen-digesta-mixture (BBRDM, NPK 30.36:1:5.75). 1.26 ± 0.18 log CFU mL −1 fecal coliforms were recovered in BBRDM. E. coli O157:H7, Mycobacteria, Clostridium sp., Salmonella sp., Bacillus sp. and Brucella sp. were absent. No re-growth of pathogens was observed after 60 days storage in sealed bags and in the open. However, prions and viruses were not evaluated. Heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Zn, As, Ni, Mn) concentrations in BBRDM were within internationally permissible limits. BBRDM was applied for field cultivation of tomato during 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. Lycopene and nitrate contents of BBRDM-grown tomatoes were higher than Diammonium OPEN ACCESSAgriculture 2015, 5 827 phosphate (DAP) + potash-grown tomatoes because BBRDM supplied 2.5 times more the amount of nitrogen than DAP (NPK 18:46:0) + potash (NPK 0:0:44). Heavy metals and nitrate/nitrite concentrations in tomatoes were within internationally acceptable limits. BBRDM-grown tomatoes showed no mutagenic activity in the Ames test. Sub-acute toxicity tests on Wistar rats fed with BBRDM-grown tomatoes did not show adverse clinical picture. Thus, no immediate environmental or health risks associated with BBRDM and the tomatoes produced were identified.

Development of a Novel Helical-Ribbon Mixer Dryer for Conversion of Rural Slaughterhouse Wastes to an Organic Fertilizer and Implications in the Rural Circular Economy

“…Our process raises fewer concerns regarding pathogen survival. Roy et al [27] from our group did not find E. coli O157:H7, Mycobacterium, Clostridium, Salmonella, Bacillus, Brucella or fecal coliforms through traditional plating and incubation techniques in BBRDM as the final product. Recently, Bhunia et al [29], also from our group, confirmed the absence of major slaughterhouse pathogens as defined by Franke-Whittle and Insam [6] in BBRDM-fertilized soils through the 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis.…”

“…Cattle blood and rumen matter are the only by-products of annihilation that have no monetary value in rural slaughterhouses [23]. It is a common practice of rural abattoirs to openly dump these wastes onto nearby land, and into sewer systems and water bodies [27]. Treatment methodologies followed in developed countries demand huge investment [28] and are therefore impractical for implementation in small-scale and scattered abattoirs situated in rural areas of developing countries.…”

“…Additionally, vegetables grown in BBRDM-fertilized soil were found to be safe for consumption because it contained acceptable limits of heavy metals, nitrite and nitrate. High nutrition value of BBRDM-grown vegetables was ensured along with non-toxicity and non-carcinogenicity of the vegetables [27]. However, the production of BBRDM is currently limited to small-scale household cooking process by the slaughterhouse owners.…”

Agronomic Efficiency of Animal-Derived Organic Fertilizers and Their Effects on Biology and Fertility of Soil: A Review

“…A patent has been filed on this equipment by Bhowmik et al [99] with application number 202031033116. On the other hand, Roy et al [100] showed the effective eradication of Mycobacterium, Salmonella, Clostridium, Bacillus, Brucella and E. coli O157:H7 adopting the drying technology. Our previous study [15] also confirmed the absence of the above-mentioned abattoir pathogens in BBRDM-fertilized soils through 16S rRNA metagenomic study.…”

Effect of organo-mineral fertilizer and poultry litter waste on sugarcane yield and some plant and soil chemical properties

“…Thus, their application of organic wastes is being considered as a promising and cost-effective method to confront this challenge. These wastes have been demonstrated to provide plant nutrients and organic matter to the soil required for crop production (Roy et al, 2015). Besides that their use in agriculture as an alternative source of nutrients is important both to properly dispose of these products in order to avoid environmental pollution and to reduce high costs of synthetic fertilizers (Portugal et al, 2009).…”