THE USE OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE SLUDGE

This paper discusses the use of slaughterhouse sludge. On a yearly bas is approximately 3-4 million tons of pig and poultry slaughterhouse sl udge is produced in Europe. The current uses of sludge are not very fa vourable because of their environmental drawbacks. An alternative proc essing method, e.g. high temperature/short term pasteurization followe d by lactic acid fermentation, is tested to yield a microbiologically safe and chemically stable wet feed constituent for pigs. Biochemical and chemical aspects of slaughterhouse sludge were investigated to ass ess Process-Integrated-Safety-Assurance. Feeding experiments were cond ucted to investigate the effects of pasteurized and subsequently ferme nted slaughterhouse sludge on the health and performance of fattening pigs. It was concluded that this kind of processing will minimize envi ronmental pollution, thus achieving a more sustainable animal producti on.