Vitebsk Academy of Veterinary Medicine has created a laboratory for monitoring the quality of agricultural products

February 10, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. The Vitebsk State Academy of Veterinary Medicine has established a laboratory for monitoring the quality of agricultural products, which will significantly expand the range of services for agro-industrial complex enterprises. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the head of the university's research department, Candidate of Veterinary Sciences, Associate Professor Alexander Subbotin. The academy allocated over $100,000 for the creation of the laboratory and its equipping with modern high-tech equipment. The university staff now have at their disposal a research complex, including a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory for DNA research, a protein analyzer for determining degradable and non-degradable protein, and a number of other devices. The laboratory makes it possible to control product quality by many indicators, including the presence of genetically modified components, heavy metals, viruses, microorganisms, antibiotics, etc. "In the context of the need to expand potential sales markets and increasing competition, quality issues are paramount for domestic producers, to whom we are ready to provide scientific support," noted Alexander Subbotin. During the monitoring of agricultural product quality control, specialists will conduct a comprehensive study of the problem posed by the customer. The academy's intellectual resources, combined with the laboratory's technological potential, allow not only to diagnose the presence of certain defects in product quality but also to develop recommendations for their elimination. "For example, when monitoring the quality of livestock products, laboratory staff will be able to track the entire chain, identifying weak points (from the quality of feed to issues of animal housing quality), and develop targeted scientifically based recommendations for correcting the enterprise's production activities," said the scientist. In addition, the laboratory's potential is planned to be used in the implementation of state scientific and technical programs, regional and university research, without transferring the conduct of certain high-tech experiments and analyses, which were previously unavailable to the academy's scientists, to other organizations. In 2009, scientific, advisory, and practical assistance to agricultural producers was provided by staff from 20 departments and the Research Institute of Applied Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology established at the academy. At the request of agro-industrial complex enterprises, over 3.8 thousand examinations and analyses of biomaterials were performed, and over 1.4 thousand feed samples were investigated. Based on the results of research work, specific measures and recommendations were developed for zootechnical and veterinary specialists on feeding organization, animal disease prevention and treatment, improving feed quality, as well as the quality and quantity of livestock products. The academy actively collaborated with manufacturers of veterinary drugs in conducting pharmaco-toxicological and production trials of veterinary drugs, and in developing regulatory and technical documentation for the drugs. The total volume of contract work performed exceeded Br850 million. -0-