Consumption of Cattle Hide Singed with Scrap Tyre is Detrimental to the Liver, Heart and Kidney of Rats

The presence of essential amino acids in meat makes it a complete protein, this makes meat a highly sort after source of protein in the human diet. The World’s demand for animal-derived protein has been projected to double by 2050. As a result there is a resultant increase in livestock industries to meet this demand. While meat is generally consumed as a source of protein, processed cattle hide popularly known as “Kanda” in southeastern Nigeria is consumed as a substitute for meat though it may not necessarily provide the same level of nutritional value with meat. The method of processing this food delicacy (Kanda) by singeing with scrap tyre or firewood has opened the door for heavy metal and or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) contamination, thereby putting unsuspecting consumers at health risk. This study therefore investigated the effects of consuming scrap tyre and firewood singed cattle hide on the kidney, liver and heart of male Wistar rats. The study took place for 21 days at the department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology Owerri. 35 rats were divided into 7 groups of 5 each, allowed to acclimatize for 7 days and fed with the cattle hide processed with scrap tyre (group 1-3) and cattle hide processed with firewood (group 4-6) while group 7 which served as control was fed with normal standard rat pellet feed. It was observed that consuming these processed hides increased the marker enzymes for heart, kidney and liver damage like lactate dehydrogenase, alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase with groups that were fed with the hide singed with scrap tyre showing severe elevations. Consuming the singed Kanda also significantly decreased the serum concentrations of K+, Na+, Cl- , and significantly increased HCO3- and urea concentration. An examination of the organ tissues also revealed serious morphological changes. In conclusion, consuming singed Kanda had detrimental effects on the vital organs studied.