EN
The main aim of the research was to evaluate the influence of granulating and expanding processes on bacterial and fungi-like impurities found in feed mixes for poultry. The total number of mesophylic bacteria and fungi was specified, and pathogenic bacteria and toxinogenic fungi were also taken into account. The granulating and expanding process limited the number of the bacteria, reducing it by 79.80% in the granulated mixes and by 86.40% in the expanded mixes. All the tested feed mixes were free from pathogenic bacteria, such as Clostridium, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus or Salmonella. The application of granulation resulted in a 73.92% reduction of the number of fungi, and of expansion, in a 60.30% reduction. In pellets, the most frequently isolated fungi were Penicillium and Aspergillus, although Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladospo- rium, Geotrichum, Verticillium and Mucor dominated in the expanded feed. Granulating and expanding technologies seem to be very effective means of reducing microbiological impurities in feed mixes, simultaneously having a significant influence on the product quality and general salubrity of animals.