World Grain - December 2019 - 64

FEED QUARTERLY

mycotoxins in feed
Many solutions are available to prevent or reduce contamination
by Dr. M. Hikmet Boyacioglu

This photo shows
the structure of the
enhanced zeolite
mineral (KALLSIL).
Courtesy of Kemin
Animal Nutrition
and Health - North
America (Kemin
Industries, Inc.).

nimal feeds play a leading role in the global food
industry, enabling the economical production of
products of animal origin throughout the world.
They may be produced in industrial feed mills or in
simple on-farm mixers. Manufactured feeds are used
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products under a wide range of farming conditions.
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced
by certain molds (fungi) and can be found in food.
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conditions. Mycotoxins can cause a variety of adverse
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mycotoxins range from acute poisoning to long-term
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It is important to note that mold that produces myFRWR[LQVFDQJURZRQDYDULHW\RIGL൵HUHQWFURSVDQG
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not just grow on the surface. Mold usually does not
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drying of commodities and maintenance of the dry
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mold growth and the production of mycotoxins.

Wayne L. Bryden, PhD, The University of Queensland,
School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Australia, noted
that "the major problem associated with mycotoxin-contaminated animal feed is not acute disease episodes but
low-level toxin ingestion that may cause an array of metabolic disturbances resulting in poor animal productivity."
"With the globalization of feed ingredient trade and
the rapid climate changes, the occurrence of mycotoxLQV EHFRPH LQFUHDVLQJO\ GL൶FXOW WR EH SUHGLFWHG´ VDLG
Peng et al, 2018, Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen
Institute of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, The
Netherlands. "Thus, unnoticeable mycotoxin hazards can
directly impact animal production systems. Preventing or
minimizing mycotoxins in feed ingredients has become
an important topic from the aspect of feed manufacturing industry."
Dr. Alexandra Weaver of Alltech Mycotoxin
Management said mycotoxins are a concern for feed quality and animal safety.
"The 2019 Alltech Global Feed Survey shows that, on
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health and lower productivity."
Weaver said it is necessary for producers "to implement a comprehensive mycotoxin management program
to minimize these risks."
Anneliese Mueller, PhD, product management associate at BIOMIN, said mycotoxins are nearly ubiquitous in
animal feed - deteriorating feed quality and jeopardizing
animal health and performance.
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more mycotoxins," she said. "The interactions between
various toxins can be dangerous and are not considered
in most regulations or guidelines. For feed producers, this
means that vigilance and regular testing are required."
Mueller said the latest BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey
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feed and raw commodities samples from 72 countries.
It indicates a genuine threat in feed, depending on crop,
toxin, region and species. Because the known mycotoxins cannot be completely removed by good agricultural practices, several distinct mitigation strategies are
required: binding, biotransformation and bioprotection.
December 2019 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

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