SPECIAL STORY 54 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2023 Natural toxins produced by moulds on animal feedstuffs are increasing worldwide –partly as a result of climate change – and nutritionists are taking their potential to cause significant animal health and performance issues increasingly seriously. But improved surveillance, analysis and remediation techniques are now helping the feed industry counter the progressively complex mycotoxin challenge. The mycotoxin threat to optimal livestock performance is increasing in many countries around the world. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by moulds on animal feedstuffs that possess the potential to derail efficient ruminant and monogastric production. Adverse impacts include lost milk, poor growth rates, depressed animal health and even fertility challenges. Some mycotoxin production by fungi in feed raw materials, such as cereals, is catalysed by the presence of warm, dry growing conditions; and some mycotoxin producing fungi grow well in cool, wet situations. Other stresses to plants can also trigger the production of mycotoxins – mycotoxin production is not only impacted by weather. Although it is suspected that there are many undiscovered mycotoxins, those known to cause significant challenges to optimal animal production are generally produced by the Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium genera of fungi. There is no doubt that mycotoxin prevalence is increasing globally; common toxins previously usually only found in certain parts of the world are now being discovered in other areas. This is in part due to a better analysis and surveillance of raw materials, but also because of climate change. For example, aflatoxin – a common mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus fungi that is usually found in hotter climates, is now also being detected in more northern geographies. Ruminant animals are better able to deal with aflatoxins, although there is understandable concern about the potential of carryover of the major metabolite of aflatoxin (aflatoxin M1) into milk and its carcinogenic effect in humans. Consequently, there are regulated limits worldwide for aflatoxins in feed. On the other hand, poultry are particularly susceptible to aflatoxins, with impaired immune function and reproductive efficiency, liver damage, poor shell quality, reduced egg production and low carcass quality being common signs associated with feed contamination. Pigs are also susceptible to aflatoxins, with the hepatic disease (liver damage) being a particular challenge. COUNTERING THE MYCOTOXIN CHALLENGE Dr Sophie Parker-Norman Head of R&D and Technical Volac International
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