ARTICLE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 91 grass and maize silage, which are staple components of dairy cow diets. These molds could theoretically be identified by their coloration as Fusarium typically appears as white to red/pinkish, Penicillium as bluegreen, and Aspergillus as olive green to yellow. However, relying solely on visual identification is risky, as the majority of molds start as white and develop color only as they age. Moreover, not all molds produce mycotoxins. So, the visible presence of mold does not mean the presence of mycotoxin, and conversely, the absence of visible mold does not guarantee the absence of mycotoxins, making it even more challenging to assess the risk based on appearance alone. This is where scientific analysis becomes indispensable. At Cargill, we have developed a comprehensive mycotoxin analysis database to help farmers, nutritionists, and veterinarians better understand the risks posed by mycotoxins. Over the past 12 months, we have conducted approximately 400,000 mycotoxin analyses worldwide. Our database reveals that, during this period, 69% of the analyses were positive for at least one mycotoxin, with 35% showing levels above the risk thresholds for animal performance. Overall, the most prevalent mycotoxins identified include deoxynivalenol, fumonisin, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin with respectively 58%, 43%, 41%, and 22% of the analyses showing levels sufficient to impact performance. Our analyses also revealed that corn and cereals were particularly affected by deoxynivalenol with 61% and 57% of analyses respectively above the performance risk thresholds. Fumonisin seems to mainly infest corn with 50% of analyses above the performance risk thresholds. Finally, zearalenone is present in all grains with 45% of corn analyses and 26% of cereal analyses showing levels above the risk thresholds. Oilseeds, and in particular soybeans, are important sources of zearalenone since 45% of analyses showed levels sufficient to impact performance. Finally, forages are not left out since the analyses showed significant contamination of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and fumonisin in 70%, 44%, and 34% of the analyses, respectively. These findings highlight the pervasive nature of mycotoxin contamination and underscore the need for vigilant monitoring and management. Total Analyses % Contaminated Above Detection Limit % Contaminated Analyses Above Perf. Risk Threshold Avg. Contamination (ppb) Max. Contamination (ppb) Aflatoxin (Total) Fumonisin Ochratoxin T2 Toxin (Total) Vomitoxin Zearalenone 488.48 7,339.00 9,100.00 1,000.00 22,450.00 8,000.00 25,316 3,695 4,063 4,011 40,523 13,482 76% 30% 49% 52% 83% 64% 22.33 348.43 90.01 41.54 450.81 57.85 27% 6% 3% 25% 57% 26% Total Analyses % Contaminated Above Detection Limit % Contaminated Analyses Above Perf. Risk Threshold Avg. Contamination (ppb) Max. Contamination (ppb) Aflatoxin (Total) Fumonisin Ochratoxin T2 Toxin (Total) Vomitoxin Zearalenone 569.10 83,000.00 3,758.00 1,154.90 25,000.00 13,057.00 78,020 45,414 8,596 12,157 72,318 37,110 62% 81% 54% 49% 78% 77% 6.50 1344.51 4.61 44.89 1152.02 113.74 7% 50% 1% 29% 61% 45%
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