[The significance of mycotoxin assimilation for meat animals]

Mycotoxins may influence animal health and may be responsible for alterations in carcass composition and quality. Of major interest is the formation of residues in edible tissues, which had been demonstrated for the mycotoxins aflatoxin B1 and its metabolites, for ochratoxin A, zearalenone, as well as some trichothecenes. The amount of detectable residue depends on the initial feed contamination, duration of toxin exposure and persistence of the toxin within the animal the latter varying according to the species. Thus, residues of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A could be detected with a higher frequency than residues of trichothecenes which are rapidly metabolized and therefore only rarely contribute to a contamination of edible tissues. However, sufficient data for the evaluation of approximative carry over rates are not available for all mycotoxins. The majority of mycotoxins are heat tolerant and therefore a decomposition during cooking or processing is almost unlikely.