Simultaneous Presence of Mycotoxins in Feed Intended for Food-Producing Animals

Area of Science:

• Food Safety
• Analytical Chemistry
• Animal Nutrition

Background:

• Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi that can contaminate animal feed.
• Contaminated feed poses risks to food-producing animals and potentially to human consumers through the food chain.
• Simultaneous presence of multiple mycotoxins can lead to complex toxicological effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simultaneously detect and quantify multiple mycotoxins in feed for food-producing animals.
• To assess the occurrence and co-occurrence of various mycotoxins in feed samples.
• To highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance for mycotoxin contamination.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for sensitive and specific mycotoxin analysis.
• Quantified aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2), deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin A, fumonisins (FB1, FB2), T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and zearalenone (ZEA).
• Achieved high correlation coefficients (0.991–0.999) and acceptable recoveries (76–108%) for all analytes.

Main Results:

• Mycotoxins were detected in 42% of the analyzed feed samples.
• Specific concentration ranges were reported for AFB1, DON, ZEA, T-2/HT-2 toxins, and fumonisins.
• Co-occurrence of ZEA/DON with FB1/FB2 was found in 28% of positive samples, with six also containing T-2/HT-2 toxins.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the widespread presence of mycotoxins and their co-occurrence in animal feed.
• Analytical methods like LC-MS are effective for simultaneous mycotoxin determination.
• Continuous monitoring programs are essential to mitigate risks to animal health and the food supply.