BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey A summary of the major threats
* High
Eastern Europe
South Asia Afla 0% ZEN 0% DON 10% FUM 92% OTA 3%
North Asia
Afla 27% ZEN 23% DON 56% FUM 49% OTA 37%
Afla 14% ZEN 57% DON 79% FUM 47% OTA 15% South-East Asia
Northern Europe
Afla 67% ZEN 26% DON 67% FUM 78% OTA 56%
Afla 59% ZEN 26% DON 36% FUM 57% OTA 55%
Afla 59% ZEN 49% DON 34% FUM 65% OTA 25%
Afla 4% ZEN 19% DON 24% FUM 16% OTA 13%
prevalence of FUM found in samples originating from UK.
Distribution of mycotoxin contamination by risk levels Field mycotoxins such as DON, FUM and ZEN were the most frequently occurring ones. The risk levels of these mycotoxins were evaluated according to the percentage of samples in the different contamination ranges. Important results were gained in this survey especially in the case of the type B-trichothecene DON. Of all the
General findings • More than half of all worldwide samples contain DON and FUM (Table 1). • Corn was found to contain the highest concentrations of singly occurring Afla and ZEN in addition to FUM in corn DDGS. • In half of all samples, more than one mycotoxin was detected. Multi-mycotoxin occurrence is a challenge due to its potential synergistic effects in animals (Figure 1).
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Afla 30% ZEN 19% DON 46% FUM 78% OTA 31%
Oceania
South America
Afla 12% ZEN 39% DON 33% FUM 76% OTA 2%
Afla 32% ZEN 34% DON 87% FUM 86%* OTA 40%
Middle East
Afla 55% ZEN 18% DON 50% FUM 71% OTA 46%
Africa
Afla 26% ZEN 9% DON 33% FUM 55% OTA 2%
Afla 29% ZEN 26% DON 66% FUM 36% OTA 28%
South Africa
Southern Europe
North America
Central Europe
Figure 2. Prevalence of mycotoxins in different geographic regions according to percentage of positive samples (>limits of quantification).
surveyed samples, 42.5% showed a DON contamination above 200 µg/kg which represents a medium risk level for pigs. Of all the feed samples, 12.5% were above the EU guidance values for DON (900 µg/kg) in complementary and complete feedstuffs for pigs (EC, 2006). A clear concern From the mycotoxin survey results in which more than 4,200 samples worldwide were investigated, it is clear that mycotoxins are a topic of concern in animal feed and multi-mycotoxin occurrence continues to be a threat. Constant monitoring and continued research on the prevention and mitigation of mycotoxin contamination are therefore necessary. A first step towards preventing the negative effects of these harmful substances is the application of good agricultural practices and storage conditions. An effective mycotoxin risk management program is also important in order to protect animals from the negative effects of mycotoxins on health and performance.
S c i e n c e & S o l u t i o n s • Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4