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salar) is the most important species, representing 4.5% of finfish production. Salmon is followed by several catfish, trout and diverse marine species. It is highly likely that this group of species may be the most impacted by the novel ingredients industry. It is expected that not only will the fishmeal inclusion level decrease but a part of plant meals may be replaced by novel ingredients such as insect meals, single-cell proteins and algae-based meals among others. There is a high possibility that diets for this group of species become more diverse using ingredients which may work as functional ingredients (e.g., insect meals). In the context of mycotoxin management, this group of species is challenging but also highly attractive, as you need to combine a deep knowledge of mycotoxin risk management, species knowledge and regional ingredients used as well as its mycotoxin risk contribution. The decrease of plant-based diets may decrease the mycotoxin risk exposure to certain mycotoxins (e.g., Fusarium mycotoxins), however, other novel ingredients may necessitate the study of their mycotoxin risk. In general storage, mycotoxin may always be a concern in both raw materials and finished feeds. It is important to highlight that besides the contamination level, the multi-mycotoxin exposure may be a growing challenge. Therefore, even if the contamination level may decrease due to the use of a broader range of ingredients, it is important to further understand the synergistic effect of low contamination levels of mycotoxins in carnivorous species’ diets. To the current mycotoxin knowledge, carnivorous species are generally highly sensitive to mycotoxins, however, there is still a lack of scientific knowledge in this group and further research is needed, namely, to better understand possible carry-over effects of mycotoxins.
Conclusions Plant-based ingredients may continue to be the main ingredient for herbivorous feed formulation. Furthermore, the increase of mycotoxin occurrence associated with climate change exposes this group of species to high risk. Moreover, the lack and/or difficulty to identify mycotoxin clinical signs, reinforced by the low monitoring frequency for mycotoxins in
aquaculture feedstuffs and the economic pressure to use local, cheap (low-quality) ingredients, highlights this group as the most exposed to mycotoxins. Mycotoxin management solutions offered to this group need to be cost-effective. The most impacting mycotoxins to L. vannamei are well-identified as well as raw materials typically contaminated by those mycotoxins. Storage conditions will play a key role to control storage mycotoxins in shrimp feeds (proper storage conditions are very wellidentified in literature). The possible increase of novel ingredients used in this species may decrease the risk of mycotoxins in the crustacean group. Monitoring raw materials, having a mycotoxin mitigation plan and controlled storage conditions are key to avoid mycotoxin problems in the shrimp sector. Carnivorous species are possibly the group of species that will be most impacted by novel ingredients. There is a high possibility that, in these highly profitable species, a significant part of fishmeal, but also plant meals, are replaced by novel ingredients. This, in general, may reduce the mycotoxin exposure risk. However, further research is needed to understand upcoming challenges, e.g., synergistic effects of lowlevel mycotoxins. In general, the aquaculture sector needs to start considering the possibility of carry-over of mycotoxins from feed to animal tissues and consequent impact in human health. So far there is little literature on the topic, however, it is already evident that transfer factors may be very different from livestock (for more information consult Gonçalves et al., 2020). Special attention should be given to tropical species where the depuration period is sometimes very low or nonexistent and on species with offals that are consumed. References available on request
More information: Rui A. Gonçalves Aquaculture Business Developer Lucta, S.A., Spain E: ralexandr3@gmail.com
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 12 Issue 3 2020
