Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by many genera of fungi in many commodities, under certain conditions. Mycotoxicological control of feed is a procedure that aims to protect human and animal health, avoiding the adverse effects of these undesirable substances. This component of the sanitary control of feed and food is essential to prevent the presence of those substances which can seriously affect the health of the animals. In Portugal, there is relatively few information related to the natural occurrence of mycotoxins in feed. In this context, the authors present results and data compilation concerning the occurrence of mycotoxins in raw materials and also feed for dairy cattle, swine, poultry, horses, fish, laboratory rats and pet; making a generic qualitative appreciation of the risks associated to the presence of mycotoxins in these feedstuffs. The mycotoxins studied: aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisin B1 and B2 (FB1, FB2) were analysed by High Performance Liquid Chromatoghraphy (HPLC). Deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) were determined by Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC). The results suggest that contaminations with these mycotoxins in feed are quite common, revealing the need for surveillance and monitoring programs for the prevention of the sanitary impacts of these "non desirable substances".

Thesafety characteristics of feed used in fish and crustacean aquaculture systems are an essential tool to assure the productivity of those animal exploitations. Safety of feed may be affected by different hazards, including biological and chemical groups. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate fungi contamination and the presence of aflatoxins in 87 samples of feed for sea bass, collected in Portugal. Molds were found in 35 samples (40.2%) in levels ranging from 1 to 3.3 log10 CFU∙g−1. Six genera of molds were found. Aspergillus flavus was the most frequent, found in all positive samples, with a range from 2 to 3.2 log10 CFU∙g−1. Aspergillus niger was found in 34 samples (39.1%), ranging from 1 to 2.7 log10 CFU∙g−1. Aspergillus glaucus was found in 26 samples (29.9%) with levels between 1 and 2.4 log10 CFU∙g−1. Penicillium spp. and Cladosporium spp. were both found in 25 samples (28.7%). Fusarium spp. was found in 22 samples (25.3%), ranging from 1 to 2.3 log10 CFU∙g−1. All feed samples were screened for aflatoxins using a HPLC technique, with a detection limit of 1.0 μg∙kg−1. All samples were aflatoxin negative.

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites produced by some competent mould strains of Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius. These compounds have been extensively studied with regards to their toxicity for animals and humans; they are able to induce liver cancer and may cause a wide range of adverse effects in living organisms. Aflatoxins are found as natural contaminants of food and feed; the main line of the strategy to control them is based on the prevention of the mould growth in raw vegetable or during its storage and monitoring of each crop batch. Mould growth is conditioned by many ecological factors, including biotic ones. Hazard characterization models for aflatoxins in crops must take into consideration biotic interactions between moulds and their potential effects on growth development. The aim of this work is to study the effect of the biotic interaction of 14 different wild strains of Aspergilla (different species), with a competent strain (Aspergillus parasiticus ATCC 15517) using an in vitro production model. The laboratory model used was a natural matrix (humidified cracked corn), on which each wild strain challenged the aflatoxin production of a producer strain. Cultures were incubated at † It has been brought to our attention that due to a production error an earlier unedited version of this paper was uploaded as http://www.mdpi.org/ijms/papers/i9030394-old.pdf. It has now been replaced with the correct version. The Editorial Office wishes to apologize to our readership for this error.

No abstract

No abstract