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As cereal and protein sources suffer a price increase worldwide, the use of alternative ingredients in feeds has become increasingly appealing to the animal industry. Dried distillers' grain and solubles (DDGS) have been one of the ingredients which demand has dramatically increased over the last few years. In fact, the supply of maize DDGS is expected to increase to about 38.6 mmt by 2019-2020. The presence of mycotoxins in these by-products has been a matter of concern raised by their ubiquitous use. A rule of thumb typically used in the field is that the concentration of mycotoxins in the final by-product is about three times higher than that of the original raw material, which may be scientifically backed up by the fact that the remaining portions within the by-product are those which had a higher concentration of mycotoxins (outer portions of the grain). This paper is the outcome of a five-year study during which a total of 409 maize DDGS samples sourced worldwide were analysed for the mycotoxins of major importance which cause the great negative impacts in animal performance and health: aflatoxins (a sum of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2), zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, a sum fumonisins B1 and B2 and ochratoxin A. From the total of samples tested, only 2% of the analysed DDGS showed contamination levels below the limit of detection (negative samples). 6% of samples had the presence of 1 mycotoxin only and the majority (92% of the samples) was contaminated with 2 or more mycotoxins.

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