Background. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites, which are synthesized from a large number of intermediates from the primary metabolism of saprophytic molds. Aflatoxins, due to their genotoxic and carcinogenic effects, are the most important group of mycotoxins from the aspect of their impact on human and animal health. Of all known aflatoxins, AFB1 is the most frequent, with the most harmful impact on human and animal health.Scope and Approach. Due to their prevalence and toxicity, monitoring the presence of aflatoxins in the food chain is required. The scope of this paper is to provide information on the presence of aflatoxins in animal feed and in milk. This paper describes temperature increases in Europe that are contributing to the increased presence of aflatoxins in food, as well as aflatoxin prevention and protection measures.Key Findings and Conclusions. During the last decade, serious contamination of corn with aflatoxins was recorded in southern Europe. In the summer of 2012, Serbia recorded high concentrations of aflatoxins in corn and milk. Based on climate change data, it is expected that aflatoxin contamination in corn will become more frequent.
The most common producers of mycotoxins are fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. Toxins are of extreme importance because it can be transmitted from animals to humans through milk and animal products, some of which are carcinogenic and teratogenic. Mycotoxins cause a health disturbance of all animals, but the effects are more noticeable in highly productive animals in the farm way of keeping considering the much greater consumption of concentrate feeds, although forages also can be contaminated with mycotoxins in a significant manner. Mycotoxicoses are the most common seasonal illnesses, and are an important diagnostic problem in veterinary practice, because its characteristics often resemble diseases caused by pathogens or nutritional deficiency or imbalance. The degree of health disturbances depends on the amount of toxins in feed and the length of intaking as on types and categories of animals. The presence of mycotoxins in animal feed is inevitable and therefore testing of raw materials and products is necessary so that feed for humans and animals can be safe for use. Damages arising as consequences of mycotoxicosis in poultry and swine production, due to the direct loss because of animals lossor, more commonly, indirectly due to the fall productive and reproductive performances of animals, imposed the need for continuous monitoring of the hygienic quality of feed mixtures for feeding these animals. During a five year period (2007-2012) were analyzed a total of 104 samples from the territory of Republic of Serbia intended for nutrition of all categories of poultry and mixtures for the initial and final fattening broilers (50 samples) and laying hens (54). The analysis included 57 samples of feed mixtures intended for all categories of swine - feed mixture for young (20 samples) and the old categories (37 samples) and 196 of the samples, which are commonly used in formulating rations for listed species (maize, soybean and sunflower meal). For the analysis of the samples was used thin layer chromatography and Elisa test. The results were compared with current Regulations on the quality of the feed (Official Gazette of RS 41/09) in force since 1.05.2010. in the part where the maximum allowable quantities of hazardous substances (Article 99) gives the value of the maximum permitted levels of mycotoxins in animal feed. The number and types of mycotoxins vary depending on the feed, as well as on the year which can be directly related to climatic factors, and the average annual humidity. The fact that in the samples was not detected the presence of aflatoxin indicate that in our conditions toxin producing fungi do not find fertile ground for the production of toxins, as well as the absence of certain nutrients in the production of complete feed mixtures for pigs and poultry, which are the traditional sources of aflatoxin (peanut oil meals). The results are encouraging given the fact a relatively small number of defective mixtures and nutrients. However, ...
Mycotoxins present a significant problem in the diet of pigs. Secondary metabolites of fungi are toxic matter that have a negative effect on health and the performance of animals, as well as on the quality of their products. The creating of mycotosins is a complex process and it is difficult to predict which toxin will be produced and in which concentration. Food is most often contaminated by low concentrations of different mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxins, trichothecenes, fumonisinsi and zearalenone) which cause a series of undesired effects, depending on the amount that the animal has ingested into the organism. Mycotoxin interactions in the organism are complex, and they can have antagonistic, synergistic or a joint effect, depending on the combination and quantity in which they appear. The pig is a domestic animal which is most sensitive to the effects of mycotoxins. Long-term consumption of feed contaminated with mycotoxins results in a decline in production, a deterioration of the general health and reproductive disorders. One of the most important negative effects in pigs which receive low doses of mycotoxins in the longterm, is immunosuppression. Mycotoxins present very stable links that remain in raw materials and animal products for a long time and thus pose a major health risk for humans.
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