Occurrence of Mycotoxins in Fish Feed and Its Effects: A Review

Abstract

Plant-based ingredients have been successfully replacing fishmeal in finished fish feeds. However, using crops in feeds results in an increased risk of contamination by fungi and mycotoxins and a higher incidence of mycotoxicosis in fish. This might decrease aquaculture’s productivity as mycotoxicosis generally result in decreased body weight, growth impairment and higher rates of disease and mortality in fish. Additionally, some mycotoxins might accumulate in the fish musculature. As such, fish consumption might become another way for mycotoxins to enter the human food chain, threatening food security and public health as mycotoxins are important genotoxins, carcinogens and immunosuppressors to humans. In this work we aim to provide a review on the most important mycotoxins found in crops and in finished fish feed, i.e., aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, trichothecenes and zearalenone. We present their effects on the health of fish and humans and their regulations in the European Union. Although work has been performed in mycotoxin research ever since the 1960s, a lot of information is still lacking regarding its effects. However, it is noticed that in order to use crops in aquafeed production, efforts should be made in order to monitor its contamination by mycotoxinogenic fungi and mycotoxins.

Trichothecenes in Food and Feed, Relevance to Human and Animal Health and Methods of Detection: A Systematic Review

“…Organ-specific effects, and even more importantly subclinical effects such as the impairment of the intestinal integrity and effects on the intestinal microbiome are of increasing concerns, as they may occur already at low [ 43 , 44 ]. Great strides have been made in the assessment and management of fungal metabolite risks to human and animal health (monitoring programs in Europe to help protect public health from the risks posed by the major mycotoxins found in foods and feeds, including TCT) [ 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ]. There are also strong indications that climate change will change the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of TCT production.…”

Current Status of Mycotoxin Contamination of Food and Feeds and Associated Public Health Risk in Serbia

“…One of the first indications of a chronic mycotoxicosis is growth depression, which can result from reduced feed intake, impaired nutrient utilization and changes in feed quality or toxicity (Bryden, 2012). Among the animals, poultry, pigs and aquatic vertebrates are very sensitive to mycotoxins (Oliveira and Vasconcelos, 2020).…”

Individual and Combined Effects of Aflatoxin B1 and Sterigmatocystin on Lipid Peroxidation and Glutathione Redox System of Common Carp Liver

“…However, fishmeal, an important ingredient of fish feeds, will be scarce in the future. Therefore, cereals are often used to replace at least a part of the fishmeal in fish feeds, leading to increased mycotoxin contamination [ 1 , 2 ].…”

“…Expression of gpx4a and gpx4b genes showed down-regulation, followed by up-regulation irrespective of the dose. There is little information about the effect of STC on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense in fish [ 2 ]; however, in vivo studies performed on rats and chickens showed an increase in CAT activity in rats [ 40 , 41 ] and GPx activity in chicken [ 42 ]. Our previous short-term STC exposure study with common carp showed that different doses (1 mg, 2 mg, and 4 mg STC /kg feed) have a moderate effect on lipid peroxidation parameters in the liver, and only at low dose.…”