Low-dose toxin mixtures in chicken feed quietly hurt growth
Crop Improvement
If you grow grain, store hay, or keep backyard chickens, mold toxins can build up on stored feed and crops well below official danger thresholds and still quietly sap animal health and productivity.
Molds that grow on grain and feed crops produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins, and this study tracked chickens fed these toxins at levels considered 'safe' by regulators. Even at those low doses, combinations of different toxins together hurt the birds' ability to convert feed into growth. The researchers also found three natural materials that can soak up or deactivate these toxins, offering a possible future feed additive to protect animals.
Key Findings
Deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins, apicidin, enniatins, emodin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and beauvericin were the most prevalent mycotoxins detected in broiler feed over a 2017-2019 trial.
A mixture of DON, ZEN, fumonisins, beauvericin, and diacetoxyscirpenol significantly reduced feed efficiency even at concentrations below EU guidance limits.
Three novel natural products were identified and characterized for their ability to bind or inactivate aflatoxins, DON, and ZEN, with potential as future feed additives.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A multi-year study found that broiler chickens fed low levels of multiple mycotoxins, well under EU safety limits, still showed reduced feed efficiency, and the research identified three natural products that can bind or neutralize common toxins like aflatoxins, DON, and ZEN in feed.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Determination of farm animal exposure to multiple mycotoxins and assessment of novel mycotoxin binders
Fungal contamination of agricultural commodities, particularly by mycotoxigenic fungi, represents a huge concern for global food security in terms of feeding the world's growing population with suf...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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