Occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi and multi-mycotoxin contamination in corn-based poultry feed supply chain
Corn, a main feed ingredient in the livestock industry, is one of the most susceptible crops to fungal infection and mycotoxin contamination which may occur at any point along the feed supply chain. Most mycotoxins are chemically stable and may be carried over into meat and eggs when poultry are...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/99729/1/IPTSM%202020%2014%20-%20IR2.pdf |
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| Summary: | Corn, a main feed ingredient in the livestock industry, is one of the most
susceptible crops to fungal infection and mycotoxin contamination which may
occur at any point along the feed supply chain. Most mycotoxins are chemically
stable and may be carried over into meat and eggs when poultry are fed with
contaminated feed. As compared to individual effects, previous studies
suggested that co-occurrence of mycotoxins may have potentially synergistic
toxicological effects. Despite the health risks associated with the occurrence of
these mycotoxins, no study on occurrence of multi-mycotoxin contamination
along the corn-based poultry feed supply chain in Malaysia has been reported.
The objectives of this study were therefore to examine the occurrence of
mycotoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin contamination. The occurrence of multimycotoxin
contamination along corn-based poultry feed supply chain was also
determined. A total of 51 samples were collected from different points along the
feed supply chain from two integrated poultry feed companies. The samples
were subjected to mycological analyses (fungal isolation, enumeration,
identification), and aflatoxins were quantified by high performance liquid
chromatography equipped with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The
samples were then analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass
spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine the occurrence of other mycotoxins. The
results showed that samples collected from sampling point 1 (company A) and
sampling point 9 (company B) yielded the highest total fungal loads (> log 4
CFU/g). The prevalent fungal genera isolated were Aspergillus (43.1%),
Fusarium (52.9%), and Penicillium spp. (41.2%). Aflatoxin B1 was detected in
8.3% of corn samples (0.12 – 1.51 μg/kg) and 7.4% of corn-based poultry feed
(0.23 – 0.63 μg/kg) samples along the feed supply chain, whereas aflatoxins B2,
G1, and G2 were not detected. Results from LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that
100% of samples along the corn-based poultry feed supply chain were
contaminated with more than one mycotoxin. Fumonisin B1 (8.02 – 1,220.33 μg/kg) and fumonisin B2 (11.05 – 1,108.67 μg/kg) were the main mycotoxins
detected at all sampling points along the feed supply chain. Zearalenone (ZEA)
(2.57 – 7.50 μg/kg) and HT-2 (< LOD – 32.90 μg/kg) were also detected in
17.65% (n = 9) and 52.94% (n = 27) (out of a total of 51) samples, respectively.
As the supply chain progresses, reduction in mycotoxin contamination was
observed. Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2 toxin
were also detected, but at very low levels (< LOD). The levels of mycotoxins
detected along the supply chain were below the international regulatory limits,
thus indicating that the risk level of exposure to mycotoxins along the corn-based
poultry feed supply chain in Malaysia is very low. However, due to the
composition of multiple ingredients in most food and feed, efforts to understand
and address challenges associated with mycotoxins along the entire supply
chain need to be more holistic to protect the public health. |
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