Mastering microbials and mycotoxins
Safe food begins with safe feed. Maintaining high quality and nutritional value throughout the feed chain is vital to supporting optimal animal performance and preventing risks to human health. Controlling microbials and mycotoxins are two key focus areas to take feed safety to a higher level.
BY PEDRO MIGUEL CARAMONA, FEED SAFETY LEAD, TROUW NUTRITION F
eed safety demands an integrated approach that considers the entire food production chain. Growth circumstances of crops in the field, feed processing at the mill, biosecurity measures during feed transport,
and safe storage and use of the feed on the farm all contribute to feed safety. When feed gets contaminated with yeasts, moulds, mycotoxins, heavy metals and / or bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli along the way, it can have serious effects for animal health, performance, food quality and farm profitability. As feed safety is key along several steps in the feed/food production chain, it is pivotal to use the right analysis methods, laboratory services and technical services and solutions. Some of them are explained here.
Know what’s in the feed Feed safety can only be guaranteed when we have accurate
Safety of by-products in animal feed
Evelien van Donselaar, Global Programme Manager Feed Safety for Selko, the feed additives brand of Trouw Nutrition, was speaker at the GMP+ Feed Safety Summit in Berlin. One of the focus areas in her talk was the use of by-products from the food- and beverage industry in animal diets and how to safeguard the nutritional value and safety of these alternative feed ingredients. Van Donselaar explains: “In the animal feed industry, there is an increasing interest in routing food by-products back into the feed chain as nutritious feed materials. There are real sustainability goals that can be reached with doing so, such as reducing the need for human- grade food materials, decreasing landfill and reducing pressure on the scarcity (and associated soaring prices) of traditional raw materials. Preventing microbes, mycotoxins and other potentially harmful substances is key in applying these alternative ingredients within the feed chain.”
10 ▶ FEED SAFETY | APRIL 2022
information on what is in the feed (or not). Do we have the right amount of nutrients and trace elements, and can we detect certain elements that should not be in there that cause feed safety issues? Maarten Scholtes-Timmerman, Manager Analytical Innovations at Trouw Nutrition’s MasterLab explains: “At MasterLab, we perform a wide range of analyses in the entire feed chain. We have state-of-the-art equipment to perform a wide range of analyses. We use ICP- MS analysis to detect all kinds of elements (such as trace elements) in feed ingredients and premixes for example. It allows us to measure a wide range of micronutrients such as zinc, magnesium, and calcium for quality control of premixes amongst others. We also use such technologies to check the presence of some unwanted elements, such as heavy metals. A great development that MasterLab is working on right now is to get relevant data on feed available on the spot: where the data matters most. This is done for example by designing smart hand-held devices, such as the NutriOpt On-site Adviser, that enable the use of MasterLab knowledge without the need to send every sample to the physical lab. At MasterLab, we are dedicated to bring the lab to the sample.”
Mitigating mycotoxin risk Feed safety is also very much linked with mycotoxin risk control. Swamy Haladi, Global Programme Manager Mycotoxin risk management at Trouw Nutrition explains: “Mitigating mycotoxins is a key topic along the feed production chain, from raw material procurement to home- mixing at farm level. Testing of mycotoxins in raw materials and finished feed has become more important, as these toxins pose a serious risk to animal health, milk quality and overall animal performance. At the same time, climate change poses an additional challenge for mycotoxin control. More extreme weather patterns influence the formation of mycotoxins and their distribution. This can lead to new mixtures of certain mycotoxins or new (emerging) mycotoxins.” Having accurate data on contamination levels can be used to monitor trends of raw materials per region and to adjust purchasing decisions of raw materials and feed by farmers and feed mills (better risk assessment). This is where Mycomaster plays an important role. This on-site rapid analysis reader gives a reliable indication of mycotoxin contamination in both raw materials and complete feeds. It measures the presence of the six main mycotoxins: Aflatoxin,
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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