Mycotoxins are produced as secondary metabolites off di- verse fungal species and fungal invasion of a crop can oc- cur pre- and post-harvest stage.


PHOTO: JOHANNA FINK-GREMMELS


Moulds and mycotoxins – a never ending story


Mycotoxins are globally the most frequently occurring undesirable contaminants of animal feeds. Moulds and mycotoxins affect feed quality, feed utilisation and subsequently animal health and productivity at different levels. There are numerous strategies available to mitigate the negative impact of mycotoxins but what should you implement and when?


BY PROF.EM. DR.J. FINK-GREMMELS. UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS D


uring the last decades, mycotoxins have gained global attention as the most frequently found undesirable contaminants of animal feeds. Mycotoxins are produced by diverse fungal species


occurring naturally in the environment and are characterised by a high diversity in their chemical structure. Moulds and mycotoxins affect feed quality, feed utilisation and subsequently animal health and productivity at different


levels. In farm animal practice, intoxications caused by mycotoxins were initially only accidentally reported by veterinarians. In the last decades, however, the significant increase in feed contamination with Fusarium mycotoxins at the pre-harvest stage, has increased the awareness of subclinical effects exerted by low concentrations of mycotoxins readily occurring in the daily diet of animals. Adversity of this undeniable feed contamination is a risk for all animal species, including all farm animals and farmed fish, as well as companion animals such as horses and pets. Mycotoxins are also of importance as undesirable, and poten- tially carcinogenic contaminants of common food commodi- ties including cereals and grains, fruits, spices and nuts and products thereof intended for human consumption.


Fungal invasion and plant susceptibility Mycotoxins are produced as secondary metabolites of diverse fungal species and fungal invasion of a crop can occur at the pre- and post-harvest stage. While successful mitigation strategies are available to prevent fungal growth at the post- harvest stage during storage and processing, the prevention


▶ MYCOTOXINS | NOVEMBER 2021 17


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