Multilayered mycotoxin control

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi that can contaminate a wide range of agricultural commodities worldwide. These toxic compounds pose significant risks to both human and animal health. How can we best support farm animals during mycotoxin challenges?

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Among the most common and well-known mycotoxins are aflatoxins (such as AFB₁ and AFB₂), deoxynivalenol (DON, also known as vomitoxin), fumonisins (including FB₁, FB₂, and FB₃), ochratoxin A (OTA), T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and zearalenone (ZEN). These particular mycotoxins are referred to as regulated mycotoxins because their maximum allowable concentrations are legislated by various authorities. However, the world of mycotoxins is vast, with over 700 known mycotoxins and fungal metabolites identified to date. Most of them fall into the category of non-regulated or emerging mycotoxins.

After mycotoxins are produced, they cannot be easily removed from the crops. When such contaminated feedstuffs are fed to farm animals, a wide range of negative effects on animal production and health may occur. A common risk mitigating strategy is to detoxify mycotoxins within the animal – by using mycotoxin deactivating feed additives.

Detoxification of mycotoxins

Adsorption involves mycotoxins adhering to an adsorbent’s surface, often clay minerals, to reduce their harmful effects. The effectiveness of adsorption is influenced by several factors, including the pH of the environment, the presence of other substances, and the specific properties of the mycotoxins and adsorbents involved.

Biotransformation, on the other hand, refers to the process of degrading mycotoxins through the action of microbes or their enzymes. This process involves the conversion of toxic mycotoxins into less toxic or non-toxic forms by microbial activity. Various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and yeast, have been identified for their ability to bio-transform mycotoxins. The biotransformation process can involve several biochemical reactions, such as hydroxylation, oxidation, and de-epoxidation, which modify the chemical structure of mycotoxins, rendering them harmless.

Multilayered mycotoxin management

Mycoraid is a product for mycotoxin risk management used for remediation of mycotoxins and other biotoxins in all animal species. It proves to be highly effective against a broad spectrum of biotoxin contamination in feed and allows gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, and other organs to function without interference from toxins. Because of its unique composition and mode of action, it supports optimal functioning of the immune, hepatic, reproductive, and digestive systems under commercial conditions. Fast and quick adsorption, effective biotransformation, strong immunoprotection, and continuous hepatoprotection is what makes it a multilayered mycotoxin control product.

Adsorption is performed by specially selected minerals based on unique technological processes which results in stability, selectivity, and efficacy. Mineral component adsorbs both polar and less polar mycotoxins, such as AFB1, FB1, T-2 toxin, OTA, ZEN, ergot alkaloids, emerging mycotoxins, endotoxins, and saxitoxin (algal toxin) in the gastrointestinal tract. This product does not adsorb vitamins and amino acids.

Biotransformation is a process of degradation of chemicals or mycotoxins by microbes. Internationally deposited strains of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis are an important component, bio-transforming AFB1, OTA, and ZEN. These Bacillus strains are stable in a wide range of pH values, and temperatures below 120 °C.

Hepatoprotection is the ability of a phytogenic substance to prevent liver damage. Carefully selected herbal extracts have hepatoprotective effects. These effects are accomplished via several mechanisms, such as restoring the function of antioxidative enzymes, enhanced liver detoxification, as well as immunomodulation.

Immune system is activated by scientifically proven ingredients from yeast cell walls, containing β-glucans (>35%) and mannan oligosaccharides (>15%). β-glucan, as an immune modulator substance, can stimulate non-specific and specific immunological response, activate T cells, B cells, macrophages and natural killer cells. It also boosts resistance to disease, increasing immunoglobulin levels, thus improving the production performance of animals. These properties are indirectly responsible for the suppression of pathogens. Yeast mannans help in establishing a balanced microflora in the intestine.

Efficacy of Mycoraid in the real world

The efficacy of the product was tested in many in vivo trials all over the world. It improves production parameters (growth, feed conversion), fertility, immune response, and mortality. Successful colonisation of the intestine with Bacillus strains was proven – an important requirement for biotransformation of mycotoxins. Its ingredients are thermostable under animal feed processing conditions. While restoration of performance is an indication of successful mycotoxin deactivation, only testing for biomarkers in the tissues of the animals can tell us the whole story. Mycoraid successfully reduced mycotoxin concentrations in tissues such as liver, poultry, and muscles in poultry and swine, proving mycotoxin deactivation.

Dosage recommendation depends upon mycotoxin contamination in animal feed. To estimate the contamination levels in the feed, advanced analytical methods such as LC-MS/MS should be used. Such method is used in the Patent Co. laboratory in Serbia, to test for 34 different mycotoxins in one run. After obtaining the results of feed contamination, Mycorange, our smartphone app, can be used to estimate the risk from mycotoxins in all species (available for iOS and Android).

A holistic approach

Mycotoxin contamination of feed causes considerable performance loss in farm animals. Mycoraid is an advanced solution against a broad spectrum of biotoxins (polar and less polar mycotoxins, endotoxins, and algal toxins) that supports the liver and the immune system. In this way Mycoraid enables the farm animals to maintain high production levels even during mycotoxin challenge.

References are available on request.