Occurrence and Decontamination of Mycotoxins in Swine Feed

Contamination of agricultural crops by mycotoxins results in significant economic losses for grain producers and, when consumed, it can cause reduced growth and health in a wide range of animal species. Hundreds of mycotoxin producing molds exist, however each has a different frequency and pattern of occurrence, as well as differences in the severity of the diseases (mycotoxicoses) they cause. Among the mycotoxins considered to be major contaminates are aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin, ochratoxin, and zearalenone. Although a multitude of species can be harmed by consumption of these mycotoxins, swine appear to be the most commonly affected commodity species. The swine industry can thus experience great losses due to the presence of mycotoxin contamination in feeds. Subsequently, recognition and prevention of mycotoxicoses is extremely important and dependent on adequate grain sampling and analysis methods pre-harvest, as well as effective strategies post-harvest to reduce consumption by animals. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the major mycotoxin contaminants in grains, to describe methods of analysis and prevention to reduce mycotoxicoses in swine and other animals, and finally to discuss how mycotoxins directly affect swine production.