Occurrence of ochratoxin A in poultry feeds and feed ingredients from Pakistan

A study was conducted to evaluate the occurrence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in complete poultry feeds (n=80) and poultry feed ingredients (n=286) from Pakistan. All samples were first analyzed by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), samples with OTA concentrations above the European Union maximum regulatory limit (MRL, 100 mu g/kg) were further confirmed by HPLC-FLD. Contamination frequency and mean OTA levels were 31 % and 51 mu g/kg in feed ingredients, and the corresponding values for complete feeds were 38 % and 75 mu g/kg. Ten samples of complete poultry feed and 19 samples of feed ingredients contained OTA at levels higher than the MRL. The results of the present study indicate that there is a strong need for a more intense monitoring programs for OTA in poultry feed.