Survey of mycotoxin contamination in domestic feed in Iwate Prefecture in Japan

Abstract

  The state of mycotoxin contamination in domestic feed (herbage, herbage silage, corn, corn silage and rice whole crop silage) in Iwate Prefecture in Japan is yet to be investigated. To achieve this, of 114 samples, five mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp., namely, nivalenol, deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin, zearalenone (ZEN), and fumonisin (FUM), were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS / MS). The highest detection rates were observed for FUM, DON, and ZEN. In particular, the concentrations of DON and ZEN were highest in corn with two samples exceeding the control standard value. However, this was not high enough to immediately affect the health of cows. Although FUM was detected in all feed, the concentration was low. The results of this survey suggest that mycotoxin poisoning is unlikely the cause of livestock becoming ill after being fed domestic feed.