By Jan Vervloesem, Global Category Manager Poultry, Agrimprove
Food safety remains a top priority in the poultry industry, with a focus on reducing biological and chemical contamination risks. While authorities have implemented various legislations to enhance food safety, the primary focus has been on pathogenic bacteria. However, is focusing solely on bacterial and chemical contamination enough?
The changing climate significantly impacts food safety, particularly concerning fungi and their mycotoxins. Climate change, marked by prolonged high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and droughts, affects both the quantity and quality of agricultural harvests. These conditions deteriorate plant and grain quality, increasing the risk of fungal contamination and mycotoxin production.
Climate change leads to lower plant quality, making crops like wheat, corn, oats, barley, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower, rapeseed, and rice more susceptible to fungal contamination. While mycorrhizal fungi benefit plants by stimulating growth and health, stressed plants are more prone to infestations and contamination by harmful fungi under changing environmental conditions (Figure 1).
The rise in fungal contamination due to climate change necessitates stricter legislation to manage mycotoxin risks. And, as not only the cereals or plants themselves are affected, but also the soil in which they are grown, better soil management will need to be part of a futureproof preventive risk management approach.
Today, multiple mycotoxins, including emerging and masked types, are found in contaminated crops, posing increased toxicity risks. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is already proposing stricter limits for fumonisin (FUM) and deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxins in poultry feed, significantly lower than current levels.
Global trade in raw materials such as wheat, corn, soybean meal, etc. – as well as in poultry meat and eggs – spreads mycotoxins worldwide, affecting animal feed and food safety. Different mycotoxins thrive in various climates (Table 1), making some regions more susceptible to certain fungi.
| Mycotoxin | Mould | Temp. range (°c) | Optimal temp. (°C) | Water activity (aw) | pH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFLA | A. flavus A.parasiticus | 10 – 48 12 – 42 | 33 32 | 0.80 – 0.99 0.80 – 0.99 | 2 – 10 3 – 8 |
| OTA | A. ochraceus P. verrucosum A. niger | 10 – 40 0 – 31 6 – 47 | 37 20 36 | 0.80 0.86 0.77 – 0.92 | 3 – 10 6 – 7 2 – 6.5 |
| FUM | F. verticilloides F. proliferatum | 2.5 – 37 5 – 37 | 25 | 0.90 – 0.99 | 2.4 – 3 |
| ZEN | F. culmorum | 0 – 31 | 21 | 0.96 | 3 – 9 |
| DON | F. graminearum | 5 – 37 | 25 | 0.99 | 2.4 – 3 |
Poultry’s sensitivity to mycotoxins varies among species and ages. Ducks are highly sensitive, followed by turkeys and goslings, with quail and chickens being less sensitive. Adult poultry is generally less sensitive than hatchlings. But chronic low-level exposure to mycotoxins can still affect poultry performance, even if acute toxicity is not evident. For broilers, it is known that AFL B1 levels as low as 500 ng/kg will already affect growth performance when consumed daily over 4 weeks’ time.
Taking all the above into account, preventive measures against mycotoxins should be standard practice to safeguard the poultry industry’s viability. Chronic low-level contamination is a significant threat, often going unnoticed but impacting poultry health and productivity. Improved monitoring and the use of mycotoxin binders can mitigate these risks.
The evolving climate and increasing mycotoxin risks call for more stringent legislation and proactive measures in the poultry industry. Ensuring food safety requires addressing fungal contamination and mycotoxin threats comprehensively, from better soil management to advanced feed solutions as Agrimprove’s mycotoxin binders.
