Implications of mycotoxin contamination of dairy feeds and products

Abstract

The complex diet of ruminants, consisting of forages, concentrates, and preserved feeds, can be a source of very diverse mycotoxins that contaminate individual feed components. A number of mycotoxins are successfully inactivated by the rumen flora, whereas others pass unchanged or are converted into metabolites that retain biological activity. Hence, the barrier function of the rumen largely determines the susceptibility of dairy cows and other ruminant species towards individual mycotoxins. An impairment of this barrier function due to diseases or the direct antimicrobial effect of certain mycotoxins may increase absorption rates. The rate of absorption determines not only the internal dose and risk for adverse health effects, but also the excretion of mycotoxins and the biologically active metabolites into milk.