Dietary supplements for the reduction of mycotoxin intestinal absorption in pigs

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolic products of several moulds that can be found as contaminants of feedstuffs (mainly cereals) and exert toxic effects in animals and human beings. Contamination can already occur in-field but is usually a consequence of poor storage conditions. Pigs are particularly sensitive to the toxic effect of trichothecenes and zearalenone that are produced by Fusarium strains but animal health and production can be compromised also by the ingestion of other mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and fumonisins. While ingestion of all mycotoxins usually result in reduced animal growth, other possible symtomps include reduced feed intake, vomiting and diarrhoea (trichothecenes), reduced reproductive capability (aflatoxins and zearalenone), suppressed immune function (aflatoxins), nephropathy (ohcratoxins), and pulmonary edema (fumonisins). Moreover, to some extent, some mycotoxins can be found in animal organs such as liver (aflatoxins) and kidneys (ochratoxins) and represent a potential threat to consumers health. Several methods have been developed in order to reduce the intestinal absorption of mycotoxins in farm animals. Modern detoxification methods are based on the utilization of dietary supplements such as absorptive materials that can bind the toxins and microbes and enzymes that can inactivate them. Some lactic acid bacteria are able to bind and biotransform mycotoxins while absorptive agents such as aluminosilicates, clays, and mannan oligosaccharides have shown the ability to bind aflatoxins. Similarly, biotransformation of mycotoxins can be achieved through the use of specific enzymes.