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Aflatoxins and their Metabolites in the Tissues, Faeces and Urine from Lambs Feeding on an Aflatoxin‐Contaminated Diet
Author(s) -
Fernández Antonio,
Belío Raúl,
Ramos Juan José,
Sanz M Carmen,
Sáez Teófilo
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199706)74:2<161::aid-jsfa783>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - aflatoxin , feces , urine , mycotoxin , contamination , biology , food science , food contaminant , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , ecology
Twenty‐four lambs were intoxicated with 2·5 mg of aflatoxin (AF) kg ‐1 in their feed for 21 days. Twelve lambs were slaughtered at day 21 and the remaining animals had an 8 day clearance period. Aflatoxins and their metabolites were detected in liver, kidneys, faeces and urine using TLC and fluorescence densitometry. During the intoxication period, the samples gave a wide range of concentrations, the lower extreme being in the liver and the kidney (0·03 μg kg ‐1 of AFG 1 ) and the higher extreme in faeces (61·82 μg kg ‐1 of AFM 1 ) and urine (27·84 μg litre ‐1 of AFM 1 ). The average value of AFB 1 (1·94±0·9 μg kg ‐1 ) was higher than AFM 1 (0·35±0·17 μg kg ‐1 ) in the liver. In the kidney AFM 1 (5·45±4·01 μg kg ‐1 ) was higher than AFB 1 (1·29±0·84 μg kg ‐1 ). There were higher concentrations of AFM 1 (27·2±16·1 μg kg ‐1 , 7·37±6·53 μg litre ‐1 , respectively, of average level) in faeces and urine, than of AFB 1 (17·25±8·1 and 1·78±1·57 μg litre ‐1 , respectively). AFB 2a appeared in the kidney (0·05±0·03 μg kg ‐1 ) and urine (0·35±0·25 μg litre ‐1 ). The clearance time of AFB 1 from the faeces was less than or equal to 8 days and in all samples aflatoxin residues were still detected on the 8th day of the clearance period although in low quantities. These results suggest that aflatoxin transfer to and elimination by the liver and the renal tissue is small and that the danger to humans consuming lamb meat is also small. The examination of the faeces and urine could be useful as markers to detect lambs consuming a contaminated diet. © 1997 SCI.