Producer > Dairy
Q. 4. Sampling your feed
(a) Mycotoxins are difficult to measure
- Many different mycotoxins can be present simultaneously, making analysis difficult and expensive
- Visible mould or spore counts are not definitive
- Sampling of feeds is difficult as mycotoxins occur in "hot spots" and are not uniformly distributed
- Symptoms are usually non-specific, such as lost performance, inconsistent intake & production, higher disease incidence.
- These could often be attributed to other causes and mycotoxins overlooked.
Mould species coexist and most can produce more than one mycotoxin. Mycotoxins are synergistic, meaning that combinations have a greater impact than single toxins. As a result, seemingly low levels of individual mycotoxins become important.
