Multiannual mycotoxin survey in feed materials and feedingstuffs

• The four-year survey of 1384 of raw materials and products for animal breeding.
• Trichothecenes and zearalenone were the most frequently occurring mycotoxins.
• Fumonisins and ochratoxin A were present in about half of the samples.
• Aflatoxins were detected in 5% of the samples at low concentration.
• Twenty-four results were higher than the EU recommendation.

Mycotoxins are compounds that can be formed in many raw materials and agricultural products under very different conditions. The study aimed at evaluation of the level of raw materials and products for animal nutrition contamination due to mycotoxins in Poland in 2011–2014. A total of 1384 samples (295 maize samples, 143 maize silage samples, 466 small grain cereal samples and 480 complete feed samples) were analyzed for the occurrence of deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, zearalenone, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, and aflatoxins. Deoxynivalenol as well as zearalenone were the most frequently occurring mycotoxins, present in 89% and 92% of maize samples, respectively. They were also the most common mycotoxins in maize silages—86% and 88% of the samples, respectively. Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone were present in 456 (98%) and 450 (97%) small grains samples. Additionally, in 24 samples the content of mycotoxins exceeded the EU recommendation. Regarding the complete feed, trichothecenes and zearalenone were found in more than 90% of the samples. A moderate to strong positive correlation between DON and ZEN, as well as T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin contents was observed for all matrices. The four-year survey indicated again that both feed materials and feeding stuffs are contaminated with mycotoxins, and in most cases the samples contained several compounds of interest.