Effectiveness of mycotoxin sequestration activity of micronized wheat fibres on distribution of ochratoxin A in plasma, liver and kidney of piglets fed a naturally contaminated diet

A study was carried out to determine the ability of dietary micronized wheat fibres (MWF) to decrease the levels of ochratoxin A (OTA) in plasma, kidney and liver of piglets fed a naturally contaminated diet. A total of 96 piglets (weighting 11.4 ± 1.5 kg) were fed one of four different diets for 28 days. Diets included (1) control diet, (2) control diet with MWF (1%), (3) OTA naturally contaminated diet (117.45 ± 4.74 ng/g), (4) OTA naturally contaminated diet (118.13 ± 2.85 ng/g) with MWF (1%). No difference in feed efficiency (P > 0.05) could be observed between the different diets. The absolute weight of kidneys and liver were significantly higher in pigs fed the OTA-contaminated diet (diet 3) as compared to the control diet (diet 1) or to the control diet amended with MWF (diet 2) (P < 0.05). However the use of MWF (diet 4) significantly protected against these weight changes. A significant protective effect of MWF was also observed in terms of OTA concentration in plasma (45.6% decrease), kidney (40.8% decrease) and liver (26.5% decrease). These results suggest that the addition of MWF is effective in decreasing the bioavailability of OTA from contaminated diets in piglets.