Fusarium mycotoxin contamination of cereals and bedding straw at Swedish pig farms

Fusarium mycotoxins such as DON and ZEN are commonly occurring in both cereal grains and straw particularly in temperate regions. Pigs are among the most sensitive animals to exposure of these mycotoxins. Straw is the most commonly used bedding material and thus may give a significant contribution to the exposure to pigs. The objective of the present study was to screen cereals and bedding material (straw) produced at Swedish pig farms for the presence of DON, ZEN, T-2 and HT-2 toxins. 188 samples from 2011 and 2012 were sampled and analysed, where DON was almost ubiquitous with 89% of the samples being contaminated. ZEN was present in 54% of the samples while T-2 and HT-2-toxin was detected in 29 and 16%, respectively. Oats was the cereal grain most frequently contaminated with DON and ZEN. Eight out of ten samples with highest ZEN levels were from straw whereas five out of ten samples of oat kernels contained the highest DON levels. Four out of ten samples were contaminated with both high levels of DON and ZEN. The large variation in DON and ZEN levels in the straw and cereals between the different farms yielded a large difference in the animal exposures at the studied farms.