Abstract

Background:
Mycotoxin contamination in animal feeds poses a substantial challenge to the livestock sector and poses health risks to food-producing animals. Over the past 4–5 years, there has been an increase in the warnings by experts regarding environmental pollution and global warming, associating these factors with the presence of mycotoxin-producing fungi in food and feed across different geographical regions worldwide, including Thailand.

Aim:
The contamination levels of aflatoxin, zearalenone, fumonisin, T-2/HT-2, and deoxynivalenol among feed materials and feedstuffs submitted to the Kamphaeng Saen Veterinary Diagnostic Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Thailand were investigated.

Methods:
All samples (n = 1 462) were obtained from several public and private farms across the country between January 2021 and December 2024. Sample preparation and mycotoxin determination were performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Results:
For the tested feed materials, the maximum mean levels of zearalenone, T-2/HT-2, and deoxynivalenol were detected in distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS), while the greatest mean concentrations of total aflatoxins and fumonisins were recorded in unknown feed materials. Among the feedstuff samples, the fattening pig feedstuff had the highest mean mycotoxins. The analysis of mycotoxin co-contamination showed that most samples within each feed type were contaminated with a single mycotoxin (mainly aflatoxin or zearalenone), except for the DDGS and Full-fat soybean meal (FFSBM). In contrast, most feedstuff samples had multiple co-contaminations of mycotoxin.

Conclusion:
All mycotoxin levels in the fish meal, FFSBM, and soybean meal samples were below the European Commission’s regulatory limits. In contrast, the DDGS and maize samples were feed materials with high levels of contamination from various mycotoxins, requiring thorough screening before animal feeding.

Key words: Contamination; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); Feed material; Feedstuff; Mycotoxins.