Mycotoxins in Pet Food: Prevalence/Preventative Strategies
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Mycotoxins in Pet Food: Prevalence/Preventative Strategies
The link below goes into great detail explaining the various causes and prevalence of several mycotoxins in pet foods. Some of these toxins are also in animal by-products.
An optimal diet offers some protection from these toxins. The excerpts below give an overview, including a summary of protective supplements such as the omega-3's, etc. The link goes into much deeper detail, of all aspects, for anyone interested.
Excerpts:
"Mycotoxins in Pet Food: A Review on Worldwide Prevalence and Preventative Strategies"
Mycotoxins contaminate cereal grains worldwide, and their presence in pet food has been a potential health threat to companion animals. Mycotoxins commonly found in pet food include aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and the Fusarium mycotoxins. They differ in their toxic effects and their prevalence across regions, entering feed-manufacturing processes through contaminated raw materials.
These mycotoxins may have chronic effects on animal health. When highly contaminated ingredients are accidentally used in feed production, animals can develop acute mycotoxicosis. Aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and tremorgenic myocotoxins have also resulted in several food-poisoning cases in pet animals due to the consumption of spoiled foods. Grain processing, sampling error, analytical methods, conjugated mycotoxins, storage conditions, and synergistic interactions are common challenges faced by the pet food industry.
Preventive Strategies:
Nutrient Supplementation. A number of nutrient supplements have been proposed to act therapeutically to minimize mycotoxin-induced tissue damage and altered behavior. These nutrients include large neutral amino acids, antioxidants, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). (Omega-3)
Supplemental amino acids primarily alleviate the effects of mycotoxins on the central nervous system. Selenium and vitamins A, C, and E have been demonstrated to reduce the toxic effects of mycotoxins in vitro and in vivo (137-141).
The effectiveness of antioxidants in the prevention of mycotoxin-induced toxicity has also been investigated. A few reports have also suggested that antioxidants can prevent aflatoxin-induced carcinogenicity (142-144). Pretreatments with vitamins A, C, and E in mice and rats were found to reduce DNA adduct formation in the kidney and liver caused by ochratoxin A and zearalenone (145). Antioxidants appear to act as superoxide anion scavengers and thereby protect cell membranes and DNA from mycotoxin-induced damage (136).
Omega-3 PUFA have been suggested to reduce IgA-induced nephropathy. Shi and Pestka (146) demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 3% (w/w) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) suppressed the development of IgA nephropathy in mice consuming 20 mg of deoxynivalenol/kg of feed. In another study, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and EPA, but not linolenic acid (omega-6), attenuated the proinflammatory response and renal damage induced by 10 mg of deoxynivalenol/kg of feed (147). It is believed that DHA and EPA reduce deoxynivalenol-induced interleukin-6 production and therefore alleviate the inflammatory damage to the kidney (148, 149).
Despite the experimental findings of the protective effects of nutrient supplementation against mycotoxins, there are limited clinical feeding trials to verify their efficiency in treating mycotoxicosis in domestic and pet animals. The feasibility of using these dietary supplements to treat mycotoxicosis in pet animals, therefore, remains to be confirmed.
Mycotoxin-Sequestering Agents.
Mycotoxin-sequestering agents, such as activated charcoal, silicate minerals, and cholestyramine, can prevent intestinal mycotoxin absorption in animals (150)
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/ ... 2363+.html
An optimal diet offers some protection from these toxins. The excerpts below give an overview, including a summary of protective supplements such as the omega-3's, etc. The link goes into much deeper detail, of all aspects, for anyone interested.
Excerpts:
"Mycotoxins in Pet Food: A Review on Worldwide Prevalence and Preventative Strategies"
Mycotoxins contaminate cereal grains worldwide, and their presence in pet food has been a potential health threat to companion animals. Mycotoxins commonly found in pet food include aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and the Fusarium mycotoxins. They differ in their toxic effects and their prevalence across regions, entering feed-manufacturing processes through contaminated raw materials.
These mycotoxins may have chronic effects on animal health. When highly contaminated ingredients are accidentally used in feed production, animals can develop acute mycotoxicosis. Aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and tremorgenic myocotoxins have also resulted in several food-poisoning cases in pet animals due to the consumption of spoiled foods. Grain processing, sampling error, analytical methods, conjugated mycotoxins, storage conditions, and synergistic interactions are common challenges faced by the pet food industry.
Preventive Strategies:
Nutrient Supplementation. A number of nutrient supplements have been proposed to act therapeutically to minimize mycotoxin-induced tissue damage and altered behavior. These nutrients include large neutral amino acids, antioxidants, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). (Omega-3)
Supplemental amino acids primarily alleviate the effects of mycotoxins on the central nervous system. Selenium and vitamins A, C, and E have been demonstrated to reduce the toxic effects of mycotoxins in vitro and in vivo (137-141).
The effectiveness of antioxidants in the prevention of mycotoxin-induced toxicity has also been investigated. A few reports have also suggested that antioxidants can prevent aflatoxin-induced carcinogenicity (142-144). Pretreatments with vitamins A, C, and E in mice and rats were found to reduce DNA adduct formation in the kidney and liver caused by ochratoxin A and zearalenone (145). Antioxidants appear to act as superoxide anion scavengers and thereby protect cell membranes and DNA from mycotoxin-induced damage (136).
Omega-3 PUFA have been suggested to reduce IgA-induced nephropathy. Shi and Pestka (146) demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 3% (w/w) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) suppressed the development of IgA nephropathy in mice consuming 20 mg of deoxynivalenol/kg of feed. In another study, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and EPA, but not linolenic acid (omega-6), attenuated the proinflammatory response and renal damage induced by 10 mg of deoxynivalenol/kg of feed (147). It is believed that DHA and EPA reduce deoxynivalenol-induced interleukin-6 production and therefore alleviate the inflammatory damage to the kidney (148, 149).
Despite the experimental findings of the protective effects of nutrient supplementation against mycotoxins, there are limited clinical feeding trials to verify their efficiency in treating mycotoxicosis in domestic and pet animals. The feasibility of using these dietary supplements to treat mycotoxicosis in pet animals, therefore, remains to be confirmed.
Mycotoxin-Sequestering Agents.
Mycotoxin-sequestering agents, such as activated charcoal, silicate minerals, and cholestyramine, can prevent intestinal mycotoxin absorption in animals (150)
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/ ... 2363+.html