Evaluation of the effectiveness of different adsorbents to reduce the combined toxic effects of mycotoxins in the feeding of lactating cows

Abstract

Mycotoxins are highly toxic compounds, produced by fungi or yeasts, present in various types of food intended for human and animal consumption. Chronic exposure of cattle to mycotoxins can trigger a drop in milk production, reproductive, hepatic, immunological failures, morphological and biological changes in Organs reproductive organs, gastroenteritis, intestinal hemorrhages and bovine death. Many methods are studied for the decontamination of mycotoxins, including chemical, physical and biological methods. Adsorbents are examples of physical methods used in decontamination, aiming to remove or degrade mycotoxins through binding and immobilization, by forming a complex that will be excreted in feces. Biological methods show good results through in vitro and in vivo tests, and point to a potential application in adsorption by binding to mycotoxins. The removal or degradation of mycotoxins by adsorbents and/or microorganisms is a promising method and an alternative to potentiate the reduction of the effects of mycotoxins present in the diet. This work aims to determine the efficiency of different adsorbents (physical and biological) to reduce the toxic effects of aflatoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin, associated and added to the diet of lactating dairy cows. Mycotoxin analyzes will be carried out at the Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Mycotoxicology at FZEA/USP. Twelve lactating Holstein cows will be used. The animals will be distributed in three 4x4 Latin squares, the feeding and milking of the animals will be performed twice a day. The experiment will consist of four periods, each lasting 21 days, the first 14 of which to adapt to the diets and the others to evaluate the measured variables. The experimental treatments will be: a) control, basal diet without the use of adsorbents; b) adsorbent 1, added to the basal diet concentrate; c) adsorbent 2, added to the basal diet concentrate; d) adsorbent 3, added to the basal diet concentrate. The daily supplementation of the additives will be via the core of minerals and vitamins mixed with the concentrate. Water and diets will be provided "ad libitum" throughout the experimental period. The roughage used during the experiment will be corn silage. Total diet, rumen fluid, urine and milk samples will be collected for determination and quantification of multi-mycotoxins by ultra performance liquid chromatography. Data will be analyzed by ANOVA, using the SAS PROC GLM (SAS Institute, 1992), with a probability level of 0.05. The research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics between a pool of multi-mycotoxins and different adsorbents in the diet and to evaluate the presence of multi-mycotoxins in animal feed, milk and urine during the pre- and post-contamination period, observing the effectiveness of different adsorbents in the adsorption of mycotoxins.