Occurrence of aflatoxins B 1, B 2, G 1 and G 2 in some Brazilian pet foods

Abstract

The presence of cereals and grains in the formulation of pet foods suggests the need to control aflatoxin contamination in these foods. The objective of the study was to analyse domestic pet food to determine the occurrence of aflatoxins as well as their risk to animal health. One hundred food samples (45 for dogs, 25 for cats, 30 for birds) were collected at random from pet shops in Alfenas city, south-east Brazil. Thin-layer chromatography was used for separation, identification and quantification of the compounds after validation of the method. Aflatoxins were detected in 12.0% of the samples. Levels of aflatoxins (B(1) + B(2) + G(1) + G(2)) above the maximum limit established in Brazil (50 microg kg(-1)) for animal food were detected in five of the 12 positive samples (41.7%). The concentration of total aflatoxins was 15-374 microg kg(-1) (mean 131 microg kg(-1)). All samples containing peanuts were positive for aflatoxin B(1). Aflatoxins are carcinogenic and their consumption might be a risk for domestic animal health. The high prevalence of aflatoxin B(1) in foods prepared for birds, species highly susceptible to aflatoxins, shows the need for the re-evaluation of the use of peanuts (present in seven of the eight samples positives for aflatoxin) and/or the addition of fungicides to the food.

Simultaneous Occurrence of Aflatoxins and Fumonisins in Corn Intended for the Pet Feed Industry and for Human Consumption

“…However, aflatoxin-contaminated pet feeds have been found in surveys conducted in the states of Minas Gerais [20] and Santa Catarina [9]. Pleadin et al [21] confirmed the corn as the main source of aflatoxin contamination in feeds in Croatia, where high incidences of aflatoxins at levels ranging from 1.1 to 2,072 µg/kg were found in corn samples from different farms and feed factories.…”

The characteristics of the chosen mycotoxins and their toxic influence on the human and animal metabolism

“…Feeds for dogs and cats contain small amounts of aflatoxins. Almost all the feed samples that these mycotoxins were found in, contained less than 20 µg AFB 1 /kg [6]. Such a low level of aflatoxins in the feed does not cause any symptoms of acute poisoning.…”

“…In animals the clinical symptoms of ergotism are as follows: dry gangrenes, ulcerations, necroses, blindness, convulsions, hypersensitivity and ataxia, and lactation inhibition [6]. A number of ergot alkaloids cause contractions of smooth muscles (e.g.…”

Aflatoxicose em cães na região Sul do Rio Grande do Sul

“…O termo aflatoxina designa um grupo de micotoxinas, cujos principais tipos são aflatoxina B1, mais tóxica e mais abundante nos substratos; aflatoxinas B2, G1, G2, M1 e M2, sendo as duas últimas produtos metabólitos de B1 e B2 (Puschner 2002, CAST 2003. No Brasil e em outros paí-ses, níveis significativos de aflatoxinas têm sido detectados em amostras de ração comercial para cães (Maia & Siqueira 2002, Boermans & Leung 2007. Seus efeitos nos animais variam de acordo com a dose, o tempo de exposição, a espé-cie, a raça e o estado nutricional, podendo ser letais quando as aflatoxinas são ingeridas em grandes quantidades.…”