When animals are fed, there is constantly a risk of exposure to mycotoxin-producing molds and as a result, potential problems in the health and performance of the herd or flock. Most toxin is formed on the grain, seed and forage in the field but can also occur during harvesting, processing, transportation and storage.
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolic products that naturally occur in mold. Common mycotoxins that are of concern in animal production include aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin and zearalenone. Aspergillus produces aflatoxins and ochratoxin. Fusarium produces DON and zearalenone.
- Aflatoxin B1 and B2 often occur in grain grown in warm, dry, drought-stressed conditions. Aflatoxins can contaminate meat and milk products, diminishing productive output and potentially affecting the health of humans consuming milk.
- DON, also referred to as vomitoxin, occurs in cereal grains and grain silage. Swine are highly susceptible to DON.
- Ochratoxin is found in corn, oats, barley and rice, and presents serious problems for poultry but is of little concern for ruminants.
- Zearalenone F2 in cereal grains, grass and screenings is known to cause dairy and swine production issues at greater than 250 parts per billion (ppb).
Novus mycotoxin solutions provide an integrated family of products for controlling or preventing livestock production losses due to fungal mycotoxin metabolite activity with high levels of efficacy and greater program flexibility than single product offerings. Most competitive products attempt to address all mycotoxin challenges in one product which is an impossible task. The Novus product line of mycotoxin products are designed to address the various toxin entities and degree of the toxin challenges seen in feed around the world. This flexibility improves efficacy by design by using the right product for the specific challenge.