The Silent Killer
The world of modern milk production brings new challenges to producers who must manage a great variety of elements in each and every stage of the process. Nutrition constitutes one of the most significant links of the production chain. However, it is crucial to be aware of the presence of undesirable substances in the regular diet, like mycotoxins. These mycotoxins interfere with the whole production chain, some of the symptoms observed include digestive disorders, reduced feed consumption, low milk production, impaired reproduction, and mixed infectious disease profile.
Aflatoxin B1 in Dairy Cows:
Precise estimates of economic impact to dairy producers due to Aflatoxin-contaminated feed are difficult to calculate. Since the discovery that dairy cows consuming rations contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 excrete Aflatoxin M1 in their milk, restrictions of grain with more than 20 ppb of aflatoxin have been mandated. Recent studies demonstrated that cows with high milk production had a greater excretion of Aflatoxin M1, as a result of greater permeability of the cell membranes of the alveoli. Adsorption of aflatoxin from dairy feed with enterosorbents have been used in the feed industry to reduce the Aflatoxin M1 content of milk for many years.
Zearalenone in Dairy Cows:
The estrogenic capacity of this mycotoxin is one of the principal problems in dairy farming. Prepubescent females are more susceptible to Zearalenone. Significant histological changes are observed: inflammation of the vulva, increase in the size and thickening of the uterus and mastitis in heifers.This might lead to a constant heat, pseudo-pregnancy and infertility. Cows affected by the consumption of Zearalenone will take longer to return to heat, causing economic losses to the producer.