The Effects of Secondary Metabolites of Rangeland and Pasture Plants on the Animal Health in Mediterranean Ecological Conditions

Spoilage fungi are ubiquitous contaminants of cereals, pre- and post-harvest. These fungi can produce a wide range of secondary metabolites under ecological conditions which are conducive for growth. However, some of these secondary metabolites are toxic and have a significant impact if they enter the production and animal food chains. Prevention of mycotoxin contamination of feed and food raw materials is now considered more important than subsequent cure. The key ecological determinants pre- and post-harvest are water availability and temperature (climate). Accurate information is therefore needed on the impact of an association between these key factors, and it is necessary to understand which are marginal and which critical for germination and toxin production. There have only been a few studies where attempts have been made to integrate the available information on these factors in relation to different raw materials for feed and food processing, especially cereals. This review will examine the available information on the main climatic factors, i.e., water availability and temperature affecting mycotoxin production such as, aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol and citrinin. This information is crucial for accurately focusing and monitoring key critical control points in the feed and food chain to optimise prevention strategies.  

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Yeast application and its derived products to reduce aflatoxicosis

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200008681 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 2002 ◽

pp. 212-212

Author(s):

A.S. Baptista ◽

J. Horii ◽

M.A. Calori-Domingues ◽

E.M. Gloria ◽

M.R. Vizioli

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Cell Damage ◽

Animal Health ◽

Living Cells ◽

Feed Production ◽

New Ideas ◽

Animal Feeding ◽

And Performance ◽

Cellular Components

Yeasts have been studied and used as source of proteins for animal feeding over many years. Recently, new ideas on their use has lead to studies to enrich yeasts with micronutrients and use them as vehicles in feed production. Yeast cellular components are also used to improve the animal health and performance. The use of living yeasts are also thought to improve animal food consumption and reduce cell damage caused by substances such as aflatoxins found in animal foods. Aflatoxins, secondary metabolites produced by some fungi in foods and feeds can, on ingestion, result in the illness or death of animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae living cells and its derived products on animals when they are supplied with diets contaminate by aflatoxins.

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Recent Advances in Aflatoxins Detection Based on Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano10091626 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1626

Author(s):

Chunlei Yan ◽

Qi Wang ◽

Qingli Yang ◽

Wei Wu

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

High Performance ◽

Aspergillus Parasiticus ◽

Animal Health ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Simple Method ◽

Future Challenges ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Process Complexity

Aflatoxins are the secondary metabolites of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus and are highly toxic and carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic. Ingestion of crops and food contaminated by aflatoxins causes extremely serious harm to human and animal health. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a selective, sensitive and simple method for the determination of aflatoxins. Due to their high performance and multipurpose characteristics, nanomaterials have been developed and applied to the monitoring of various targets, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods, which include process complexity, time-consuming and laborious methodologies and the need for expensive instruments. At the same time, nanomaterials provide general promise for the detection of aflatoxins with high sensitivity, selectivity and simplicity. This review provides an overview of recent developments in nanomaterials employed for the detection of aflatoxins. The basic aspects of aflatoxin toxicity and the significance of aflatoxin detection are also reviewed. In addition, the development of different biosensors and nanomaterials for aflatoxin detection is introduced. The current capabilities and limitations and future challenges in aflatoxin detection and analysis are also addressed.

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The Presence of Mycotoxins in Feed and Their Influence on Animal Health

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins12100663 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 663

Author(s):

Maciej T. Gajęcki ◽

Magdalena Gajęcka ◽

Łukasz Zielonka

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Animal Health

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi [...]

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ELISA and UPLC/FLD as Screening and Confirmatory Techniques for T-2/HT-2 Mycotoxin Determination in Cereals

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11041688 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1688

Author(s):

Paola D’Agnello ◽

Valeria Vita ◽

Cinzia Franchino ◽

Luigi Urbano ◽

Antonio Curiale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Chromatography ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Fluorescence Detection ◽

Animal Health ◽

Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽

Performance Criteria ◽

Official Control ◽

Confirmatory Tests ◽

Cereal Samples ◽

Reducing Costs

T-2 and HT-2 toxins are secondary metabolites of various species of Fusarium. These molecules can have high potential toxic effects for human and animal health. In this work, ELISA and ultra performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (UPLC/FLD) were implemented and validated as screening and confirmatory tests for the detection of these two toxins in cereal samples. The developed methods were tested by analyzing 100 samples of cereals by ELISA screening for reducing costs and analysis time and then using UPLC/FLD for confirmation purposes. Both methods met the performance criteria for sensitivity, linearity, selectivity, precision, and ruggedness, as reported in the European Decision No. 2002/657/EC and in Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006. The correlation between ELISA and UPLC/FLD approaches showed good results (r = 0.9056), confirming that these two techniques should be considered to be complementary in the official control activities of cereal and derived products.

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Fusarium verticillioides: Advancements in Understanding the Toxicity, Virulence, and Niche Adaptations of a Model Mycotoxigenic Pathogen of Maize

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-06-17-0203-rvw ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 312-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Alex A. Blacutt ◽

Scott E. Gold ◽

Kenneth A. Voss ◽

Minglu Gao ◽

Anthony E. Glenn

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Fusarium Verticillioides ◽

Animal Health ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Toxin Production ◽

Economic Returns ◽

Plant Host ◽

Host Interactions ◽

Basic And Applied Research

The importance of understanding the biology of the mycotoxigenic fungus Fusarium verticillioides and its various microbial and plant host interactions is critical given its threat to maize, one of the world’s most valuable food crops. Disease outbreaks and mycotoxin contamination of grain threaten economic returns and have grave implications for human and animal health and food security. Furthermore, F. verticillioides is a member of a genus of significant phytopathogens and, thus, data regarding its host association, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and other metabolic (degradative) capabilities are consequential to both basic and applied research efforts across multiple pathosystems. Notorious among its secondary metabolites are the fumonisin mycotoxins, which cause severe animal diseases and are implicated in human disease. Additionally, studies of these mycotoxins have led to new understandings of F. verticillioides plant pathogenicity and provide tools for research into cellular processes and host–pathogen interaction strategies. This review presents current knowledge regarding several significant lines of F. verticillioides research, including facets of toxin production, virulence, and novel fitness strategies exhibited by this fungus across rhizosphere and plant environments.

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Feedborne Mycotoxins Beauvericin and Enniatins and Livestock Animals

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins13010032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Ludmila Křížová ◽

Kateřina Dadáková ◽

Michaela Dvořáčková ◽

Tomáš Kašparovský

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Animal Health ◽

Cereal Grains ◽

Animal Tissues ◽

Penicillium Species ◽

And Performance ◽

Carry Over

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by several species of fungi, including the Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium species. Currently, more than 300 structurally diverse mycotoxins are known, including a group called minor mycotoxins, namely enniatins, beauvericin, and fusaproliferin. Beauvericin and enniatins possess a variety of biological activities. Their antimicrobial, antibiotic, or ionoforic activities have been proven and according to various bioassays, they are believed to be toxic. They are mainly found in cereal grains and their products, but they have also been detected in forage feedstuff. Mycotoxins in feedstuffs of livestock animals are of dual concern. First one relates to the safety of animal-derived food. Based on the available data, the carry-over of minor mycotoxins from feed to edible animal tissues is possible. The second concern relates to detrimental effects of mycotoxins on animal health and performance. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the relation of minor mycotoxins to livestock animals.

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In vitro screening of 65 mycotoxins for insecticidal potential

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0248772 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0248772

Author(s):

Mieczysława Irena Boguś ◽

Anna Katarzyna Wrońska ◽

Agata Kaczmarek ◽

Martyna Boguś-Sobocińska

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Animal Health ◽

Economic Losses ◽

In Vitro Screening ◽

Cytochalasin E ◽

Hc Toxin

The economic losses and threats to human and animal health caused by insects and the pathogens transmitted by them require effective and environmentally-friendly methods of controlling them. One such group of natural biocontrol agents which may be used as biopesticides is that of the entomopathogenic fungi and their toxic secondary metabolites (mycotoxins). The present in vitro work examined the insecticidal potential of 65 commercially-available mycotoxins against the insect Sf-9 cell line. Mammalian Caco-2 and THP-1 cell lines served as reference controls to select insecticidal mycotoxins harmless to mammalian cells. All tested mycotoxins significantly reduced the in vitro proliferation of the Sf-9 cells and evoked morphological changes. Ten of the mycotoxins found to strongly inhibit Sf-9 proliferation also had moderate or no effect on Caco-2 cells. The THP-1 cells were highly resistant to the tested mycotoxins: doses 103 times higher were needed to affect viability and morphology (1 μg/ml for THP-1 versus 1 ng/ml for Sf-9 and Caco-2). Nine mycotoxins significantly decreased Sf-9 cell proliferation with minor effects on mammalian cells: cyclosporins B and D, cytochalasin E, gliotoxin, HC toxin, paxilline, penitrem A, stachybotrylactam and verruculogen. These may be good candidates for future biopesticide formulations.

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