1. Sales Manager, North America
Mycotoxins – Impact, Risk and Opportunity
Chris Seward
Sales Manager, North America

2. Mycotoxins Toxin Origin Deoxynivalenol (DON) Fusarium sp. Fumonisin
Aflatoxin
Aspergillus sp.
Toxin
Origin
Zearalenone
Fusarium sp.
T2-HT2
Ochratoxin
Aspergillus sp.
Penicillium sp. 
Natural chemicals
Produced by mold
Can contaminate many kinds of crops
Stable, don’t break down over time and can withstand high temperature / heat

3. Conditions That Contribute To Mycotoxin Contamination
Weather Conditions
Environmental
Handling / Equipment
Weather: Drought, Too Much Rain, Excessive Heat or Cold can stress the crop
Environmental & stress conditions: Weed Competition, Insect damage Poor Fertilization, High Crop Density can weaken the plant’s natural defenses and promote colonization by mycotoxin-producing fungi as well as toxin-formation.
Handling / Equipment:
Make sure it is in good operation condition and cleaned. Damage can lead to mycotoxin issues.
Storage:
Harvesting timing – Moisture content and water activity can have a large impact on mold growth and thus mycotoxin production.
Make sure storage facility is appropriately ventilated and controlled for pests.
Storage

4. Mycotoxins Are Found Around The Globe

5. Co-occurrence of mycotoxins is common
This is data from the Americas (but the story is the same globally)

6. Economic Impact Of Mycotoxins
Economic Loss Occurs Due To
Yield loss due to disease induced by toxigenic fungi
Reduce crop value resulting from mycotoxin contamination
Loss in animal productivity due to mycotoxin –related health problems
Human health costs
Additional Talking points:
1. Depending on the study, estimates of the economic cost of mycotoxin contamination are upward of $1 billion in the US alone.
2. It is believed that in developing countries the losses are greater than those calculated in the United States.
Mycotoxins in Crops: A Threat to Human and Domestic Animal Health
David G. Schmale III Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA Gary P. Munkvold Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Source: Mycotoxin in Crops: A Threat to Human and Domestic Animal Health
David G. Schmale III and Gary P. Munkvold
url:

7. Economic Impact Of Mycotoxins
Aflatoxins
Crops Impacted
Primary Animals Impacted
Effects
Liver Damage
Intestinal Bleeding
Cancer
Corn
Peanuts
Cottonseed
Tree nuts
Dairy Products

8. Economic Impact Of Mycotoxins
Vomitoxin / Deoxynivalenol (DON)
Crops Impacted
Primary Animals Impacted
Effects
Feed refusal
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Skin disorders
Reduced Growth
Wheat
Barley
Oats
Corn

9. Economic Impact Of Mycotoxins
Fumonisins
Crops Impacted
Primary Animals Impacted
Effects
Pulmonary edema
Esophageal cancer
Neural tube defects
Liver damage
Reduced growth
Corn
Silage

10. How Do Mycotoxins Impact Business
Impact of Mycotoxin Contamination
Lower egg production & quality
Reduced Fertility
Decreased feed efficiency and weight gain
Increased mortality rates
Suppression of immunity
Poor conception
Reduced meat / milk production
Suppression of immunity
Organ damage
Reduced Fertility / Abortion
Poor growth rates
Mycotoxins can impact individually or additively
Impact on pigs
Infertility
Organ damage
Cancer

11. Testing Produces Data That Drives Business Decisions
Without Testing, No Information To Support Segregation / Acceptance
Testing Provides Information To Drive Business Decisions
Also provided data to support any legal action should it arise
$$$$ $$$ $$ $
-$$
Not hitting contract specs; incur additional transportation expense
Taking lesser contracts to avoid rejection; not getting maximum value for ‘good’ grain
+$$
Ability to hit a wide variety of contract specs; opens more markets; reduces transportation costs

12. How Do Mycotoxins Impact Business
(Corn)
Discuss that every point in this map there is value added. It is important to have myco information before adding value to any product.
Why would you add value to a product that you know isn’t going to meet the market need? Test before.
Also just because you don’t test doesn’t mean your customer wont – don’t get caught by surprise after you have already done all the work.
Fast accurate answers are key to driving operational efficiencies and a healthy bottom line
Fast, Accurate, Decision Point Answers Are Key To Driving Operational Efficiencies And A Healthy Bottom Line

13. Mycotoxin Testing Methods
Rapid Methods:
Fluorometry
ELISA
LFDs
Research: Academic, government, commercial labs
Finished food, biologicals
HPLC
LC-MS/MS
Quantitative Lab-Based: Commercial/official control labs
Finished food, feed, complex matrices, multi-toxin analyses
Field testing: High volume, short turnarounds at receiving and transit points, processors
Commodities and feed components

14. No official definition of “rapid” – but for our purposes:
Rapid Testing Methods
No official definition of “rapid” – but for our purposes:
Simple and easy to use
Relatively fast (minutes vs hours)
Capable of testing mycotoxins outside of a laboratory setting
For this review: testing methods capable of detecting mycotoxins in a single, pre-ground sample within 30 minutes
“Assay time” starts with this pre-ground sample
Extraction steps
Pipetting/transferring extract and various buffers
Development time
Read time

15. Fluorometric Assay
Requires sample ‘clean-up’ to remove interferences
Can be fully quantitative
Requires fluorometer for interpretation
Assay time minutes

16. ELISA
Enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay – microtiter plate – competitive ELISA – antibody/antigen complex
Measured with ELISA reader
Requires fairly sophisticated operators, and grouping tests rather than allowing serial testing
Can be fully quantitative with the use of calibrators
Highly specific, highly sensitive, but can be implemented for use with complex matrices
Limited efficiency for inbound grain
Assay time minutes+

17. Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs)
Uses the same ELISA principles (antibody/antigen complex, competitive assay) on a backed membrane
Visual tests with specific cutoffs give qualitative results
More recently, tests utilizing readers can interpret and return quantitative results
Low technical comprehension and ability needed
User-friendly, steady throughput (no “queue and batch” of samples for testing)
Assay time minutes

18. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Reduce errors and by default you improve accuracy (simple protocols are better)

19. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Sampling of the Truck
Probe needs to be fully functional and cleaned.
Sampling protocol needs to be adequate enough to get a representative sample of the container both (There are some good sampling protocols out there – this is one from GIPSA)

20. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Subsampling: Key to making sure that you get a representative sample is using a diverter to randomly divide the sample into equal parts (and ensure mixing)
Depth, number of spots sampled make sure you purge the probe between trucks.

21. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Grinding:
Grind enough sample incase a retest is needed.
Grind to the correct size to maximize extraction efficiency
Make sure the grinder is clean to avoid cross contamination

22. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Weighing out the appropriate amount
Make sure your scale is calibrated and up to spec
Add correct amount of water – keep ratios as defined in published protocols.
Shake for exact amount of time required

23. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Pipettes must be clean and calibrated
Careful pipetting

24. Errors Can Be Introduced At Various Steps In The Testing Process
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
Timing of the assay is important don’t over or under run the assay
Visual examination of the assay can lead to miss reading depending the eye of the examiner. Levering an instrument based system can help eliminate some subjectivity.
Hand recorded results can sometime be difficult to read, or find and can sometimes be incomplete.
Leverage a software system that can help populate fields will lead to more consistent language, easier access to historical results and more compete records.

25. Common Extraction & Common Run Time Can Help Reduce Some Of These Errors…

26. …By Consolidating Steps Across Multiple Assays
Run,
Read &
Record
Sample
Extract
Dilute
That Allows You To Test
DON, Afla & FUM
Use One Sample
To Create One Extract
And Run, Read & Record at One Time
Use this slide to tee up the next slide about speed
Simplicity reduces error and helps speed up common extraction.
This is less than 3 minutes per assay. And in many cases speed is key to improving your operational efficiency
3 Results in 8 Minutes

27. Speed Key To Improving Operational Efficiency

28. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION