Mycotoxins are the secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi that reduce the availability of feed nutrients, affect the animal’s hormonal mechanisms and reduce the function of the immune system, causing a decrease in feed efficiency, the occurrence of metabolic problems, an increase in the incidence of diseases and a decrease in reproductive performance in commercial herds. Human knowledge about the mechanism of poisoning and the permitted levels of mycotoxins is increasing day by day, so that the knowledge of mycotoxicology has turned from a newly emerging science into an essential knowledge for animal farm managers. Therefore, using appropriate solutions to manage mycotoxins in feeding farm animals can improve their performance and increase their economic life. MT Guard® Plus has tried to eliminate the harmful effects of mycotoxins and endotoxins in the body by using two mechanisms.
1- Activated montmorillonite
According to the regulations of the Food Safety Authority of the European Union (EFSA), only aluminosilicate can be used as an adsorbent compound for mycotoxins in animal feed that contains smectite/montmorillonite compounds. Smectite/montmorillonite compounds are one of the aluminosilicate compounds that are more capable of absorbing mycotoxins in terms of the distance between the layers and the cation exchange capacity.
Montmorillonite has been activated during various stages of thermal processing and repeated aqueous-acidic washings and has been refined and cultured to absorb polar mycotoxins (aflatoxins, fiomnesins, ergot alkaloids and ochratoxins). Also, activated montmorillonite can also absorb endotoxins, and in this way, the energy needed to create inflammatory reactions in the animal’s body can be produced.
2- Activated carbon
Activated carbon is produced from raw coal during various stages of thermal processing with oxidizing gases and water vapor pressure. Performing processing on raw coal increases its porosity and cross-sectional area. The size and distribution of activated carbon pores will determine its effectiveness in absorbing mycotoxins. Activated carbon is a highly porous mycotoxin adsorbent with a high surface-to-mass ratio that can be used in acute mycotoxin poisoning in animals.
Activated carbon is a powerful adsorbent of mycotoxins with a large cross-sectional area and very high absorption capacity. The results of several studies have shown that activated carbon, in addition to the powerful absorption of polar mycotoxins (aflatoxins, fiomnisins, ergot alkaloids and ochratoxins), also inhibits non-polar mycotoxins (trichocenes and zearalenone).
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