Corn is a primary raw material in the diets of livestock and poultry. Prolonged feeding with diets containing moldy corn not only harms animals but also leaves harmful substances in their bodies, which can pose serious health risks to humans. When corn becomes moldy, it is often contaminated by mold metabolites known as mycotoxins.
**1. Types of Corn Mycotoxins**
**1.1 Toxoplasma Toxin:** This toxin primarily affects the respiratory system, causing symptoms such as difficulty breathing, gasping, and shortness of breath. Affected animals may also show signs of lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, increased thirst, and fever. In severe cases, diarrhea may occur. Necropsy of infected chicks often reveals yellow-white cheesy-like nodules on the lungs.
**1.2 Aflatoxin B1:** This toxin is highly toxic to the liver, leading to liver cell degeneration, necrosis, and acute liver damage. It can cause subcutaneous bleeding, reduce semen volume in roosters, lead to embryo death, and lower hatching rates. Egg production declines, and eggs may become smaller with reduced yolk weight. It also weakens the immune system, increasing susceptibility to diseases like coccidiosis, Marek’s disease, and Salmonella.
**1.3 F-2 Toxin:** This toxin affects the reproductive tract and tissues sensitive to sex hormones, acting similarly to estrogen. Some chickens may develop pseudo-hen characteristics. Lesions include swollen ovaries and damaged oviducts. Eggshell thickness and specific gravity decrease, and pigmentation becomes poor.
**1.4 T-2 Toxin:** This toxin attacks the oral mucosa of chickens, causing corrosive and exudative damage. Oral ulcers result in scaly tissue deformation in the mouth, salivary glands, and mucous glands. Egg production decreases, and shell eggs increase in number.
**1.5 Ochratoxin:** This toxin damages the kidneys, leading to white urine and urate deposits in the kidney organs. It causes immunosuppression, early embryo death, reduced fertilization and hatching rates, and increased embryonic malformations. Diarrhea and weight loss are also common symptoms.
**2. Treatment Measures for Lightly Polluted Corn**
**2.1 Dilution:** If only a small amount of mildly moldy corn is present, it can be gradually mixed with normal corn for use.
**2.2 Washing:** Moldy corn should be crushed, then soaked in 3–4 times its weight in water. Stirring and rinsing twice daily until the water runs clear is recommended. The cleaned corn should be used promptly.
**2.3 De-embryo Detoxification:** Most toxins are concentrated in the germ of the corn. By grinding the corn into particles of 1.5–4.5 mm, adding 5–6 times the amount of water, and stirring, the germ will float to the surface and can be removed, reducing the toxin content significantly.
**2.4 Physical Adsorption:** Minerals such as aluminum silicate salts, zeolites, bentonite, activated carbon, and diatomaceous earth can adsorb mycotoxins. Other agents like bovine serum albumin or esterified mannooligosaccharides can also help neutralize toxins.
**2.5 Chemical Treatment:** Lime water, soda, hydrogen peroxide, or synthetic salt laxatives like magnesium sulfate can be used to neutralize toxins.
**2.6 Nutritional Supplementation:** Providing adequate levels of vitamins A, D, E, K, folic acid, organic selenium, and methionine can help alleviate the effects of mycotoxin poisoning. Organic acids, probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast, and enzyme formulations can also support detoxification and reduce the risk of mycotoxin-related issues.
**3. Handling Heavily Polluted Corn**
Corn that is heavily contaminated with mold should be purchased centrally, stored in a special warehouse, and tested by a quality inspection organization. Corn with high toxin levels should not be used for food or feed processing and must be destroyed to prevent any risk of contamination.
In conclusion, while some methods exist to treat lightly moldy corn, it is important to recognize that even long-term use of mildly contaminated corn can have serious consequences for both animals and humans. Therefore, strict monitoring and proper handling of moldy corn are essential in the feed industry.
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