Investigation about the influence of moniliformin and beauvericin on the growth and slaughter performance of turkeys and balances about the metabolisation vs. excreation of the mycotoxins with faeces.
Abstract
Moniliformin (MON) and beauvericin (BEA) are secondary metabolites of Fusarium subglutinans, the major phytopathogenic fungus on maize in Europe. Recent studies suggest that birds are less susceptible to mycotoxin contaminated feedstuffs than other species. The aim of the investigation was to assess the influence of maize naturally contaminated with MON and BEA on growth and slaughter performance, blood parameters, chemical composition of the carcass, meat quality and residues in heart, liver, gizzard, intestine and chemical composition of homogenized carcass of turkeys. 100 one day-old turkey poults (?B.U.T. Big 6?) were divided into 4 feeding groups with different levels of contamination. Feeding group 1 was fed an uncontaminated diet, in groups 2, 3 and 4 uncontaminated maize in amounts of 3, 6 and 9%, respectively, was replaced by highly contaminated maize (26 mg MON and 28 mg BEA/kg). All other components of the diets were equal. The toxin concentrations in feeding groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 0, 0.8, 1.6 and 2.4 mg MON and 0, 0.8, 1.7 and 2.5 mg BEA/kg compound feed, respectively. The animals were kept in groups of 6-7 on chopped straw, 4 pens of replicates (2 boxes with male and 2 with female) per feeding group. Feed was administered ad libitum. The total growing period was 84 days. All animals were wing banded and weighed individually every 2 weeks. The contaminated diets had no negative effect on growth and slaughter performance. At the end of the feeding period the LW of the turkeys of FG1, 2, 3 and 4 were 7.1, 7.4, 7.4 and 7.3 kg and the feed conversion rate was 2.28, 2.24, 2.25 and 2.31, respectively. The chemical composition of the carcass (crude protein, fat, ash, minerals, amino acids) was not affected by the mycotoxins. The results concerning meat quality (tenderness, juiciness and taste) did not reveal any dose-dependent differences between the feeding groups. The results of the this study shows that concentrations of 2.4 mg MON/kg and 2.5 mg BEA/kg compound feed, have no negative effects on live weight gain, feed conversion rate, carcass and organ weights, meat quality and chemical composition of the carcass of turkeys. It is further concluded, that turkeys are hardly susceptible to mycotoxin contamination of diets, so the influence of Fusarium toxins on growth and slaughter performance of turkeys has been practically overestimated in the past.
turkey mycotoxin Moniliformin Beauvericin
Publikationen
Project staff
Rudolf Leitgeb
Ao.Univ.Prof.i.R. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Rudolf Leitgeb
Project Leader
24.04.2001 - 31.12.2001
Friedrich Altmann
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Friedrich Altmann
friedrich.altmann@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-77262
Project Staff
24.04.2001 - 31.12.2001
Peter Ruckenbauer
Em.O.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Peter Ruckenbauer
Project Staff
24.04.2001 - 31.12.2001
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Institute of Nutrition
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