There is an increase in prevalence of deoxynivalenol (DON) contaminated grains in the Canadian Prairies. DON is the toxin produced by Fusarium fungi, which is affected by the moisture content during flowering and/or harvest. Grains that are contaminated with DON are either destroyed or fed to livestock. Diluting the final concentration of the mycotoxin in contaminated grains is the best current strategy, though this is not always possible. When pigs have feed contaminated with DON, negative effects on performance are noted along with intestinal integrity being impacted. Spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP) improved performance, gut health and integrity when put into swine rations. This may help mitigate the negative effects of DON on performance. Activated clay binders may also help reduce some negative effects of the mycotoxin. When being fed a DON diet with SDAP, performance was similar to those with a non-contaminated diet in average daily gain and average daily feed intake. SDAP was more effective than the activated clay and should be included into nursery diets if the presence of DON is known or suspected in the feed.
Spray-Dried Animal Plasma Mitigates the Negative Impact of Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Nursery Pigs (full article)
