Ergot has long been known to have detrimental effects when fed to pigs, and a producer’s best option is to avoid feeding ergot contaminated grains. Currently, visual inspection is the most practical method for reducing the risk of ergot toxicity, however sorting based on appearance or size is unreliable. There is some limited evidence that ergot toxicity can be reduced by processing methods such as pelleting. The use of heat and moisture may destroy some of the alkaloids or change the ratios of the epimers, reducing toxicity.
Rye and wheat screenings heavily contaminated with ergot were subjected to steam explosion or no processing and different ergot levels were fed to newly weaned piglets in the nursery. The feeding trial confirmed that steam explosion reduced toxicity of ergot in pigs. Extreme processing is a potential solution for reducing ergot contamination in cereal grains. While processing may be an extra cost for the producer, it is a possible strategy to reduce total ergot content enough to be within the maximum allowable inclusion rate, or to improve performance of pigs.
Feed processing to reduce ergot toxicity (full article)
