Written by Jan Vervloesem, Global lead poultry at Agrifirm
Food safety in the poultry industry
Food safety remains a top priority in the poultry industry, with a focus on reducing biological and chemical contamination risks. While authorities have implemented various legislations to enhance food safety, the primary focus has been on pathogenic bacteria. However, is focusing solely on bacterial and chemical contamination enough?
Climate change and mycotoxin risk
The changing climate significantly impacts food safety, particularly concerning fungi and their mycotoxins. Climate change, marked by prolonged high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and droughts, affects both the quantity and quality of agricultural harvests. These conditions deteriorate plant and grain quality, increasing the risk of fungal contamination and mycotoxin production.
Impact on crop quality
Climate change leads to lower plant quality, making crops like wheat, corn, oats, barley, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower, rapeseed, and rice more susceptible to fungal contamination. While mycorrhizal fungi benefit plants by stimulating growth and health, stressed plants are more prone to infestations and contamination by harmful fungi under changing environmental conditions (Figure 1).

Need for stricter legislation
The rise in fungal contamination due to climate change necessitates stricter legislation to manage mycotoxin risks. And, as not only the cereals or plants themselves are affected, but also the soil in which they are grown, better soil management will need to be part of a futureproof preventive risk management approach.
Today, multiple mycotoxins, including emerging and masked types, are found in contaminated crops, posing increased toxicity risks. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is already proposing stricter limits for fumonisin (FUM) and deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxins in poultry feed, significantly lower than current levels.
Regional mycotoxin variations
Global trade in raw materials such as wheat, corn, soybean meal, etc. – as well as in poultry meat and eggs – spreads mycotoxins worldwide, affecting animal feed and food safety. Different mycotoxins thrive in various climates (Table 1), making some regions more susceptible to certain fungi.
- For example, Kenya faces widespread aflatoxin contamination in maize due to favorable growth conditions for Aspergillus fungi. Similarly, warmer temperatures are expected to increase the severity of wheat head blight. This is because Fusarium graminearum, a more aggressive fungus than Fusarium culmorum, thrives in warmer conditions.
- Ochratoxin (OTA) is currently not a major problem, except occasionally in certain parts of Asia.
- Mycotoxin monitoring in animal feed has already shown that, indeed, major ingredients such as corn and wheat are more affected by Aspergillus and Fusarium fungi, which results in higher incidence of AFL B1, FUM, ZEA and DON mycotoxins. When several mycotoxins are present at the same time, this imposes an additional risk.
- In Europe, mycotoxins from Fusarium species (FUM, DON, ZEA) are primarily found. But Aspergillus mycotoxins (AFL B1) are on the rise due to higher temperatures for longer periods of time. Improper drying of cereals can also lead to an increase in OTA, produced by Penicillium verucosum.
Mycotoxin | Mould | Temp. range (°c) | Optimal temp. (°C) | Water activity (aw) | pH |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AFLA | A. flavus A.parasiticus | 10 – 48 12 – 42 | 33 32 | 0.80 – 0.99 0.80 – 0.99 | 2 – 10 3 – 8 |
OTA | A. ochraceus P. verrucosum A. niger | 10 – 40 0 – 31 6 – 47 | 37 20 36 | 0.80 0.86 0.77 – 0.92 | 3 – 10 6 – 7 2 – 6.5 |
FUM | F. verticilloides F. proliferatum | 2.5 – 37 5 – 37 | 25 | 0.90 – 0.99 | 2.4 – 3 |
ZEN | F. culmorum | 0 – 31 | 21 | 0.96 | 3 – 9 |
DON | F. graminearum | 5 – 37 | 25 | 0.99 | 2.4 – 3 |
Poultry’s sensitivity to mycotoxins
Poultry’s sensitivity to mycotoxins varies among species and ages. Ducks are highly sensitive, followed by turkeys and goslings, with quail and chickens being less sensitive. Adult poultry is generally less sensitive than hatchlings. But chronic low-level exposure to mycotoxins can still affect poultry performance, even if acute toxicity is not evident. For broilers, it is known that AFL B1 levels as low as 500 ng/kg will already affect growth performance when consumed daily over 4 weeks’ time.
Preventive measures and monitoring
Taking all the above into account, preventive measures against mycotoxins should be standard practice to safeguard the poultry industry’s viability. Chronic low-level contamination is a significant threat, often going unnoticed but impacting poultry health and productivity. Improved monitoring and the use of mycotoxin binders, like Agrimprove’s Vitafix® range, can mitigate these risks.
Conclusion
The evolving climate and increasing mycotoxin risks call for more stringent legislation and proactive measures in the poultry industry. Ensuring food safety requires addressing fungal contamination and mycotoxin threats comprehensively, from better soil management to advanced feed solutions such as mycotoxin binders.