Deposition and depletion of decoquinate in eggs after administration of cross-contaminated feed

Decoquinate, a chemical coccidiostat used as a feed additive, can occur in eggs due to cross-contamination of feedstuffs for laying hens. An experiment was designed to assess the transfer of decoquinate to hen eggs and its distribution between egg yolk and egg white. Hens were given the feed containing decoquinate at a cross-contamination level (0.34 mg kg^–1) and collected eggs were analysed using an LC-MS/MS method. The plateau level was reached on the eighth day of the experiment and averaged 8.91 µg kg^–1, which is far below the maximum level established at 20 µg kg^–1 for whole eggs. Decoquinate was deposited mostly in egg yolks (26.2 µg kg^–1) and did not deplete completely during 14 days of administration of decoquinate-free feed. The results confirmed that administration of cross-contaminated feed is associated with very low risk of non-compliant residue levels of decoquinate in eggs.     

Residues of sulfadiazine and doxycycline in egg matrices due to cross-contamination in the feed of laying hens and the possible correlation with physicochemical,pharmacokinetic and physiological parameters

In the poultry industry, the widespread use of veterinary drugs such as antimicrobial compounds may lead to the presence of residues in whole eggs, egg white and egg yolk. During this study, laying hens received experimental feed containing sulfadiazine or doxycycline at cross-contamination levels of 2.5%, 5% and 10% of the therapeutic concentration. Since the therapeutic dose is 250?mg?kg^?1 for both substances, cross-contamination concentrations in the feed of 6.25, 12.5 and 25?mg?kg^?1 were expected. Whole egg, egg white and egg yolk samples were collected during the treatment and depletion period and were analysed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. For both drugs, a plateau phase was reached within 3–5 days and residue concentrations were detected in all egg matrices. For the 10% cross-contamination group, residual sulfadiazine concentrations of 208, 299 and 60?µg?kg^?1 and residual doxycycline concentrations of 455, 332, 206?µg?kg^?1 were detected in whole egg, egg white and egg yolk on day 13 of the treatment period, respectively. Both sulfadiazine and doxycycline had higher concentrations in egg white than in egg yolk, but the egg white–egg yolk ratio was higher for sulfadiazine than for doxycycline. As neither drug is allowed in Belgium for use in laying hens, residues may pose food safety concerns.     

Distribution of semduramicin in hen eggs and tissues after administration of cross-contaminated feed

Semduramicin is an ionophore coccidiostat used in the poultry industry as a feed additive. Cross-contamination of feeds for non-target animals with semduramicin is unavoidable. However, it is not known whether undesirable residues of semduramicin may occur in food after cross-contaminated feed is administered to animals. The aim of the work was to determine the levels of semduramicin in hen eggs (yolks and albumen) and tissues (liver, muscle, spleen, gizzard, ovarian yolks and ovaries) after administration of feed contaminated with 0.27 mg kg^?1 of this coccidiostat. The residues were determined using LC-MS/MS. The distribution pattern confirmed the high lipophilicity of semduramicin. Residues were found mainly in egg yolks (28.8 µg kg^?1), ovarian yolks (19.5 µg kg^?1) and liver (2.57 µg kg^?1), while hens’ muscle was free from semduramicin (LOD = 0.1 µg kg^?1). Among edible tissues, the maximum level (2 µg kg^?1) was exceeded only in the liver.     

Fatty acid profile and cholesterol content of egg yolk from chickens fed diets supplemented with purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.)

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of purslane on egg production, egg weight, feed efficiency, yolk fatty acid composition, and egg cholesterol content in laying hens. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty 80‐week‐old layers were allocated randomly to receive diets supplemented with 0 (control), 10 g kg^?1 or 20 g kg^?1 dried purslane for 84 days. Egg weights and egg production in the groups were recorded daily, whereas feed intake was measured weekly. RESULTS: Diet supplemented with 20 g kg^?1 purslane significantly decreased body weight of the chickens compared to the control. Inclusion of purslane at the level of 10 g kg^?1 or 20 g kg^?1 into the diet significantly (P < 0.05) improved egg weight compared to the control. Chickens fed the diet including 20 g kg^?1 purslane had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher egg production and improved feed efficiency compared to the control. Cholesterol content of eggs from the hens fed 0, 10 or 20 g kg^?1 did not differ and was 10.45, 9.51 or 9.51 mg g^?1 dried egg yolk, respectively. Inclusion of purslane at the level of 20 g kg^?1 into the diet significantly (P < 0.05) increased ω‐3 fatty acids such as C18:3(ω‐3) and C22:6(ω‐3). The ratio of ω‐6 to ω‐3 also was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the eggs from chickens fed 10 g kg^?1 or 20 g kg^?1 purslane supplemented diets compared to the control. CONCLUSION: This study showed that adding dried purslane to the diet of laying hens significantly increased egg production and egg weights although there was no reduction in the egg cholesterol concentration. This study also showed that inclusion of purslane into diet enriched eggs with ω‐3 fatty acids and decreased the ratio of ω‐6/ω‐3 in the yolk. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids from various herbs to eggs and meat in laying hens

To investigate the potential transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), laying hens were fed for 14 days with diets containing 0.5% of dried common ragwort, common groundsel, narrow-leaved ragwort or viper’s bugloss, or 0.1% of common heliotrope. This resulted in total PA levels in feed of respectively 5.5, 11.1, 53.1, 5.9 and 21.7 mg kg^–1, with varying composition. PAs were transferred to eggs, in particular yolk, with steady-state levels of respectively 12, 21, 216, 2 and 36 µg kg^–1. Overall transfer rates for the sum of PAs were estimated between 0.02% and 0.23%, depending on the type of PAs in the feed. In animals slaughtered shortly after the last exposure, levels in meat were slightly lower than those in eggs, levels in livers somewhat higher. When switched to clean feed, levels in eggs gradually decreased, but after 14 days were still above detection limits in the hens exposed to higher PA levels. Similar was the case for meat and especially kidneys and livers. It is concluded that the intake of PA containing herbs by laying hens may result in levels in eggs and meat that could be of concern for consumers, and as such should be avoided.     

Effects of dietary black cumin seed (Nigella sativa L.) on performance,egg traits,egg cholesterol content and egg yolk fatty acid composition in laying hens

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary black cumin seed on performance, egg traits, egg cholesterol content and egg yolk fatty acid composition in laying hens during a 12 week period. For this purpose a total of 160 Lohmann Brown laying hens 36 weeks of age were allocated to four dietary treatments with one control group and three treatment groups. Black cumin seed (Nigella sativa L.) was used at the level of 5, 10 and 15 g kg^?1 in the diets of the first, second and third treatment groups, respectively. RESULTS: Dietary treatments did not significantly affect body weight, feed intake, egg production, egg quality characteristics and blood parameters. Diets containing 10 and 15 g kg^?1 black cumin seed increased egg weight (P < 0.01), improved feed efficiency (P < 0.01) and decreased egg yolk cholesterol, saturated fatty acids (% of total fatty acid methyl esters) and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05) compared to the diet of control group. CONCLUSION: Dietary black cumin seed at the level of 10 and 15 g kg^?1 had beneficial effects on egg weight, feed efficiency, egg cholesterol content and egg yolk fatty acid composition. Therefore it can be used at the level of 10 and 15 g kg^?1 in the diets of laying hens. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Doxycycline depletion and residues in eggs after oral administration to laying hens

The depletion of doxycycline (DC) residues in eggs was determined after oral drug administration by drinking water to laying hens. The antibiotic was supplied to birds for 5 consecutive days and the eggs were collected during medication and 18 days after withdrawal. DC residues were determined by LC-MS/MS. DC was isolated from eggs with a solution of 0.02 M of oxalic acid (pH 4), 0.1 M Na₂EDTA and acetonitrile. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method were 2 and 5 µg kg^–1, respectively. Analyses were performed on whole egg, egg white and yolk separately. DC was detectable 24 h after the beginning of administration. The concentration of antibiotic increased daily, resulting in the highest DC concentration in whole eggs at the first day of the withdrawal period. Thirteen days after withdrawal, the content of DC in whole eggs was below the LOQ of the method. However, some differences were found in the depletion curve of DC between egg white and yolk. Residues of DC in egg white were much higher during treatment and 1 day after withdrawal, but later the concentration in egg white decreased fairly rapidly and a higher DC content in egg yolk was observed. The depletion period was shorter for egg white than for yolk, and DC was detected in the egg white until 12 days after withdrawal and 2 days more in egg yolk than in white. DC reached a peak faster in egg white, but the residues were detectable for longer period in the yolk.     

Determination and surveillance of hydrocortisone and progesterone in livestock products by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple analytical method for the determination of hydrocortisone and progesterone in bovine, swine, and chicken muscle and eggs was developed. Hydrocortisone and progesterone were extracted with acetonitrile and subsequently cleaned-up using an Oasis^® HLB mini-cartridge. The method was validated in accordance with Japanese guidelines and exhibited trueness from 86.6% to 104.3% and precision (relative standard deviations (RSDs) of repeatability and within reproducibility were under 8.7% and 11.7%, respectively). The method was applied to 103 bovine muscle, 137 swine muscle, 69 chicken muscle and 52 egg samples that were commercially available in Tokyo, Japan. The hydrocortisone concentration was 0.9–41.2 µg kg^?1 in all bovine muscle samples, with an average of 7.7 µg kg^?1 and a median of 6.2 µg kg^?1. The progesterone concentration in 50 samples exceeded the limit of quantification (LOQ) and reached a maximum of 95.4 µg kg^?1. Hydrocortisone was also detected in all swine muscle samples at concentrations of 2.0–56.0 µg kg^?1. Its average and median concentrations amounted to 13.1 and 11.3 µg kg^?1, respectively. Twenty-three samples contained progesterone levels surpassing the LOQ, with a maximum concentration of 107.0 µg kg^?1. No chicken muscle samples contained any of the analytes. The progesterone concentration was 15.5–200.0 µg kg^?1 in all egg samples, with an average of 95.4 µg kg^?1 and a median of 90.5 µg kg^?1.     

Depletion of florfenicol and florfenicol amine in eggs of laying hens and growing pullets after oral administration

ABSTRACT

In this study, we carried out two experiments to evaluate depletion of florfenicol (FF) and its metabolite florfenicol amine (FFA) in eggs from growing pullets and laying hens. Eggs were collected, and the egg white and yolk were separated. FF and FFA were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In the first experiment, 30 laying hens were given FF capsules at 50 mg/kg·bw^?1 daily for 5 d. FF + FFA was detectable in egg white (1,190 µg/kg) on day 1 of treatment and increased slowly thereafter. After treatment, the residues decreased rapidly and were not detected by day 11. In yolk, residues were detected at a lower concentration on day 1 and increased dramatically to 3308 µg/kg at the end of treatment. The residues remained steady over the next 4 days post-treatment, followed by a rapid drop. Residues were not detectable on day 15 post-treatment. In the second experiment, four groups (B1 through B4) of growing pullets were treated in the same manner for 25, 20, 15, and 10 days before egg primiparity. FF and FFA were not detectable in the eggs of group B1; however, they were detectable in egg whites and yolks of groups B2, B3, and B4. The highest total concentrations of FF and FFA detected in egg white and yolk of group B4 were 3,190 µg/kg and 3,214 µg/kg, respectively. Thereafter, concentrations decreased until no more residues were detected in egg whites or yolks on days 17 and 21 post-treatment, respectively. Therefore, drug treatment should be stopped at least 21 d before primiparity of growing pullets to guarantee food safety.     

Effects of dietary yeast autolysate (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on performance,egg traits,egg cholesterol content,egg yolk fatty acid composition and humoral immune response of laying hens

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary yeast autolysate on performance, egg traits, egg cholesterol content, egg yolk fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation of egg yolk, some blood parameters and humoral immune response of laying hens during a 16 week period. A total of 225 Hyline Brown laying hens, 22 weeks of age, were allocated equally to one control group and four treatment groups. Yeast autolysate (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, InteWall) was used at levels of 1, 2, 3 and 4 g kg^?1 in the diets of the first, second, third and fourth treatment groups respectively. RESULTS: Dietary treatments did not significantly affect body weight, feed intake and egg traits. Yeast autolysate supplementation increased egg production (P < 0.001) and egg weight (P < 0.001) and improved feed efficiency (P < 0.05). Yeast autolysate at levels of 2, 3 and 4 g kg^?1 decreased egg yolk cholesterol level as mg g^?1 yolk (P < 0.01) and blood serum levels of cholesterol and triglyceride (P < 0.05) and increased antibody titres to sheep red blood cells (P < 0.01). Total saturated fatty acids and the ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids increased (P < 0.01) and total monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.001) decreased with yeast autolysate supplementation. CONCLUSION: Dietary yeast autolysate at levels of 2, 3 and 4 g kg^?1 had beneficial effects on performance, egg cholesterol content and humoral immune response. It is concluded that 2 g kg^?1 yeast autolysate will be enough to have beneficial effects in laying hens. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of garlic powder on the performance,egg traits and blood parameters of laying hens

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of garlic powder on the performance, egg traits and blood parameters of laying hens. One hundred and sixty‐two SHSY‐type brown layers aged 21 weeks were chosen at random from a large flock. They were allocated to three dietary treatments. Each treatment comprised six replicates of nine layers in groups of three. The diets were supplemented with 0, 5 and 10 g kg^?1 garlic powder. The experimental period lasted 22 weeks. Garlic powder addition did not significantly affect body weight, egg production, feed consumption, feed efficiency, egg shell index, egg breaking strength, egg shell thickness, egg albumen index, egg yolk index, egg Haugh unit, egg yolk weight and serum protein concentration. Egg weight increased (P < 0.01) with garlic powder supplementation. There was a significant (P < 0.01) reduction in egg cholesterol concentration as mg g^?1 yolk when the dietary level of garlic powder was increased from 0 to 10 g kg^?1. Hen serum triglyceride (P < 0.05) and total cholesterol (P < 0.01) concentrations decreased with garlic powder supplementation. This study demonstrated that garlic powder addition increased egg weight and decreased egg yolk cholesterol concentration (mg g^?1 yolk) and serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations without adverse effects on performance and egg traits. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

The Influence of Feeding Yellow-, Green- and Brown-Seeded Peas on Production Performance of Laying Hens

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding value of yellow-, green- and brown-seeded peas as protein and energy supplements in laying hen diets. In experiment 1, all three types of peas were included in laying hen diets at 0, 200, 400 and 600 g kg^-1 replacing wheat and soya bean meal. Layers fed diets containing peas at 200 g kg^-1 produced more (P⩽0·05) eggs, had higher (P⩽0·05) egg mass output and better (P⩽0·01) feed conversion than those fed the wheat soya bean meal control diet. With 400 g peas kg^-1 in diets, egg production, egg mass and feed conversion were similar (P⩾0·05) to the control diet. Total replacement of soya bean meal with peas (600 g peas kg^-1 in diets) reduced (P⩽0·01) egg production, egg mass and feed conversion. A progressive (P⩽0·01) improvement in yolk colour as the level of peas in the diet increased was observed. Shell quality decreased (P⩽0·05) with increasing levels of yellow or brown peas in the diets, however, it seemed not to be affected by green peas. Daily feed intake, egg weight and mortality rates were not affected by dietary treatments. The influence of feeding diets containing yellow or brown peas supplemented with varied levels of methionine on production performance of laying hens was investigated in experiment 2. The dietary treatments consisted of a 400 g kg^-1 yellow or brown pea diet supplemented with three levels of methionine to 100, 115 and 130% of the NRC requirements. Methionine supplementation to either 15 or 30% above NRC requirement for laying hens had no significant (P⩾0·05) effect on all production parameters. It can be concluded that the inclusion of yellow, green or brown peas into laying hen diets up to 400 g kg^-1 does not affect production performance. The NRC recommendation of methionine requirement for laying hens is adequate to support maximum egg production for diets containing moderate quantities of peas. © 1997 SCI.     

Effects of dietary taurine on egg production,egg quality and cholesterol levels in Japanese quail

BACKGROUND: Taurine is a semi‐essential amino acid and has many biological properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with taurine on egg production, egg quality, and cholesterol level in serum and egg yolk of quails. A total of 108 quails aged 6 weeks were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of four replicates of nine quails. The diets were supplemented with 0, 100, and 500 mg kg^?1 of taurine for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Dietary 500 mg kg^?1 taurine significantly affected egg production rate and feed conversion ratio, but had no significant effects on body weight gain, feed consumption, or egg weight. Dietary taurine had no significant effect on egg quality parameters studied. Serum triglyceride concentration was reduced significantly with supplementation of taurine at 100 and 500 mg kg^?1. Egg yolk cholesterol content was reduced significantly, and the contents of serum taurine and egg yolk taurine were increased significantly with taurine supplementation at 500 mg kg^?1. CONCLUSION: Results of the present study indicated that adding 500 mg kg^?1 taurine reduced yolk cholesterol concentration and increased yolk taurine content without adverse effects on performance and egg quality of laying quails. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of sulfonamides,trimethoprim and dapsone in muscle,egg, milk and honey

A quantitative multi-residue method that includes 13 sulfonamides, trimethoprim and dapsone was developed and validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC for muscle, milk egg and honey samples. For all matrices, the same extraction procedure was used. Samples were extracted with an acetone/dichloromethane mixture and cleaned up on aromatic sulfonic acid (SO₃H) SPE cartridges. After elution and concentration steps, analytes were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Data were acquired according to the multiple reaction-monitoring approach (MRM) and analytes were quantified both by the isotope dilution and the matrix-matched approaches calculating the response factors for the scanned product ions. The developed method shows good linearity, specificity, precision (repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility), and trueness. Estimated CCβ for sulfonamides ranged between 5.6 and 8.2 µg kg^?1 for eggs, between 11.1 and 69.9 µg kg^?1 for milk, between 64.7 and 87.9 µg kg^?1 for muscle, and between 2.7 and 5.3 µg kg^?1 for honey. CCβ values for dapsone were 3.1, 0.6, 0.7 and 1.5 µg kg^?1 and for trimethoprim were 3.1, 6.7, 81.7 and 3.0 µg kg^?1 calculated for eggs, milk, muscle and honey, respectively. Recovery for all matrices was in the range from 89.1% and 109.7%. In matrix effect testing, no significant deviations were found between different samples of muscle and milk; however, a matrix effect was observed when testing different types of honey. The validation results demonstrate that the method is suitable for routine veterinary drug analysis and confirmation of suspect samples.     

Oxytetracycline,tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline in pasteurised cow’s milk commercialised in Brazil

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of tetracycline residues in pasteurised cow’s milk using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV/VIS detection to determine the exposure of Brazilian’s population to antibiotic residues. One hundred samples collected from the State of Paraná, Brazil, were analysed. Three of these samples were contaminated at the following concentrations: 121.8 µg·kg^?1 for oxytetracycline, 93.5 µg·kg^?1 for tetracycline and 134.6 µg·kg^?1 for chlortetracycline (61.6 µg·kg^?1) and doxycycline (73.0 µg·kg^?1). The median tetracycline residue concentration found in the samples was 42.3 µg·kg^?1, and the estimated daily intake (EDI) was 0.05 µg Kg^?1 bw day^?1 in Brazil. These results demonstrate that the occurrence of tetracycline in Brazilian milk was low (3%) and only for 2% above the maximum residue limit, so the risk to the population from the presence of these residues in milk was low (<1% of the acceptable daily intake).     

Analyses of tomato peel and seed byproducts and their use as a source of carotenoids

Commercial tomato canning yields two different byproducts. One is the material that results from peeling tomatoes, while the other results from removing the seeds. The peel byproduct contained 100.8 g protein, 256.4 g ash and 299.4 g acid detergent fiber kg^?1. Ash content was high because the peel byproduct contained 83.8 g kg^?1 sodium as a result of using a sodium hydroxide solution to peel the tomatoes. The seed byproduct contained 202.3 g protein, 51.8 g ash, and 537.9 g acid detergent fiber kg^?1. An amino acid analysis of seeds indicated that approximately 60% of the protein results from amino acids. Both byproducts were analyzed for carotenoid content. The lycopene content of peel byproduct was 734 µg g^?1 of dry material. Significant amounts of lutein, β‐carotene, and cis‐β‐carotene were also present. Seed byproduct contained 130 µg lycopene kg^?1 of dry matter. The content of other carotenoids was approximately half of that present in the peels. Peel and seed byproducts were included at 75 g kg^?1 in hen diets to determine the transfer of carotenoids to the yolk. When fed at this concentration, the lycopene content of dry egg yolk was approximately 0.9 µg g^?1. Approximately 0.1% of the lycopene in peel byproduct and approximately 0.7% of the lycopene in the seed byproduct was transferred from the feed to the yolk. Lycopene appears more similar to carotene than to oxycarotenoids in its transfer to the yolk. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Unravelling a vicious circle: animal feed marketed in Costa Rica contains irregular concentrations of tetracyclines and abundant oxytetracycline-resistant Gram-positive bacteria

Diverse tetracyclines are used to prevent and control bacterial infections in livestock and farmed fish. These drugs are administered through the diet, but farmers seldom check whether feed contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may colonise their crops or transfer their resistance traits to species of veterinary relevance. To examine whether antibiotic dosage defines the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in animal feed, we determined the concentration of parental compounds and epimers of oxytetracycline (OTC), doxycycline, tetracycline and chlortetracycline, as well as the abundance and resistance level of OTC-resistant bacteria in samples of fish (n = 21), poultry (n = 21), swine (n = 21), and shrimp feed (n = 21) marketed in Costa Rica. Fish feed contained the highest amounts of tetracyclines (119–8365 mg kg^?1) and the largest proportion of bacteria resistant to 10 μg ml^?1 (1.8–92.4%) or 100 μg ml^?1 of OTC (12.5–63.8%). Poultry (78–438 mg kg^?1) and swine (41–1076 mg kg^?1) feed had intermediate concentrations of tetracyclines and OTC-resistant bacteria (0.2–66% and 0.3–49%, respectively), whereas shrimp feed showed the lowest amounts of tetracyclines (21.5–50.3 mg kg^?1), no OTC and no culturable OTC-resistant bacteria. In line with these results, the MIC₅₀ of OTC for 150 isolates from fish and poultry feed was > 256 µg ml^?1, while that of 150 bacteria isolated from swine feed was 192 µg ml^?1. Phenotypic tests, fatty acid profiles and proteotypic analyses by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass-spectroscopy revealed that most OTC-resistant isolates were Gram-positive bacteria of low G+C% content from the genera Staphylococcus and Bacillus. Clear correlations between OTC dosage and feed colonisation with OTC-resistant bacteria were seen in medicated feed for fish (r = 0.179–0.651). Nonetheless, some unmedicated feed for fish, swine and poultry contained large populations of OTC-resistant bacteria, suggesting that raw materials and manufacturing processes may also influence carriage of OTC-resistant bacteria in animal feed.     

Aflatoxins in animal feed in Iran

One hundred and forty-six samples of animal feed (barley, n = 60; wheat bran, n = 22; wheat dry pulp, n = 29; and canola meal, n = 35) were collected in 2011 from Mashhad (Khorasan, Iran). Aflatoxins (AFs) were determined in these samples after immunoaffinity column clean-up by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) contamination was found in 28 samples: in five of the barley samples (8.3%) at a mean level of 0.48 µg·kg^?1, in two wheat bran samples (9.0%) at a mean level of 0.88 µg·kg^?1, in 10 wheat dry pulp samples (34.5%) at a mean level of 0.30 µg·kg^?1 and in 11 canola meal samples (31.4%) at a mean level of 0.92 µg·kg^?1. AFB₁ levels were below the maximum levels of Iran regulations (5 µg·kg^?1) and the EU maximum limit (5 µg·kg^?1).     

Aflatoxin M1 in raw milk from different regions of São Paulo state – Brazil

A total of 635 raw milk samples from 45 dairy farms, from three regions of São Paulo state – Brazil, were evaluated during 15 months for aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁). AFM₁ was determined by high performance liquid chromatograph with fluorescence detection. AFM₁ was detected (>0.003 µg kg^?1) in 72.9%, 56.3% and 27.5% of the samples from Bauru, Araçatuba and Vale do Paraíba regions, respectively. The mean AFM₁ contamination considering all the samples was 0.021 µg kg^?1. Furthermore, the concentration of AFM₁ was quite different among Bauru (0.038 µg kg^?1), Araçatuba (0.017 µg kg^?1) and Vale do Paraíba (<0.01 µg kg^?1) regions. Only three samples (0.5%) had higher contamination than the tolerated limit in Brazil (0.50 µg kg^?1) and 64 samples (10.1%) had a higher contamination than the maximum limit as set by the European Union (0.050 µg kg^?1). The estimated AFM₁ daily intake was 0.358 and 0.120 ng kg^?1 body weight per day for children and adults, respectively.     

The replacement value of triticale for barley in layer diets with or without rice pollard

In a factorial experiment, the laying performance of White Leghorn hens given diets in which triticale replaced 100, 50 or 0% of barley either in the presence or absence of 210 g kg^?1 rice pollard and with two levels (2.5 and 3.5 g kg^?1) of methionine was examined. The replacement of barley with triticale had no significant effect on egg production, egg weight or feed conversion efficiency. The inclusion of 210 g kg^?1 rice pollard increased the weight (P < 0.01) and reduced the yolk colour (P<0.01) of eggs. Neither triticale nor barley had a significant effect on liver weight and lipid content. Triticale increased the palmitoleic acid content but had no significant effect on the content of other fatty acids in the liver and yolk lipids. Rice pollard increased the concentration of linoleic and arachidonic acids in liver and yolk lipids while the concentrations of myristic, palmitoleic and oleic acids were decreased. Increasing the level of methionine from 2.5 to 3.5 g kg^?1 in diets with either triticale or barley or rice pollard had no significant effect on any of the egg production characteristics.