Effet chez le porcelet d'une exposition à un régime co-contaminé en ...

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONMycotoxin-producing fungi grow on staple raw materials used for animal feeds and human foods.Subsequently, mycotoxins must be considered persistent and common contaminants of feed andfoods that world-wide affect both, animal and human health (Adams, 2004; Galvano et al., 2005).Extreme vigilance and careful management is vital to ensure that levels of mycotoxins are keptacceptably low (Adams, 2001).The complex processes involved in mycotoxin production by moulds make it difficult to predictwhich toxin will be produced, when and in what concentration.Unfortunately it is not possible to entirely prevent the production of mycotoxins before harvest ofagricultural crops, in storage, or during processing operations. Thus, numerous strategies areevolving for the management and field-practical control of mycotoxins. Some are clearly morepractical and effective than others.A variety of physical, chemical and biological approaches to counteract the mycotoxin problemhave been reported, but large-scale, practical, and cost-effective methods for a completedetoxification of mycotoxin-containing feedstuffs are currently not available. Substances used tosuppress or reduce the absorption of mycotoxins by the animal should either promote the excretionof mycotoxins in feces (in case of binders) or modify their mode of action (in case of biologicaldetoxifiers).One of the most promising approaches to the problem has been the use of sorbents in the dietthat sequester mycotoxins and reduce the absorption of these toxins from the gastrointestinal tract,avoiding the toxic effects for livestock and the carryover of these fungal metabolites into animalproducts. For an adsorbent to successfully prevent the absorption of mycotoxins from thegastrointestinal tract, it should have a high binding capacity and affinity for the mycotoxin, avoiddissociation and thus reduce the bioavailability. Adsorbents that may appear effective in vitro do notnecessarily retain their efficacy and safety when tested in vivo.Besides, biological detoxification has become stronger and more important during the last decadeand it is nowadays an emerging area of interest and research in animal feed production. Isolation andcharacterization of microorganisms or enzymes that are able to biotransform mycotoxins canpossibly be the breakthrough for the practical application of biotechnology in specificdecontamination processes taking place directly in the intestinal tract of animals. This biologicaldecontamination may become a technology of choice, as enzymatic reactions offer a specific,efficient and environmentally friendly way of detoxification.72