Mycotoxins: What Are They and What Does It Mean For Your Swine Herd?

By: Julie Salyer

The Midwest is a great place to raise pigs. We have easy access to grains and plenty of resources available close by. However, when raising pigs in the Midwest, from year to year, you may have heard of folks talking about Mycotoxins and the possibility for contamination. So, what are mycotoxins and how could they affect your pig herd?

What Are Mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are toxic, secondary metabolites produced by some kinds of mold that can be found in many varieties of grain and forage produced for livestock feeds. Not all molds produce mycotoxins so seeing the presence of molds in your grain or feed does not automatically mean mycotoxins are present. Major factors influencing mold growth and mycotoxin formation are moisture and temperature. Worldwide, approximately 25% of crops are contaminated by mycotoxins annually (CAST, 1989). However, because of our weather/growing conditions, the Midwest tends to experience greater mycotoxin concerns than other areas in the country. 

Types of Mycotoxins and Their Effects on Swine

There are different kinds of Mycotoxins and each strain can affect pigs and other livestock differently, depending on type and level. A few key mycotoxins affecting swine health, their mainly affected crops, common symptoms, and cautionary levels for your pigs are listed below in Table 1. 

Important notes to keep in mind when looking through these tables are that these cautionary levels listed are simply guidelines to be aware of and increase monitoring. Different levels can start to affect groups of pigs differently every season. For example: nursery pigs may be more sensitive than growing pigs and some groups of pigs may be more sensitive than others. Additionally, multiple mycotoxins will often be in affected crops or complete feeds together, possibly intensifying their effects. There is no one size fits all when it comes to mycotoxins.

Again, while it oftentimes isn’t found alone in your pig feed, you may have already heard of one of the most concerning mycotoxins for swine in this table already. It can be referred to by different names such as Deoxynivalenol, DON, and/or Vomitoxin. Vomitoxin is a particularly abundant mycotoxin in this region and is one of the most common contaminants of wheat, corn, and barley worldwide. Additionally, since DDGS are derived from corn, their Vomitoxin level can often be 3x that of the level found in its original corn source. As the name suggests, if present in high enough levels in the feed, it can cause pigs to flat-out refuse feed and even vomit. Compared to other livestock species, pigs are most sensitive to Vomitoxin in the feed. Therefore, it is a mycotoxin we at Kalmbach Feeds, routinely monitor.

Vomitoxin and Zearalenone: The Most Common Mycotoxins Affecting Swine

Table 2 dives a little deeper into the two most common mycotoxins affecting swine: Vomitoxin and Zearalenone (most pertinent to breeding swine),. It also lists differing symptoms pigs may experience dependent on levels found in a feed and/or the age or phase of production of the pigs. Again, these levels can vary and are simply listed as guidelines, not absolutes. If you have questions or concerns about mycotoxin contamination in your feed, please contact your Kalmbach Swine Nutrition team for further information and guidance if needed.

Admittedly, a lot of these effects and symptoms sound scary and something we all want to avoid.  This might lead you to ask, what are we here at Kalmbach Feeds doing to prevent this kind of effect on your pigs?

Kalmbach Feeds routinely tests grain received as it is delivered into our mill. We also sort corn for pig feed when needed, to ensure only the cleanest corn is used for the further manufacturing of pig feeds. Additionally, we will adjust formulas and at-risk ingredient inclusions as necessary.

Mitigating Mycotoxin Effects with Research-Proven Feed Additives

Finally, we use research-proven feed additives to mitigate the negative effects of mycotoxins on pigs. One such additive is Abolish 3.0, which has been developed, tested, and proven within our own research facilities and our Kalmbach-owned pigs to help maintain growth and feed intake of pigs exposed to Vomitoxin.  The following Tables highlight one such trial conducted within our Swine Research Nursery.

Table 3 highlights how feeding a diet contaminated with approximately 5.5 ppm DON to nursery pigs reduced feed intake (ADFI) and therefore, reduced average daily gain (ADG) and final body weight (BW) of those pigs at the end of the nursery period. However, as Abolish 3.0 was added and increased in that diet, listed by lbs/ton inclusion, it significantly improved growth performance.

Table 3. Nursery Pigs Fed Increasing Levels of Abolish in DON-Contaminated Diets Improved Growth Performance.

While it can vary, there will be years when mycotoxins are prevalent across the Midwest. Livestock producers need to be vigilant to keep mycotoxins out of feed where they can severely harm the health of animals. We at Kalmbach Feeds are continuingly monitoring and researching products and strategies applicable to your pig feeds to improve the quality of corn and grains so you achieve optimal performance no matter the circumstances.