Aflatoxins, hydroxylated metabolites, and aflatoxicol from breast muscle of laying hens

Abstract

Aflatoxins (AF) are toxic fungal secondary metabolites that are pathological to animals and humans. This study identified and quantified AF (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) and their hydroxylated metabolites (AFM1, AFM2, AFP1) and aflatoxicol (AFL) from laying hen breast muscles. Aflatoxins pass from cereal feed to the laying hen tissues, causing economic losses, and from there to humans. To detect the passage of AF from feed to hen breast muscle tissues, an experiment that included 25 Hy-Line W36 121-wk-old hens was performed for 8 d. Hens in individual cages were distributed into 3 groups: a control group, with feed free of AFB1, and 2 experimental groups, with feed spiked with 2 AFB1 dosages: 30 µg·kg−1 (low) or 500 µg·kg−1 (high). The daily feed consumption per hen was recorded and afterward hens were euthanized and breast muscles were collected, weighed, and dried individually. Aflatoxins were extracted by 2 chemical methods and quantified by HPLC. Both methods were validated by lineality (calibration curves), recovery percentage (>80%), limit of detection, and limit of quantification. The AF (µg·kg−1) averages recovered in control breast muscles were as follows: AFB1 (18); AFG1, AFM2, and AFL (0); AFG2 (1.3); AFM1 (52), and AFP1 (79). Hens fed with feed spiked with 30 µg·kg−1 of AFB1 had AFG1 (16); AFG2 (72); AFM1 (0); AFM2 (18); AFP1 (145); and AFL (5 µg·kg−1). Hens with feed spiked with 500 µg·kg−1 of AFB1 had AFG1 (512); AFG2 (7); AFM1 (4,775); AFM2 (0); AFP1 (661); and AFL (21 µg·kg−1). The best AF extraction method was Qian and Yang's method, modified by adding additional AF from both Supelclean LC18 SPE columns; its limit of detection (0.5 ng·mL−1) was lower compared with that of Koeltzow and Tanner, which was 1 ng·mL−1.