Impact of pure fumonisin B1 on various metabolic parameters and carcass quality of growing-finishing swine — preliminary findings

Abstract

Mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) is a common contaminant of corn and a causative agent of different animal and human diseases. An experiment was conducted to assess the impact of pure FB1 on carcass quality of growing-finishing swine. Pigs were fed diets containing 0, 0.11, 0.33 and 1.0 mg FB1 kg−1 (ppm) until market weight. Although performance characteristics were not different among the respective treatments, an increase in feed consumption variability was observed between weeks 3 and 9 for the 1 ppm FB1 fed pigs as compared with controls. The same animals showed an increased variability in carcass characteristics, in particular in the fat content of loin and ham. The estimated lean yield tended to decrease with increasing dose, but a high standard deviation abolished treatment differences. An elevated cholesterol value at the end of the experiment for the 1 ppm FB1 fed pigs suggested a disruption of lipid metabolism. No other significant (P > 0.06) changes were observed. We conclude that a diet containing 1 ppm FB1 could have a detrimental effect on the carcass quality of a market pig and be a source of a monetary loss to the producer. Key words: Mycotoxin fumonisin B1, swine, carcass