Investigation of Ochratoxin A Level in Feed Used in Bovine Feeding in Ardahan Province

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in feed supplied with cattle in the Ardahan region. The research was carried out on 30 randomly selected bovine farms in the Ardahan region. Cattle farms were visited in February, March, and April 2023. Thirty samples (10 meadow grass, 10 hay and 10 crushed barley) were collected each month, one sample from each farm visited. In all, 90 feed samples were examined for OTA within the three-month period. ELISA kit was used to determine the amount of OTA in feed samples. The study did not detect OTA in the meadow grass, hay and crushed barley collected in February. In hay samples, 0.19 µg/kg was detected in March, 0.21 µg/kg in April, and in crushed barley 0.20 µg/kg in March and 0.21 µg/kg OTA in April. In this study, the highest amount of OTA was determined in meadow grass (0.28 µg/kg) collected in April. The difference between the average OTA amounts detected in meadow grass in March and April was statistically significant (p