Abstract
Periods of unfavorable storing conditions can lead to changes in the quality of fish feeds, as well as the development of relevant mycotoxins. In the present study, a commercial fish feed was stored under defined conditions for four weeks. The main findings indicate that even storing fish feeds under unsuitable conditions for a short duration leads to a deterioration in quality. Mycotoxin and fungal contamination were subsequently analyzed. These investigations confirmed that different storage conditions can influence the presence of fungi and mycotoxins on fish feed. Notably, ochratoxin A (OTA) was found in samples after warm (25 °C) and humid (>60% relative humidity) treatment. This confirms the importance of this compound as a typical contaminant of fish feed and reveals how fast this mycotoxin can be formed in fish feed during storage.
Highlights
Correct and balanced nutrition is an essential requirement for fish welfare in aquaculture
Ochratoxin A (OTA), which is often produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species [13,14,15,16], is of major concern because it is known to have a detrimental impact on vertebrates, causing teratogenic, carcinogenic, and immune-modulative effects [3,17,18,19,20,21]
Fish feed storage under warm and humid conditions changes the quality of the feed and leads to the formation of mycotoxins
Summary
Correct and balanced nutrition is an essential requirement for fish welfare in aquaculture. Besides potential impairment of the feed quality, e.g., due to decreasing vitamin levels and changes in the nutritional composition of the feeds [7,8], bioactive and toxic compounds including mycotoxins can be formed during feed storage [9,10]. The mycotoxins that are more likely to occur during food storage and in feed ingredients and compounded feeds often include aflatoxins and ochratoxins [11,12]. Further fungal species are known to occur in feed ingredients and animal feeds. These include the Fusarium and Toxins 2020, 12, 171; doi:10.3390/toxins12030171 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins
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