The Effect of Inclusion of a Clay Type Sequestering Agent on Milk Production of Diary Cattle Consuming Mycotoxin Contaminated Feeds

Mycotoxin occur frequently in a variety of feedstuffs fed to diary cattle. Mycotoxin consumption by diary catlle is associated with subclinical losses in milk production, increased disease and reduced reproductive performance. The use of mycotoxin sequestering agents has been shown to reduce the transfer of aflatoxin from feed to milk in diary cattle and in poultry and swine they have been shown to ameliorate the negative effects of mycotoxins on performance.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a clay type sequestering agent (Mexsil) to reduce the effects of feeding a diet naturally contaminated with several mycotoxins. One hundred fifty six cows (68 Holsteins and 88 Jerseys) were randomly assigned to either a control (no clay) or a sequestering agent (clay) treatment. Cows consumed mycotoxin-contaminated diets an one of the treatments for a total of five months. Although mycotoxin concentrations varied considerably throughout the trial, the forage portion of the diets contributed on average approximately < 20 ppb aflatoxin, <1 ppm fumonisin, <20 ppb T-2 toxin, 2500 ppb deoxynivalenol (DON) and 270 ppb zearalenone when expressed on a daily dry matter basis. Cows consuming the clay type sequestering agent had signigicantly higher average daily milk production than animals on the no clay treatment diets (25.0 kg, 23.6 kg, P<0.05). The interactions between clay* breed, clay*parity, clay*stage of lactation, and clay*season were not significant. Although not approved by the FDA for this purpose, sequestering agents can potentially bind mycotoxins and thus reduce the detrimental effects associated with their consumption.

Key Words: Mycotoxins, Dairy, Sequestering Agent