Adsorption of T-2 toxin by natural mineral adsorbents

Abstract

The contamination of animal feed with mycotoxins represents a worldwide problem leading to economic losses in animal production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 25% of the world's cereal grain production is contaminated with mycotoxins. The most common mycotoxins found in grains are the aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, zearalenone and the ergopeptine alkaloids. Trichothecenes, constitute the largest group of Fusarium mycotoxins. Among others, T-2 toxin is the most acute toxic trichothecene. In this paper, adsorption of T-2 toxin by natural mineral adsorbents zeolite-clinop-tilolite and smectite minerals - bentonite and hectorite, at pH 3 was investigated. The highest adsorption index was achieved for hectorite (95%), while clinoptilolite and bentonite showed low adsorption index for T-2 toxin, 8% and 13%, respectively. Results of T-2 toxin adsorption on hectorite, at different amount of solid phase in suspension, and at pH 3, 7 and 9, showed that toxin adsorption indexes increased with increase of adsorbent concentration in suspension, at all investigated pH values. No significant differences in T-2 toxin adsorption by hectorite, at pH 3, 7 and 9 were observed.

Keywords

• mycotoxins
• T-2 toxin
• adsorbents
• hectorite