Suitability of Hermetia illucens larvae meal and fat in broiler diets:effects on animal performance,apparent ileal digestibility,gut histology,and microbial metabolites

Background:The possibility of partially replacing soybean meal(SBM)with Hermetia illucens(HI)defatted larvae meal in broiler nutrition has frequently been suggested.For sustainability reasons,however,the larvae fat produced during defatting should also be used and could be particularly beneficial regarding gut health due to its fatty acid composition.To evaluate the suitability of HI larvae as protein and fat source,a 2×3 factorial arrangement with two types of protein,i.e.SBM(S)or SBM and 15%of its crude protein replaced by HI larvae meal(L),and three levels of fat sources,namely 0(0 L),50%(50 L)or 100%HI larvae fat(100 L)at the expense of soybean oil was applied.Results:In the starter phase,an interaction showed higher body weight(BW),average daily gain(ADG)and improved feed conversion ratio(FCR)if 50%or 100%HI larvae fat was fed with HI larvae meal.Moreover,BW,ADG and FCR improved when feeding HI larvae meal as protein source.Additionally,we observed an increased average daily feed intake in the grower,finisher,and overall phase in the L groups and an improved FCR in 0 L compared to 50 L groups during the overall period.Regarding apparent ileal digestibility,HI larvae meal feeding increased dry matter,organic matter,and fat digestibility.Feeding HI larvae meal as protein source decreased the concentrations of agmatine,spermidine,spermine and ammonia in the caecal digesta,whereas fat source affected agmatine with higher concentrations in 50 L compared to 0 L in the colonic digesta.In contrast,caecal ethanolamine concentrations increased in HI larvae meal groups compared to SBM.Caecal butyric acid concentrations decreased with HI larvae meal feeding.An interaction was found for the jejunal villus area,being higher in L+100 L compared to S+100 L.Furthermore,L groups had greater villus width.Conclusions:A partial replacement of SBM with HI larvae meal and soybean oil with HI larvae fat in broiler diets without impairing animal performance or gut health seems possible.Feeding HI larvae meal affected broiler performance positively in the starter phase and improved apparent ileal digestibility.

The Challenge of Standard Stability in LC-MS Based Multi-Analyte Approaches for Veterinary Drugs

The short-and long-term stability of multi-component mixtures and intermediate mixtures of analytical standards of veterinary drugs,which can potentially occur in food and feed chains,was examined by an isochronous measurement approach.Short-term stability testing of calibrants included storage for 1,2,4,and 7 days at-20℃(as a baseline)4℃,and 23℃(with and without exposure to sunlight),respectively.Long-term stability testing conditions of intermediate mixes were-20℃,4℃,23℃(with and without exposure to sunlight),and control temperature at-80℃while the testing period was 2,4,8,and 12 weeks,respectively.Results indicated that calibration standards should ideally be stored at 4℃for only 1~2 days,without the presence of acid.Neutral storage conditions were acceptable even at room temperature.Storage of intermediate mixtures containingß-lactams and cephalosporins for longer than 1 month under 4℃ and room temperature resulted in a loss of almost 90%.When it comes to the intermediate mixtures with penicillin V and G,acceptable storage conditions were 2 weeks at-20℃,without the presence of acid.Other classes of veterinary drugs were less critical as considers long-term stability.Overall,storage conditions at-20℃were considered optimal for long-term storage of intermediate mixes of veterinary drug standards.

Mycotoxin Contamination of Bush Mango,Cashew Nuts,Okra,Sesame and Sorghum Marketed in Nasarawa State,Nigeria

Food crops(bush mango(n=12),roasted cashew nut(n=12),dried okra(n=12),sesame(n=35)and sorghum(n=36))sold in markets in Nasarawa state,Nigeria,were analyzed using a LC-MS/MS mycotoxin method.The hepatocarcinogenic aflatoxin B_(1) was detected in 42%,25%and 19%of bush mango,dried okra and sorghum samples at mean concentrations of 19.2μg/kg,8.27μg/kg and 4.75μg/kg,respectively,while fumonisin B_(1) contaminated 9%of the sesame(mean:12.5μg/kg)and 47%of the sorghum(mean:461μg/kg)samples.At least 19%of the sorghum samples were co-contaminated with aflatoxin B_(1) and fumonisin B_(1).The nephrotoxic ochratoxin A was detected in bush mango,sorghum and,for the first time to the best of our knowledge,in dried okra.These vended food crops in the local markets are therefore prone to mycotoxin contamination,which may pose a health threat to consumers,and require intentional mitigation efforts.

Global Challenges and Solutions in the Early Warning,Monitoring and Toxicity Assessment of Biotoxins in the Food and Feed Chain

There is a massive and urgent need to ensure safety and security of the food supply of the world´s growing population.However,global agriculture and food industries continue to be vulnerable to problems of contamination with biotoxins produced by plants,algae and particularly by fungi;with global warming and extreme weather events making the occurrence of these toxic metabolites even more unpredictable.In this paper we summarize the multidisciplinary,multi-sectoral complementary competencies needed to innovate in various scientific fields and approaches,so strongly needed to develop improved early warning,monitoring and toxicity assessment of biotoxins in the food and feed chain.These include big data approaches using satellite and drone images,portable monitoring devices and(combined)toxicity testing of(emerging)biotoxins using proteomics and transcriptomics.

守护粮食食品安全,全球携手在行动

确保全球人口日益增长对粮食及食物供应的安全保障已经迫在眉睫。然而,农业和食品工业仍然容易遭受微生物和化学污染物污染问题,包括兽医药品和由植物、藻类特别是真菌产生的天然毒素。全球变暖[1]的和极端天气事件使得这些有毒代谢物的发生,包括真菌的各种有毒次生代谢物--即“真菌毒素”--变得更加不可预测。据估计,全球多达80%的植物源食品被真菌毒素污染[2]。