TY - JOUR AU - Santos, G. A. AU - Rodrigues, I. AU - Starkl, V. AU - Naehrer, K. AU - Hofstetter, U. AU - Encarnação, P. PY - 2010/11/08 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Mycotoxins in aquaculture: Occurrence in feeds components and impact on animal performance JF - Avances en Nutrición Acuicola JA - ACU VL - 0 IS - 0 SE - Artículos DO - UR - https://nutricionacuicola.uanl.mx/index.php/acu/article/view/118 SP - AB - <p>In the last years there is a trend to replace fish meal as a source of protein by less expensive sources of protein from plant origin. As a result of this trend, aquaculture feeds have a higher risk of being contaminated with one or more types of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi and highly toxic to animals. Despite the limited number of studies on the effect of mycotoxins on aquaculture species, there is increasing evidence that mycotoxins can cause several pathologies and growth problems in different fish and shrimp species.<br />A recent survey on the occurrence of mycotoxins in feed components showed that analyzed samples from different regions were contaminated with one (74%) or more (40%) mycotoxins. Despite good screening programs, selection of high quality raw materials and feed ingredients and good storage conditions it is very difficult to guarantee the absence of mycotoxins in aquaculture feeds. Therefore it is urgent to find suitable ways to face the problem through an effective management of the risks posed by mycotoxins contaminations. The current paper presents an overview of the effects of mycotoxins on fish and shrimp performance and the occurrence of these mycotoxins in feed components.</p> ER -