Since the release of Alltech’s 2015 North America Harvest Analysis results, some pork and poultry producers have found that dried distiller’s grains (DDGs), a byproduct of ethanol production that is gaining popularity as a pork and poultry feed, are a new source for mycotoxin contamination.

DDGs are created during ethanol production, when yeast utilizes the highly digestible starch materials to produce ethanol. After the starch is used, protein and fiber, the main components of DDGs and a highly nutritious food source for animals, are the primary byproducts that remain.

“The problem with DDGs is that any component that is not used for ethanol will be concentrated just like the fiber and the protein, and this includes mycotoxins,” said Dr. Max Hawkins, Alltech Mycotoxin Management team nutritionist. “In fact, mycotoxins concentrate up to three times more in DDGs than in grains.”

16 DDG samples have been analyzed through the Alltech 37+ mycotoxin analysis program, with the average sample containing 6.31 mycotoxins with type B trichothecenes present in 94 percent of samples, fusaric acid in 94 percent and fumonisins in 81 percent.

Dr. Hawkins suggests that producers implement a quality control program to help monitor the toxic content of DDGs and to make sure that the incoming supply of DDGs has manageable levels of contamination. This protocol should include testing grains and feed for moisture, mold count, yeast count and mycotoxins, as well as ensuring that corn grain is properly stored and implementing quality feeding conditions.

Another common approach to dealing with mycotoxins in DDGs is blending, a process that involves mixing a high toxin source of DDGs with another supply that has a lower level of contamination.

The use of a mycotoxin mitigating substance or sequestering agent in the feed, along with a quality control program that ensures all possible preventative measures have been taken, can also help reduce or prevent the negative effects mycotoxins have on the animal and additionally improve immune function, gut health and integrity.

“The crux for producers is that the animal remains the best indicator of a mycotoxin presence,” continued Hawkins. “If the animal is not performing to its fullest or unexplained symptoms persist, consider the nutrient quality of the DDGs and the role that a mycotoxin may be playing.”

For more information about mycotoxin symptoms and how to manage challenges on-farm, please visit Alltech’s Mycotoxin Management website .