dsm-firmenich’s latest mycotoxin survey finds an overall rise in mycotoxins in animal feed in different parts of the world. The survey from January to March 2025 highlights a serious threat to animal health, and how risks can also extend to food.

Mycotoxins are naturally produced by fungi that can contaminate feed raw materials in the field and during storage. When ingested by animals, they have a wide range of negative effects such as impaired reproduction, digestive disorders, carcinogenicity, and reduced performance.

Almost 6,000 samples were collected and analyzed from 70 countries. The results concluded that fusarium toxins, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone are most frequently found, with the highest regions of mycotoxins found in China and South Asia.

Risks to food

Anneliese Mueller, technical expert, Mycotoxins at dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition and Health, speaks to Food Ingredients First about the latest mycotoxin trends and risks, and the need for continuous monitoring and adaptive risk management.

“Our testing focuses on feed samples. Both finished feed and raw ingredients are used in animal feed. Monitoring these materials is critical to preventing negative impacts on animal health and performance, which directly affect profitability.”

“For the feed industry, this means routine screening of both raw commodities and finished feed is essential for effective risk management. However, the implications extend to the food industry as well.”

For example, Afla B1 can be carried over as Afla M1 in milk. Similarly, Ochratoxin A (OTA) can accumulate, though at very low levels, in animal-derived products such as liver, kidneys, meat, and eggs.

These carryover effects highlight the importance of feed safety as a foundational element of food safety. Proactive mycotoxin monitoring is a best practice and a necessity for protecting public health and maintaining trust in the food supply chain. 

Monitoring mycotoxins

Mueller says the most surprising aspect of the findings was the overall increase in the prevalence of several key mycotoxins across most regions compared to Q1 2024.

“From a global perspective, there was a general rise in the prevalence of all six key mycotoxins, with the exception of T-2 (trichothecene mycotoxin). Additionally, the average concentrations of positive samples increased for all except deoxynivalenol (DON), which showed a slight decline.” 

Nearly all major mycotoxins, except T-2, showed increased prevalence in Europe. A similar pattern was observed in the Middle East and North Africa, wher all six main mycotoxins rose in prevalence except T-2 and OTA. 

Notably, T-2 saw a sharp dro (from 27% to 4%), while Aflatoxins (AFLA)  and DON rose significantly (from 22% to 36% and 58% to 88%, respectively). In Asia, Afla, Zearalenone (ZEN), DON, and fumonisins (FUM) prevalence increased, with AFLA reaching 59%, while T-2 dropped sharply. Aside from slight decreases in DON and OTA, North America also saw increases across most mycotoxins.

Central and South America experienced an increase in all major mycotoxins except AFLA, which remained steady. ZEN showed the most notable rise (from 55% to 74%), and FUM recorded extreme average levels of ~3100 ppb. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only DON and FUM saw increases.

Advanced screening

Mueller explains that globally, the highest mycotoxin risk continues to impact poultry, swine, and shrimp, particularly from ZEN, DON, and FUM. In fish, ZEN and DON are the main concerns, while ruminants are most affected by DON.

“Advanced multi-mycotoxin detection methods such as Spectrum 380, which screens for over 800 different mycotoxins, fungal metabolites, and plant and bacterial toxins, reveal that all tested samples were contaminated with ten or more mycotoxins and metabolites,  averaging around 40 per sample.” 

Similarly, Spectrum Top50, another advanced LC-MS/MS-based multi-mycotoxin method measuring more than 50 mycotoxins, including masked and emerging ones, confirms the widespread presence of beauvericin, enniatins, moniliformin, alternariol, and masked DON (DON-3-glucoside), which collectively increase the overall DON-related risk in feed.”

These emerging and less-regulated mycotoxins are increasingly recognized for their potential health effects. For example, Moniliformin is particularly harmful to broilers, causing heart damage and respiratory distress, while Alternariol has shown cytotoxic and mutagenic properties in vitro. Beauvericin and Enniatins are known to affect the immune system and may accumulate in fat-rich tissues.

“These findings underscore the value of comprehensive, multi-mycotoxin analysis for understanding the full spectrum of exposure risks. Incorporating such tools into regular monitoring is vital for protecting animal health and guiding future research on emerging threats,” Mueller concludes.