LC-MS/MS based appraisal of multi-mycotoxin co-occurrence in poultry feeds from different regions of Punjab, Pakistan

Mycotoxins, being a threat to animal and human health, contribute significantly towards economic losses in the poultry sector. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based study was conducted on poultry feed samples collected from Punjab, Pakistan to evaluate the prevalence, contamination levels, and co-occurrence of multi-mycotoxins across different processed forms of the feed, types of utilities and sampling regions. All samples were found to be contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1 (FB1). The European Commission (EC) maximum level for AFB1 in complete feedingstuffs in poultry and guidance values for FB1 and zearalenone (ZEN) were exceeded in 73%, 2%, and 14% of the contaminated samples, respectively. The corresponding median values were 39.9 µg/kg, 205 µg/kg, and 34.5 µg/kg. In addition to exceeding contamination levels, a varying co-occurrence of three to fourteen mycotoxins was observed in each of the feed samples that calls for mitigation measures to safeguard the feed and its ingredients.