Wilson Charles Wilson*

Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), Uyole Centre, Mbeya, Tanzania

*Corresponding Author: Wilson Charles Wilson, Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), Uyole Centre, Mbeya, Tanzania.

Received: August 27, 2024; Published: September 27, 2024

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess the aflatoxin contaminations in the locally made feed fed to the Indigenous and improved dual-purpose chickens under semi-intensive and intensive systems in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. To further understand feed and feeding practices, 101 farming households were surveyed, and then feed samples were collected for laboratory analysis. A total of 32 compounded feed samples were collected and analysed for aflatoxins contamination using AccuScan Gold III reader, a single-step lateral flow immunochromatographic assay. The two feed ingredients that are most often used to create compounded feed are sunflower seedcake (93%) and maize bran (95%) both of which are very susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. Fish meal (68%), limestone (66%), bone meal (60%), di-calcium phosphate (54%), premixes (46%), and salt (42%) are additional feed ingredients reported by farmers. Only 1% of those surveyed knew what aflatoxin exposure was and how it affected both human and animal health. All feed samples that were evaluated had measurable levels of aflatoxins, and 16% of those samples were above the East Africa Community Standards (> 20 ppb). The highest concentration of aflatoxins was observed in the intensive system and the semi-intensive systems with 32.5ppb and 26.6ppb, respectively. Since all feed samples were contaminated, poor storage might increase the level of aflatoxins and threaten the health and production of chicken. The current study's findings on the contamination of chicken feed with aflatoxins point to significant dangers for human exposure from consuming tainted chicken products. Therefore, we recommend frequent monitoring for aflatoxin contamination along the supply chain as well as capacity building and knowledge dissemination on the proper handling of chicken feed and feed ingredients to reduce contamination.

 Keywords: Aflatoxins; Compound Feed; Feed Formulation; Accuscan; Tanzania

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Citation

Citation: Wilson Charles Wilson. “Evaluation of aflatoxin contamination in locally produced chicken feeds in Iringa Municipality, Southern Highlands of Tanzania". Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 6.10 (2024): 36-43.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Wilson Charles Wilson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.