Zearalenone: origin and effects on farm animals

Zearalenone is the main mycotoxin known to cause estrogenic syndrome in animals. This compound contaminates corn and sometimes cereals. It is synthesized by Fusarium species, mainly F: graminearum. Toxinogenesis can occur in the field and come along with an infringement of the plant, or take place during storage. The ingestion of contaminated feed leads to reproductive disorders in a great number of species. Pigs an however the most sensitive, specialy the young females. Food containing more than 200ppb should not be distributed to this species. The poultry are considered as resistant. The ruminants are only very rarely affected, bur excrete the mycotoxin and its metabolites in mill;. Due to lack of standard fixing maximal contents in residues in the animal foodstuffs, it is advisable not to commercialize the products of animals having consumed food known to be contaminated before a period of several weeks.