USDA-GIPSA awards 5-year contract for aflatoxin tests

Charm Sciences, Inc., is pleased to announce that the USDA-Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has awarded a five-year contract to Charm Sciences to monitor aflatoxin in grains utilizing Charm’s ROSA WET-S5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Test (water-based) and ROSA FAST Aflatoxin Quantitative Test (solvent-based).
The Charm ROSA WET-S5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Test uses Water Extraction Technology to extract aflatoxin from the sample without organic solvents. This lateral flow test takes five minutes and is GIPSA approved for 14 commodities. The ROSA FAST Aflatoxin Quantitative Test detects an additional 12 commodities.
“We are excited to be awarded this contract to support GIPSA’s aflatoxin testing program,” said Mark Tess, PhD, Mycotoxin Product Manager at Charm Sciences. “The combination of these tests offers the ability to reduce solvent use as well as provide aflatoxin detection in 26 grain commodities.”

Mycotoxicology Society calls for World Mycotoxins Day

The president of the the Mycotoxicology Society of Nigeria, Dr. Olusegun Atanda, has called for the United Nations to declare a World Mycotoxins Day to spread awareness of the dangers posed by mycotoxins to food safety and public health.
In particular, he said, there is a need to create more awareness on aflatoxins. “There is the need for the UN to declare a world mycotoxins day," said Atanda. "If [the UN] can declare one for HIV/AIDS, if they can declare one for malaria, if they can have one for all sorts of things, there must be a world mycotoxins day where people can get to know the implications and learn new things about mycotoxins."
Atanda said he commends current efforts at creating awareness about the disease with the creation of Partnership for Aflatoxins Control in Africa, PACA, but there is a need to mobilize more resources at fighting the disease. He said there is also a need to build capacity among health practitioners, researchers and farmers, while laboratories for the testing of aflatoxins must also be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. Sub-Saharan Africa is at particular risk due to it climatic condition.

One-third of Serbian corn contaminated by aflatoxins

One-third of Serbian corn, 50,000 tons, held by the Commodity Reserves Agency has been contaminated by aflatoxins and temporarily sealed off until it can be treated, according to reports.
The government has set aside 20,000 tons of corn, or 300 kilograms per milking cow, to be distributed to small milk producers whose farms have been closed after the aflatoxins spread to milk.

Contaminated animal feed from Serbia found in the Netherlands

Contaminated animal feed from Serbia has been found on five pig farms in the Netherlands, according to food safety body NVWA, with three other farms affected from contaminated Romanian feed. The feed contains corn contaminated with aflatoxin and was first discovered in Germany on March 1, where 6,500 farms are thought to be involved.
Because some of the feed was transported via Rotterdam, Netherlands, port, the NVWA began an investigation into the spread of the feed in the Netherlands. There is no danger to public health, according to the organization. The corn is mixed with other grains so that the animals do not ingest more aflatoxin than is allowed. There is also no sign that contaminated feed has reached dairy farms.

Milk banned from cows fed aflatoxin-contaminated feed

Farms in Lower Saxony, Germany, have been banned from selling milk after it was discovered that their livestock were eating feed containing 30 times the acceptable limit of aflatoxin, according to reports.
The source of the contaminated feed was traced back to 10,000 metric tons of corn imported from Serbia, which was mixed into animal feed and delivered to 3,560 farms in Lower Saxony, including 938 dairy farms, said the state's Agriculture Ministry. Milk from cows which have ingested aflatoxin is considered to be particularly dangerous, as opposed to meat and eggs from chickens, pigs and cows fed the contaminated feed, which pose little risk to human health.
Animal feed manufacturers have said that the contaminated milk was diluted with milk from other farms and so posed no danger to consumers, said Bernhard Krüsken, spokesman for the German association of animal feed manufacturers. But criticism grew as the scale of the contamination became known.

Serbia corn imports up on aflatoxin contamination

Serbia is anticipating an increase in corn imports due to food safety concerns after an aflatoxin contamination in the country's corn spread to its milk supply.
Serbia exported 2.3 million metric tons of the grain in 2011–2012, but the country's exports are seen falling 83 percent year-on-year to 400,000 metric tons in 2012–2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Imports are estimated to reach 50,000 metric tons in 2012–2013, up significantly from just 2,000 metric tons in 2011–2012. “The harvest left Serbia short of 250,000 metric tons of corn and it can either turn to imports or wait until wheat and barley harvest in June to mix that with corn for new fodder blends,” said Vukosav Sakovic, head of the corn producer association Zita Srbije. Corn production fell by 45 percent to 3.5 million metric tons due to drought and contamination by aflatoxins, said Sakovic.
A decision to start corn imports “sooner rather than later” will depend on global prices, according to Sakovic. Serbia needs around 330,000 tons of the grain each month, for human and animal consumption, or 3.96 million metric tons over a calendar year.
Spot corn traded at 22.20 dinars per kilogram, equivalent to US$260 per metric ton, on February 22, said Zarko Galetin, the head of the Serbian Commodity Exchange. It was 2.9 percent lower than the week of February 11's average of 22.87 dinars.

Serbia government increases aflatoxin inspections in corn crop

Serbia's Agriculture Ministry has increased its inspection of the country's corn crop on reports that up to two-thirds of the harvest may have been contaminated by aflatoxins, according to reports.
Severe weather conditions, including drought, may be to blame for the increased contamination, said the Ministry. So far, 10 percent of the crop has been tested by specialists from SGS SA, a Swiss industrial inspection and testing company, with one-third having been found safe for human consumption and half safe for animal feed. The ministry has said the report is "unchecked and factually ungrounded."
Serbia’s corn output shrank 45 percent in the 2012 crop year to 3.6 million metric tons, mainly due to poor weather conditions.

FDA approves request to mix aflatoxin-infected corn, animal feed

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a request from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to blend corn containing more than 20 parts per billion of aflatoxin with corn that has lower levels or no aflatoxin, according to reports.
While corn with more than 20 parts per billion of aflatoxin can't be used for human consumption or as feed for dairy animals, blended corn is safe, said the agriculture department. The FDA approved similar requests in 2003 and 2005.

Cyprus seizes contaminated animal feed

The Cyprus Agriculture Ministry has seized two shipments of animal feed from Argentina and Bulgaria after they were found to be contaminated with Salmonella and aflatoxins.
The Bulgaria shipment had around 1,700 metric tons of corn animal feed in which aflatoxins were detected, and the Argentina shipment had 7,536 metric tons of soybean animal feed from Argentina in which Salmonella was detected. "Under no circumstances have [the shipments] been used by our farmers and [they] have not entered the food chain,” said Androulla Georgiou, head of the Agriculture Department. “The small quantities, and I want to stress this, that went to the mills and farmers, have been seized and have gone back to the importers’ warehouses which have been sealed."

Corn hay may pose aflatoxin risk in animal feed

Corn produced and baled as hay to be sold for livestock consumption may pose a risk for aflatoxin, particularly the current year's crop, according to experts.
Corn produced in Oklahoma, Texas, western Arkansas and southwestern Missouri, were severely drought-stricken and may have had higher incidences of aflatoxins than other areas, according to Clay Wright, agricultural consultant for the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. "It got so bad around here that a lot of the corn wasn't harvested," said Wright. "It was just baled. It got so hot and dry, and stayed so hot and dry, the whole plant with the ear still on it and everything was just baled up."
While this baling kept potential aflatoxin out of the U.S. grain supply, said Wright, it could be transferred to animal feed instead. "There has been a whole lot of corn hay harvested and purchased that is currently being fed that was never tested," said Wright. "I wouldn't recommend it as a routine practice, but if you are concerned, grab some ears and have it sampled. There are other problems with baled corn, there are nitrate problems with it that can cause sickness and death, just like aflatoxins." Anyone wanting to find out where and how to go about testing for aflatoxins should contact their local Extension office.

North Carolina urging corn aflatoxin testing after hurricane

North Carolina corn growers are being encouraged to have their corn tested for aflatoxin to prevent contamination of feeds and food in the wake of Hurricane Irene coupled with a hot summer.
Aflatoxin is a byproduct of the mold Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to both humans and livestock. “The hot summer and the heavy rains from Hurricane Irene have increased the potential for aflatoxin in corn,” said North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It’s very important that farmers have their corn tested.”
Samples submitted for insurance purposes must go through a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified grain marketing location.