Aflatoxin Contamination Risk: Bioactive Natural Compounds for Animal Health and Healthy Food

Mycotoxin contamination is a worldwide problem and significant economic losses are associated with their impact on human health, animal productivity and both domestic and international trade. The FAO has estimated that up to 25% of the world’s food crops and a higher percentage of the world’s animal feedstuffs are significantly contaminated by mycotoxins and represent a human safety risk. Aflatoxin B

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(AFB

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), a potentially lethal metabolite, is a known human carcinogen. AFB

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is toxic to the liver, immunosuppressant, hepatocarcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic. Aflatoxin carryover to animal products poses a health and economic liability and drives the demand for a method to prevent aflatoxin contamination of feedstuffs and/or animal food products such as milk, eggs, and meat. One of the innovative methods to overcome the toxic and carcinogenic effects of AFB

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is to enhance its metabolism by natural substances reportedly possessing hepatoprotective effects. In this study we reported the effect of silymarin, a potent antihepatotoxic agent used as a hepatoprotector in man, on reducing aflatoxin M

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(AFM

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) excretion in cows’ milk and the effects of a silymarin in reducing the toxic effects of AFB

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in broiler chickens.