THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AFLATOXIN B1 LEVELS IN BROILER FEED STORED IN FEED MILLS AND REARING HOUSES

This study aimed to determine the relationship between contaminated diets in feed mill stores and broiler houses stores, by measuring Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) levels in feed stored in four feed mills belonging to three different local feed mills (M1, M2, M3), one imported feed (I4), and also in the stores of four broiler houses that source feed from the same feed sources (H1, H2, H3, and H4). Sixteen feed samples were taken from two locations: feed mill stores and broiler houses stores, four for each, and were collected from the grower and finisher stages, four for each. Storage conditions such as temperature, humidity, floor type, and number of ventilation outlets were recorded for each store, and a competitive ELISA test was used to quantitatively detect AFB1 levels in all samples. The results showed that all feed samples contaminated with AFB1 were below the internationally permissible limit (20 µg/kg), with the exception of the M3 laboratory feed samples during the grower-stage 24.52 µg/kg, and the H3 broiler feed sample during the grower-stage (20.23 µg/kg). The results indicate a positive relationship between storage conditions, such as temperature and humidity and the level of AFB1 contamination in feeds. In conclusion, AFB1 levels in local and imported broiler feeds showed generally low values, which are lower than the internationally recommended limits. It appears that the feed storage process in feed mill stores or broiler houses did not significantly affect AFB1 levels in the feed.