Anti-Nutritional Measures

Manage the risks posed by bacteria, mold, yeast, and mycotoxins through count, identification, and screening options

Bacteria, mold, yeast, and mycotoxins are in a class all of their own, and by wreacking havoc on animal feeds, they've earned the category name of "anti-nutritional factors". Managing the risks associated with these organisms is possible through counts, identification, and screening as soon as there is suspect. Rock River Laboratory offers basic and advanced analysis for bacteria, mold, yeast, and mycotoxins, while also partnering with other laboratories for more involved needs. Analyses offered, along with guidelines for resulting count levels can be reviewed below. Learn more about the beginnings and effects of these anti-nutritional factors in this article from Progressive Dairyman.

Bacteria, Mold, Yeast, and Mycotoxin Analyses

TMR Hygiene Diagnostic package
Yeast and mold count: Requires a 5-day incubation
Yeast and mold count and identification
Rapid mold and yeast count: For those needing counts quickly, this analysis provides mold and yeast levels after a 2-day incubation, but does not offer identification.
Clostridium perfringens count
Total enterobacteria count: Measures bacteria count of all species included in the Enterobacteriaceae family
Mycotoxin analysis: DON, Zearalenone, T-2, Fumonisin, or Aflatoxin,
Fusarium mycotoxin screen: Scans for 13 toxins from Fusarium
Basic mycotoxin screen: Scans for 12 toxins from Fusarium and Aflatoxin
Comprehensive mycotoxin screen: Scans for 19 toxins from Fusarium and Citrinin along with basic toxins

Guidelines for Resulting Levels of Mold, Yeast, and Toxins

Fungal and Bacterial Count Guidelines for Agricultural Feed and Total Mixed Rations

Mycotoxin Guidelines and Dietary Limits

Mycotoxin Analyses

Mycotoxins can lie unrecognized in feed and may prove detrimental to an animal’s performance. Analyzing feedstuffs is the first step to mitigating these animal health and production threats. Rock River Laboratory’s mycotoxin analysis takes testing to the next level to help shed light on the root of on-farm ration challenges by offering:

Timely results

Mycotoxin screens can be completed in as little as three to four days* – helping diagnose feedstuff challenges quickly. The faster the analysis results, the quicker a mitigation strategy can be put into action to stop production losses and improve animal health.

Accurate analysis

Rock River Laboratory employs a mass spectrometry technique, the gold standard in animal nutrition and biochemistry, to analyze samples for mycotoxin concentrations. Mass spectrometry offers unmatched accuracy and precision, with better detection limits than other techniques.

Visual reports

Deciphering mycotoxin level reports shouldn’t require a PhD degree. Rock River Laboratory has crafted a visual, interpretive report to easily showcase where mycotoxin levels lie on the spectrum of ‘below detection limit’, to ‘concern’ level, to ‘near-maximum concentrations ever recorded’ for a total diet - allowing for quick and sound decisions. Explore our example visual mycotoxin report here.

Rock River Laboratory’s team has the mycotoxin expertise and supporting resources available to assist when such challenges arise. Contact Rock River Laboratory to learn more, and download our information sheet here.

Mycotoxin Analysis Packages

When it comes to analyzing feed and feed products for anti-nutritional substances beyond yeast and mold, Rock River Laboratory offers a variety of mycotoxin analysis packages. There is a boundless amount of information regarding which toxins, at what levels, cause certain ailments. The focus here is to help you decide which package is right for you based on your identifying needs.

Common Mycotoxin Screen [Most Popular Mycotoxin Package]

7 mycotoxins included

Analyte	Limit of Detection	Method
Aflatoxin B1	<12 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin B2	<12 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin G1	<12 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin G2	<12 ppb	LCMSMS
Deoxynivalenol	<25 ppb	LCMSMS
T-2 Toxin	<50 ppb	LCMSMS
Zearalenone	<75 ppb	LCMSMS

Comprehensive Mycotoxin Screen

19 mycotoxins included

Analyte	Limit of Detection	Method
15-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
3-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin B1	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin B2	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin G1	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin G2	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Citrinin	50 ppb	LCMSMS
Diacetoxyscirpenol	20ppb	LCMSMS
Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppm	HPLC
Fumonisin B1	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Fumonisin B2	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Fumonisin B3	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Fusarenon X	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
HT-2 Toxin	5 ppb	LCMSMS
Neosolaniol	20 ppb	LCMSMS
Nivalenol	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Ochratoxin A	1 ppb	LCMSMS
T-2 Toxin	5 ppb	LCMSMS
Zearalenone	50 ppb	HPLC

Basic Mycotoxin Screen

11 mycotoxins included

Analyte	Limit of Detection	Method
Aflatoxin B1	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin B2	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin G1	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Aflatoxin G2	1 ppb	LCMSMS
Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Fumonisin B1	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Fumonisin B2	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Fumonisin B3	0.1 ppm	LCMSMS
Ochratoxin A	1 ppb	LCMSMS
T-2 Toxin	5 ppb	LCMSMS
Zearalenone	12.5 ppb	LCMSMS

Fusarium Mycotoxin Screen

13 mycotoxins produced by Fusarium

Analyte	Limit of Detection	Method
15-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppb	GC
3-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppb	GC
Deoxynivalenol	0.1 ppb	GC
Diacetoxyscirpenol	100 ppb	GC
Fumonisin B1	0.1 ppm	HPLC
Fumonisin B2	0.1 ppm	HPLC
Fumonisin B3	0.1 ppm	HPLC
Fusarenon X	0.1 ppm	GC
HT-2 Toxin	100 ppb	GC
Neosolaniol	100 ppb	GC
Nivalenol	0.1 ppm	GC
T-2 Toxin	100 ppb	GC
Zearalenone	50 ppb	HPLC

Aflatoxin Mycotoxin Screen

4 Aflatoxins identified

Analyte	Limit of Detection	Method
Aflatoxin B1	1 ppb	HPLC
Aflatoxin B2	1 ppb	HPLC
Aflatoxin G1	1 ppb	HPLC
Aflatoxin G2	1 ppb	HPLC