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 wreaking 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 are suspected anti-nutritional factors at play. 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 Decisions

Without any notice, you could be dealing with mycotoxins infiltrating the available ration components. If you suspect mycotoxins contamination of feed resources, what steps should you take to confirm? The expert team at Rock River Laboratory recommends:

1) Following a simple decision tree to make an assessment of the mycotoxin load

2) Ascertain the root of the challenges

3) Put mitigation steps in place

Download the mycotoxin decision tree here to see the steps based on what you're suspecting.

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.

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

Comprehensive Mycotoxin Screen

19 mycotoxins included

Basic Mycotoxin Screen

11 mycotoxins included

Fusarium Mycotoxin Screen

13 mycotoxins produced by Fusarium

Aflatoxin Mycotoxin Screen

4 Aflatoxins identified