Reduction of Deoxynivalenol Contaminating Corn Silage by Short-Term Ultraviolet Irradiation: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Vol. 73; no. 8; pp. 1059 - 1060
• Main Authors: MURATA, Hideo, YAMAGUCHI, Daisuke, NAGAI, Akiko, SHIMADA, Nobuaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE 2011
• Subjects: alpha-Tocopherol - analysis; alpha-Tocopherol - radiation effects; beta Carotene - analysis; beta Carotene - radiation effects; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; deoxynivalenol; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Irradiation; Pilot Projects; reduction; Silage; Trichothecenes - analysis; Trichothecenes - radiation effects; ultraviolet irradiation; Ultraviolet Rays; Vitamins - analysis; Vitamins - radiation effects
• ISSN: 0916-7250; 1347-7439
• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.10-0409

We evaluated the effects of short-term (up to 60 min) irradiation of corn silage with ultraviolet (UV) light (intensity: 1.5 mW/cm2 at 254 nm UV-C wavelength), along with constant stirring of the silage, on the concentration of deoxynivalenol (DON), a major feed-contaminating mycotoxin, and those of α-tocopherol (vitamin E) and β-carotene (pro-vitamin A). The initial DON concentration in artificially contaminated silage was set at approximately 60 μg/g dry silage weight. After irradiation, the level of DON was decreased significantly (P<0.05) by approximately 13 μg/g (22%) on average at 30 min, and by 12 μg/g (21%) at 60 min. However, the concentrations of the vitamins remained relatively unaffected. Although further improvement is needed, short-term UV irradiation seems a promising on-farm method for reducing the level of DON in feedstuffs.