CYCLOPIAZONIC ACID RESIDUES IN MILK AND EGGS

The mycotoxin cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) was detected in the milk from e wes and the eggs from chickens that were given oral doses of the toxin . Three lactating ewes were given CPA for 2 days at a rate of 5 mg/kg of live weight. Thin-layer chromatographic analyses of dried, defatted milk samples showed that CPA was present in milk at an average concen tration of 236 ng/g within 24 h of the first dose. The concentration o f CPA reached a high of 568 ng/g, but none was detectable by the ninth day after the first dose. Laying hens were given oral doses of CPA in two separate studies: an acute study over 9 days with dose groups of 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/kg of live weight and a chronic study over 4 weeks with dose groups of 0.0, 1.25, and 2.5 mg/kg of live weight. E ggs from birds in ah dose groups throughout both studies contained CPA . The concentrations of CPA were much higher in egg whites than in egg yolks, averaging approximately 100 and 10 ng/g, respectively.