Zearalenone: origin and effects on farm animals

Zearalenone is the main mycotoxin known to cause estrogenic syndrome in ani mals. This compound contaminates corn and sometimes cereals. It is synthesi zed by Fusarium species, mainly F: graminearum. Toxinogenesis can occur in the field and come along with an infringement of the plant, or take place d uring storage. The ingestion of contaminated feed leads to reproductive dis orders in a great number of species. Pigs an however the most sensitive, sp ecialy the young females. Food containing more than 200ppb should not be di stributed to this species. The poultry are considered as resistant. The rum inants are only very rarely affected, bur excrete the mycotoxin and its met abolites in mill;. Due to lack of standard fixing maximal contents in resid ues in the animal foodstuffs, it is advisable not to commercialize the prod ucts of animals having consumed food known to be contaminated before a peri od of several weeks.