Effects of Ochratoxin A on heavy pig production

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widespread mycotoxin mainly produced by Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium verrucosum which can affect cereals and which occurs in meat and meat products. It has been demonstrated that OTA is nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic and carcinogenic in all mammalian species; pigs and poultry are the species most exposed to OTA toxicity. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of OTA added to the growing pigs' diet, with regards to growing parameters and the amount of OTA present in animal meat. Sixty-four pigs, divided into 2 homogenous groups, were reared for 119 days, from live weight of 41 kg to slaughtering. The control group was fed a commercial pig feed and the treated group was given the same feed with the addition of 25 mu g center dot kg(-1) of OTA. No significant differences were observed regarding growing parameters after 62 days but at the end of the trial, OTA supplementation decreased final live body weight ( 163.4 kg vs. 170.9 kg, P< 0.05), average daily gain ( 1030 g vs. 1094 g, P< 0.01) and feed efficiency ( about - 7%, P< 0.05) whilst feed intake did not differ. A higher amount of OTA was observed in the kidneys. There was also a much higher amount of OTA in the liver and semimembranosus muscle than the maximum limit of 1 mu g center dot kg(-1) established by the European Union for human consumption food.