Mycotoxins present a significant health concern within the animal-feed industry, with profound implications for the pig-farming sector. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two commercial adsorbents, an organically modified clinoptilolite (OMC) and a multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA), to ameliorate the combined adverse effects of dietary aflatoxins (AFs: sum of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2), fumonisins (FBs), and zearalenone (ZEN) at levels of nearly 0.5, 1.0, and 1.0 mg/kg, on a cohort of cross-bred female pigs (N = 24). Pigs were randomly allocated into six experimental groups (control, mycotoxins (MTX) alone, MTX + OMC 1.5 kg/ton, MTX + OMC 3.0 kg/ton, MTX + MMDA 1.5 kg/ton, and MTX + MMDA 3.0 kg/ton), each consisting of four individuals, and subjected to a dietary regimen spanning 42 days. The administration of combined AFs, FBs, and ZEN reduced the body-weight gain and increased the relative weight of the liver, while there was no negative influence observed on the serum biochemistry of animals. The supplementation of OMC and MMDA ameliorated the toxic effects, as observed in organ histology, and provided a notable reduction in residual AFs, FBs, and ZEN levels in the liver and kidneys. Moreover, the OMC supplementation was able to reduce the initiation of liver carcinogenesis without any hepatotoxic side effects. These findings demonstrate that the use of OMC and MMDA effectively mitigated the adverse effects of dietary AFs, FBs, and ZEN in piglets. Further studies should explore the long-term protective effects of the studied adsorbent supplementation to optimize mycotoxin management strategies in pig-farming operations.

Mycotoxins have become a serious issue in the animal feed industry and have also affected the aquaculture industry. Mycotoxins can create serious health problems in aquatic and terrestrial animals, and their presence in agricultural products may result in significant economic losses. To reduce the impact of mycotoxins on Nile tilapia fry, two commercially available products—Organically Modified Clinoptilolite (OMC) and multi-component mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA)—were used in this study. Six diets as treatments (T1 = Control (C); T2 = Control + OMC 2 g/kg (OMC); T3 = Control + MMDA 2 g/kg (MMDA); T4 = AFB1 0.5 mg/kg (AF); T5 = AFB1 0.5 mg/kg + 2 g/kg OMC (AFOMC); T6 = AFB1 0.5 mg/kg + MMDA 2 g/kg (AFMMDA)) with similar crude protein levels (35.75 ± 0.35%) were formulated and fed to Nile tilapia fry (1.97 ± 0.1 g) for a period of 84 days. These fish were housed in 18 aquaria (100 L) at a density of 50 fish/aquarium. The results from this study showed that MMDA significantly (p < 0.05) improved the survival of fish by 16% as compared to the control group. Nevertheless, growth parameters were not affected among the treatments. These results also indicated that protein intake was significantly higher in the control and OMC diet (T2) compared to aflatoxin B1-fed tilapia. The protein efficiency ratio (PER) was significantly higher in the AFMMDA as compared to the control and MMDA. A 14-day bacterial challenge test with Aeromonas hydrophila demonstrated that diets containing MMDA or OMC improved survival when AFB1 was present in the diet. Therefore, the supplementation of feed with MMDA or OMC is recommended to ameliorate the negative effects of AFB1 in Nile Tilapia feeds.

This experimental study was conducted to determine the ability of a novel mycotoxins detoxification agent (MR) at a concentration of 0.2% to reduce the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) or T-2 toxin, alone or in combination, and to examine its effect on performance, pathohistological changes (PH) and the residue of these toxins in the tissues of broiler chicks. A total of 96 broiler chicks were divided into eight equal groups: group C, which served as control (without any additives); group MR, which received the novel detoxification agent (supplemented with 0.2%); group E-I (0.1 mg AFB1/kg of diet); group E-II (0.1 mg AFB1/kg of diet + MR 0.2%); group E-III (0.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg of diet); group E-IV (0.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg of diet + 0.2% MR); group E-V (combination of 0.1 mg AFB1/kg, 0.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg of diet); and group E-VI (combination of 0.1 mg AFB1/kg, 0.5 mg T-2 toxin + 0.2% MR). Results indicate that feeds containing AFB1 and T-2 toxin, alone or in combination, adversely affected the health and performance of poultry. However, the addition of MR to diets containing AFB1 and T-2 toxin singly and in combination exerted a positive effect on body weight, feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency and microscopic lesions in visceral organs. Residual concentration of AFB1 in liver samples was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased when chicks were fed diets supplemented with 0.2% of MR.

Family VIII esterases present similarities to class C β‐lactamases, which show nucleophilic serines located at the S‐X‐X‐K motif instead of the G‐X‐S‐X‐G or G‐D‐S‐(L) motif shown by other carboxylesterase families. Here, we report the crystal structure of a novel family VIII (subfamily VIII. I) esterase (EH7; denaturing temperature, 52.6 ± 0.3 °C; pH optimum 7.0–9.0) to deepen its broad substrate range. Indeed, the analysis of the substrate specificity revealed its capacity to hydrolyse nitrocefin as a model chromogenic cephalosporin substrate (40.4 ± 11.4 units·g−1), and a large battery of 66 structurally different esters (up to 1730 min−1), including bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐terephthalate (241.7 ± 8.5 units·g−1) and the mycotoxin T‐2 (1220 ± 52 units·g−1). It also showed acyltransferase activity through the synthesis of benzyl 3‐oxobutanoate (40.4 ± 11.4 units·g−1) from benzyl alcohol and vinyl acetoacetate. Such a broad substrate scope is rare among family VIII esterases and lipolytic enzymes. Structural analyses of free and substrate‐bound forms of this homooctamer esterase suggest that EH7 presents a more opened and exposed S1 site having no steric hindrance for the entrance of substrates to the active site, more flexible R1, R2 and R3 regions allowing for the binding of a wide spectrum of substrates into the active site, and small residues in the conserved motif Y‐X‐X containing the catalytic Tyr enabling the entrance of large substrates. These unique structural elements in combination with docking experiments allowed us to gain valuable insights into the substrate specificity of this esterase and possible others belonging to family VIII.

ABSTRACT This study has examined the pattern of mycotoxin contamination of maize destined for animal feed in different global regions over a period of 3 years (2018–2020) with up to 1000+ samples analysed in each year. Overall, >75% of samples in each of the survey years were contaminated with multiple mycotoxins regardless of the global region (Europe, Africa, Asia, South Americas countries). Using LC-MS/MS, it was possible to quantify the relative contamination present in the samples in each year from the different regions of eight different mycotoxins including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA) deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1) and B2, zearalenone (ZEA), T-2 and HT-2 toxins. The trends in mycotoxin contamination showed that there was a consistent contamination with DON in the 3 sampling years in all four regions. Interestingly, AFB1 contamination was prevalent in all regions in 2018, but more predominant in Europe and in 2019. In contrast, in 2020 it was found to be the major contaminant in Africa only. However, FB1 contamination of maize which was prevalent in Europe in 2018, became more prevalent in Asia and LATAM countries in 2019 and even in African maize in 2020. Comparisons of contamination with different mycotoxins in each of the years globally showed significant differences for AFB1, FB1, DON and ZEA between the different years. These results are discussed in relation to the trends of contamination of maize with mixtures of mycotoxins and the implication for their control in this key commodity used as an important ingredient in animal feed.

Abstract – Oversized transport is an organizationally and infrastructurally demanding way of performing transport activities. It is a very important factor in an overall economic system. Since it is a mode of transport that has specific requirements in terms of organization and infrastructure, this paper evaluates the factors for its execution. The Fuzzy PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria (Fuzzy PIPRECIA) method was used to determine the significance of ten criteria. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the necessary conditions for adequate and safe oversized transport. Keywords – oversized transport, Fuzzy PIPRECIA

Abstract – Traffic safety should always be prioritized in all traffic systems. As the railway is a high-level complex technical and technological system, many factors affect its safety. Two factors that are the subject of research in this paper are train stopping distance and overlap. Keywords – Railway Traffic Safety, Train Stopping Distance, Overlap.

Simple Summary The contamination of feed with mycotoxins is a global concern, resulting in adverse effects on productivity and animal health and, therefore, a great economic loss. Ochratoxin A and T-2 mycotoxins are among the mycotoxins that contaminate animal feed. These mycotoxins could adversely affect the health of broilers, and the most effective method to mitigate the toxic effects of mycotoxins is the use of detoxifying agents. In the present experiment, broiler chickens were allotted into five groups. Group 1 received a non-contaminated diet; group 2 received a non-contaminated diet + 3 g/kg of a mycotoxin binder (MMDA); group 3 received a non-contaminated diet + 0.5 mg/kg OTA + 1 mg/kg T-2 toxin; group 4 received a non-contaminated diet + 0.5 mg/kg OTA + 1 mg/kg T-2 toxin + 1 g/kg MMDA; and group 5 received a non-contaminated diet + 0.5 mg/kg OTA + 1 mg/kg T-2 toxin + 3 g/kg MMDA for 35 days. The results revealed that OTA and T-2 toxin negatively affected the productive parameters and some blood and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. The addition of the detoxifying agent (MMDA at 1 or 3 g/kg feed) to contaminated diets alleviated the adverse effects observed on productivity and the broilers heath related parameters. Abstract The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the feed additive, a novel multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA) containing modified zeolite (clinoptilolite), Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls, and silymarin, as detoxifiers of 0.5 mg/kg (0.5 ppm) ochratoxin A (OTA) and 1 mg/kg (1 ppm) T-2 toxin on broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-old broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly distributed into five different dietary treatments: (1) control (non-contaminated diet); (2) non contaminated diet + 3 g/kg of MMDA; (3) non-contaminated diet + 0.5 mg/kg OTA + 1 mg/kg T-2 toxin; (4) non-contaminated diet + 0.5 mg/kg OTA + 1 mg/kg T-2 toxin + 1 g/kg MMDA; and (5) non-contaminated diet + 0.5 mg/kg OTA + 1 g/kg T-2 toxin + 3 g/kg MMDA. The results showed that, in the starter period, from 1 to 10 days, the presence of OTA and T-2 mycotoxins reduced the consumption of feed and the growth of the broilers, and no effects of the detoxifying product were observed in the productivity of the chickens, at any of the doses tested, compared to the contaminated control (treatment 3). However, in the growing period, the same negative effect of mycotoxins was registered, but a recovery was observed in the consumption of feed and in the weight of the broilers that consumed 3 g/kg of the MMDA mycotoxin binder, reaching similar values to those of chickens fed uncontaminated control diets. The presence of mycotoxins in feed led to a reduction in the concentration of total proteins and albumin in blood compared to controls, and the presence of the detoxifying product partially reversed this effect. The breast yield of the chickens fed with mycotoxins was lower than that of the animals fed with the control feed and was not affected by the presence of the product tested, at 1 or 3 g/kg. The weight of the different organs (liver, gizzard, kidneys, or spleen), the intestinal pH, the histology of the small intestine, and oral lesions were not affected by the experimental treatments. In summary, the productive parameters and some blood and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens were impaired by the dietary presence of OTA and T-2 toxin. The tested product included at 1 or 3 g/kg feed in contaminated diets improved performance and seems to be effective in partly counteracting the deleterious effects of the tested mycotoxins.