Improving the diagnosis of deoxynivalenol ingestion in rainbow trout

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by moulds and fungi, which can be produced on agricultural commodities before and/or after harvest, during transportation or storage. Mycotoxins are a significant problem worldwide, causing adverse health outcomes when consumed by humans and animals,and are responsible for significant global economic losses due to condemned agricultural products. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of more than 400 mycotoxins that have been identified so far. DON is produced by Fusarium fungi, which are generally produced in the field rather than under storage conditions. This means that DON is present on the plant-based raw materials used to produce aquafeeds, as mycotoxins commonly occur in plant materials and are not destroyed during most processing operations.