Dr. Goran Grubješić
Advancing mycotoxin management and animal nutrition
Dr.GoranGrubješić
GlobalProductManagerformycotoxins at PATENT CO.
GoranGrubješićisadistinguished researcher in the field of animal nutrition andmycotoxinmanagement.
HeiscurrentlyaGlobalProduct ManagerformycotoxinsatPATENTCO., whereheapplieshisextensiveexpertise inanimalnutritionandphysiology, particularlyinruminants.
Duringhisacademicjourneyhehas madesignificantcontributionstothe studyofruminalfermentationand nutrientdegradationindairycows,as well as in transfer of aflatoxins from milk todairyproducts.
What motivated you to specialize in animal nutrition and, specifically, in mycotoxin research?
Since childhood, I have been fascinated with organic life in all its forms, an interest propelled by an amazingly enthusiastic biology teacher in primary school.
This is probably due to growing up in one of the most fertile parts of the Balkan peninsula - the northern Serbian province called Vojvodina.
The highest quality of soil, vast flatland, and mild climate can be found there.
They are conductive to intensive agriculture and corn is one of the main exports of this region.
After finishing veterinary school and bachelor studies in animal science, my first work experience was at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, where I was a research associate working on milk quality and technology.
Incidentally, at that time, around 2011–2012 the Balkan aflatoxin crisis occurred, where corn was highly contaminated with aflatoxin B1 due to dry and warm weather conditions.
I quickly understood that mycotoxin prevalence was a constantly increasing threat. This realization, together with my interest in ruminants, shaped my future professional development.
Later on, I did my doctoral thesis at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, where I delved deeper into the secrets of the rumen, trying to understand many interactions between protein and energy values of different compound feeds and feed mixtures. This fascination continued beyond my academic career.
You have had years of practical experience in ruminant nutrition and mycotoxin risk management. Can you elaborate on the relevance of mycotoxins in ruminants?
For a long time, our industry has failed to understand the extent of the negative effects of mycotoxins on ruminants.
It was believed that rumen microbes can completely detoxify all mycotoxins. However, while there is some truth in that, the specificity and variable extent of detoxification were not completely understood.
This led to fatal underestimation of the risk of mycotoxins, particularly in dairy cows.
It should not be forgotten that, with advances in cow genetic and performance, passage rate of feed through rumen is also increased.
Thus, ruminal microbes have less time for mycotoxin deactivation, exposing dairy cows to increased risk.
Moreover, mycotoxin concentrations in feed, especially in corn for silage, is higher every year.
Mycotoxins in feed may result in a variety of responses, such as impaired milk production, increased somatic cell content, various metabolic diseases, etc.
The liver is often the most affected organ by mycotoxins and should otherwise be kept in highest function in animals with long production cycle, such as dairy cows.
Deoxynivalenol can significantly affect the balance of microorganisms in the rumen and conversion of feed to milk.
Zearalenone, similarly to its effect in monogastric animals, has an estrogen mimicking function, resulting in lower fertility.
Aflatoxins can affect the immune response of ruminants and be transferred from animal feed to milk (and all dairy products made thereof).
Aflatoxins are carcinogen to humans, representing a higher risk for infants and people with impaired immunity. For this reason, both aflatoxin B1 in feed and aflatoxin M1 (metabolite found in milk) are strictly regulated all around the world.
As we only have a limited possibility to control the development of molds in crops and production of mycotoxins, we must utilize anti-mycotoxin feed additives that work within the animal organism to detoxify these dangerous molecules.
What methods have you identified as the most effective in counteracting the negative effects of mycotoxins in animal feed?
MYCOTOXIN ADSORBENTS
Mineral components (aluminosilicates such as clinoptilolite and bentonite) are typically the main and most important components of any anti-mycotoxin product.
However, not all aluminosilicates have the same efficacy and selectivity, and their efficacy against mycotoxins can vary significantly.
The most commonly used aluminosilicates in their natural form only have efficacy against polar mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ergot alkaloids, and partially fumonisins), leaving out many dangerous mycotoxins like ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and zearalenone.
We know from our own research that the modification of clinoptilolite mineral surface using a proprietary technological process drastically increases the efficacy against less polar mycotoxins.
Selectivity also varies between bentonites and clinoptilolites, with clinoptilolite adsorbing only a negligible amount of amino acids and water-soluble vitamins.
MYCOTOXIN DETOXIFICATION
Biotransformation of mycotoxins is comparatively a much newer detoxification strategy.
Many microorganisms are known to change the molecular structure of mycotoxins, sometimes into less toxic or non-toxic metabolites.
Today, most innovation regarding mycotoxin detoxification is happening in the biotransformation arena, with researchers increasingly hunting for microorganisms with such beneficial properties.
Sometimes, scientists are very successful in this and the technology ends up in innovative commercial products, such as in our newest product: MYCORAID.
With climate change and globalization, how do you anticipate the mycotoxin issue evolving in the coming years?
The effect of climate change on the mold growth on crops and subsequent mycotoxin production are already evident.
Even countries with mild climates suffer the effects of aflatoxins, something that was considered unlikely only decades ago.
This will continue over time and the concentrations of various mycotoxins in all feed components will skyrocket in the following decades.
Many regions of the world are already reliant on crop imports, often from warm climates, which guarantees that the mycotoxin problem will stay a global issue in years to come, and —in fact— become more serious.
How significant is the threat posed by emerging mycotoxins, and what do we currently know about their impact on animal health?
Among the hundreds of known mycotoxins, only a handful are regulated by authorities (such as EFSA in the European Union or FDA in the USA).
However, most of them are emerging mycotoxins, a vast group of non-regulated and not often analyzed mycotoxins.
Their relevance in our industry is growing, as their prevalence and concentration increases.
Some of the most well researched emerging mycotoxins are:
Beauvericin.
Enniatins.
Fusaric acid.
Moniliformin.
While we understand their molecular structures, we lack the data to ascertain the risk levels posed to animals.
In some studies, however, it has become clear that the danger from emerging mycotoxins exists and can in fact be critical, and that we must invest more time to research this topic.
How do you think collaboration between different scientific disciplines can help address the challenges posed by mycotoxins more effectively?
Sometimes I feel that there is a disconnect in understanding of mycotoxin risk between stakeholders:
Research institutes, universities, and feed additive companies on the one side.
Feed mills, integrators, and farms, on the other.
Mycotoxins are a silent performance killer and acute mycotoxicosis does not need to occur for the farmer to see the negative impact.
However, I see that in the past years much work has been done to quantify the risks from mycotoxins and I believe that in the future this understanding will be even stronger, bringing different stakeholders on the same page.
There is still potential for more cooperation, especially in quantifying the mycotoxin prevalence in crops and development of novel detoxification strategies.
What role will PATENT CO. play in the future of mycotoxin management?
I was actually attracted to PATENT CO. because of the company’s out-of-the-box thinking, resulting in groundbreaking innovations such as surface modification of clinoptilolite and various biotransformation technologies.
I believe that the significant resources invested in R&D along with the incredibly talented people that we have will lead us to many advancements in anti-mycotoxin solutions.
We possess advanced laboratory facilities, microbiological labs, and strong focus and vision for the future, combined with some of the best people in the industry.
This makes me feel very optimistic about our future!