Assessment of aflatoxin and toxic heavy metal contamination in poultry feed and feed ingredients from Van, Turkiye
Issue: 2/2026
Recevied: October 15, 2025
Accepted: April 8, 2026
Published: April 30, 2026
Authors:
U. Mercan Yücel, Y. Kocak
Categories: Pollution and environment, Medicine and veterinary
DOI: 10.5601/jelem.2025.30.4.3685
Abstract:
The health of livestock for human consumption is closely associated with animal feed. About 70%-80% of the product cost of poultry farming in Turkey is constituted by the cost of feed. For this reason, feed must not contain toxins, contaminants, heavy metals, and harmful microorganisms to raise animals with healthy feed and improve the management of poultry. The aim of this study was assessment of aflatoxin and toxic heavy metal contamination in poultry feeds and feed ingredients in Van province. A total of 30 samples comprising poultry feeds (n=15) and poultry feed ingredients (n=15) were analyzed for the detection of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 and toxic heavy metals (Al, Ni, As, Cd, Pb). The concentrations of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 in the samples were determined using HPLC and heavy metal analyses were determined using ICP-MS. Aflatoxin was detected in 9 of 30 samples, and the aflatoxin level detected in 4 samples were above the maximum permissible limit as recommended by Turkish food codex, EU and FAO/WHO. The results, also indicated that different levels of aluminium, nickel, arsenic, cadmium and lead were detected in all samples. They ranged from 1.454-19.046, 0.026-0.478, 0.0005-0.0127, 0.0001-0.0093, 0-0.0317 μg g-1 for aluminium, nickel, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, respectively. In this study, both aflatoxin and heavy metal levels of maize, barley and wheat samples examined as poultry feed ingredients were determined lower than poultry feeds. According to these results, aflatoxin contamination in feeds is caused by the storage of feed in unsuitable conditions, and heavy metal contamination is largely due to the substances added to the feed later.
Citation:
JELEM / HARVARD
MDPI
AMA
CHICAGO
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