Level of aflatoxins in dairy feeds, poultry feeds, and feed ingredients produced by feed factories in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Aflatoxins are one of the major factors that affect the quality and safety of feeds. They can be transferred into livestock through contaminated feed and then onto humans via animal sources of food such as milk, meat, and eggs. The objective of this study was to detect and quantify the level of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2, and total aflatoxin) in dairy feeds, poultry (layer and broiler) feeds, and feed ingredients produced in Addis Ababa. A total of 42 feeds and feed ingredients consisting of dairy feeds (n = 5), poultry broiler feeds (n = 6), layer feeds (n = 6), and feed ingredients (n = 25) were collected from feed factories in the city and analyzed in fresh weigh basis. The aflatoxins were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography after clean-up with immunoaffinity columns. Aflatoxin B1 levels in feeds ranged from 51.66 to 370.51 µg/kg in dairy cattle feed, from 1.45 to 139.51 µg/kg in poultry layer feed, and from 16.49 to 148.86 µg/kg in broiler feed. Aflatoxin B1 levels in maize ranged from 2.64 to 46.74 µg/kg and in Niger seed cake from 110.93 to 438.86 µg/kg. Aflatoxin B1 levels in wheat bran, wheat middling, and soybean were below 5 µg/kg. 100% of dairy feeds, 67% of poultry layer, 67% of broiler feeds, and 24% of ingredients contained aflatoxin in levels higher than the maximum tolerable limit set by the US Food and Drug Administration and Ethiopian Standard Agency. This shows the need for strong regulatory monitoring and better feed management practices to prevent consumers of animal-source foods from significant health impacts associated with aflatoxins.