KnowMycotoxins.com makes mycotoxins a hot topic in 2010

In the past two and a half years, the first mycotoxin information website, www.KnowMycotoxins.com, has gone online in six languages (English, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, Russian and Hungarian) and established itself as a reliable educational source of information about mycotoxins.

Last week, KnowMycotoxins.com has also launched a new page featuring a Mycotoxin Short Course with video lectures addressing key challenges related to identifying and dealing with mycotoxins: regulations, sampling, the most simple and sophisticated ways of testing, and the difficulties that come with them.

A major focus on mycotoxins has taken place in 2010 in the face of the poor quality of the 2009 corn crop, which impacted not only the domestic markets, but also countries that import grain in Latin America.

Last December, Dr. Trevor Smith, University of Guelph, emphasized “This fall has all the ingredients for a mess of molds and mycotoxins. A late harvest, wet weather and high moisture corn have all contributed to the recent reports of moldy corn across the Midwest”. There are currently indications that the 2010 wheat crop will be affected with fusarium mycotoxins due to the weather patterns.

In addition to its educational content that includes the impact of mycotoxins on different animal species, mycotoxin regulations and mycotoxin levels around the world, KnowMycotoxins.com also features an interactive series of videos where specialists from around the world show the different mycotoxins hotspots at the farm level. These videos are also available on the “KnowMycotoxins Videos” channel on YouTube.com.

“Mycotoxins are now recognized as a genuine global threat to the feed industry. In the past two years, mycotoxin issues in the equine and pet industries have also been highlighted by the media. The decision to expand the features of www.KnowMycotoxins.com reflects this reality,” said Alltech’s Global Mycosorb Manager, Dr. Jules Taylor-Pickard.

www.KnowMycotoxins.com was first launched in English in July 2007. The website, which was developed in conjunction with global animal health and nutrition company, Alltech, aims to educate the various market segments in the animal feed industry which are continuously challenged on how to overcome the repercussions of mycotoxins in animal feed.

The website targets all levels in the industry to ensure that they are adequately equipped to identify and deal with the growing mycotoxin issue.

For further information please log on to www.KnowMycotoxins.com or contact your local Alltech representative.