Amarillo, Texas
January 23, 2007
The grain industry continues to
encounter mycotoxins in Texas feed-grade corn, making grain
elevators among the first line of defense, said Dr. Tim Herrman,
director of the Office of the State Chemist at
Texas A&M University.
Herrman, speaking at the Texas High Plains Grain Elevator
Workshop in Amarillo, said the Office of the Texas State Chemist
recently completed its census of the commercial grain handling
facilities. Of the 543 grain elevators in the state, 247 handle
corn.
Corn exceeding the 20 parts per billion aflatoxin and 5 parts
per million fumonisin action levels are legally categorized as a
livestock feed ingredient, which is regulated by the Texas
Commercial Feed Control Act, he said. As such, the corn must be
labeled and channeled to the appropriate market.
Aflatoxin and fumonisin are mycotoxins – toxins produced by
molds in grain during production – and they can negatively
impact animals if not managed properly, he said. The corn can be
blended with mycotoxin-free corn to bring the level to a
tolerable level.
The census found that 92 percent of the grain elevators holding
a commercial feed license were testing for aflatoxin or
fumonisin, Herrman said, showing good initial compliance with
the rules and regulations.
But the census found a need exists, even among those elevators
doing the testing, to improve labeling of grain containing
mycotoxins and to document that the grain is channeled to the
appropriate markets.
As long as the industry follows the laws, rules and policies
pertaining to these toxins, they will not pose a health hazard
to animals and animal protein products that enter the food
supply, Herrman said.
During his presentation, he outlined best management practices
for the grain industry. Among these practices are using good
sampling techniques, sample preparation and testing.
While these practices may require extra time and expense, they
were designed to balance the cost of managing the toxins and the
health hazards they pose, Herrman said.
He said the grain industry was a participant in the state-level
discussions surrounding the development of the management
practices by the State Chemist office to ensure the rules were
practical and could be adopted by the industry.
A complete list of best management practices recommended to
prevent or reduce mycotoxin contamination throughout the corn
growing and handling process have been posted on the State
Chemist Web site at
http://mycotoxinbmps.tamu.edu for use by producers, handlers
and shippers of feed corn.
Writer: Kay Ledbetter |