The corn is one of the most important inputs in animal nutrition due to its nutritional qualities that make it an excellent raw material. One of the sectors with the highest demand for corn worldwide is the poultry industry, as well as livestock farming in countries with intensive production.

Corn is the most widely produced cereal in the world, with around 850 million tons of grain produced annually. This amount was cultivated on a global area of 162 million hectares.

Currently, Ukraine is one of the most important corn-producing and exporting countries in the world. During February and March, transportation of this raw material has been compromised and prices have increased.

The European Union is one of the regions with the highest demand for corn worldwide, which is destined for animal feed. Other countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and France produce significant quantities of corn and are seeking to supply this demand for raw materials. The United States and China also have corn reserves to supply the European Union’s demand. Meanwhile, Brazil and Argentina have seen a decrease in their production capacity due to unfavorable weather conditions that have affected multiple regions that grow this raw material.

The European Union is currently seeking to increase its cultivable land for raw materials such as corn and wheat by 10 to 15%. In this way, it seeks to counteract the deficit in its imports and obtain a significant quantity to supply its needs.

The European corn contract for March 8 was quoted at USD 371.55 per ton, which represented a significant maximum increase. On the Chicago exchange, corn futures increased by close to USD 1 per bushel, reaching USD 7.55. The price of other commodities such as wheat and soybeans also increased, reaching USD 12.87 and USD 16.90 per bushel, respectively.

Corn production in other regions of the world

By 2022, countries such as Brazil and Argentina are expected to recover their production capacity to meet market demands. In addition, the European Union expects more than 20 countries to change their soil use to grow these raw materials soon. With this, the global raw materials market expects to reduce current costs and increase the supply of these products commonly used in animal feed.

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Importance of the control of mycotoxins in corn

Meanwhile, animal production is using raw materials from various regions of the world that were not previously in the limelight. In addition, each country has begun to consume domestically produced corn to meet demand. However, some of these regions have high ambient temperatures that favor the growth of mycotoxins in corn crops or during storage. Therefore, corn feed from these areas is highly contaminated with mycotoxins, one of the most reported, Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1).

This mycotoxin is especially important in ruminants. Dairy cows consuming this contaminated feed metabolize AFB1 in the liver to Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk. This means a new challenge for livestock farming in the world because AFM1 has strict norms in many countries that regulate the presence of AFM1 in milk for human consumption.

Biovet S.A. has developed the patented Silicoglycidol molecule that composes the product Alquerfeed Antitox. It is a mycotoxin binder with a broad spectrum of action that prevents the absorption of mycotoxins in the digestive tract of animals consuming feed contaminated with mycotoxins. Table 1 indicates the minimum percentage adsorption guaranteed with the use of Silicoglycidol on a wide range of mycotoxins important in animal health when used at a dose of 0.5 kg/ton.

In addition, in vivo, and in vitro tests have shown that Alquerfeed Antitox reduces the excretion of AFM1 in milk in cows and goats and prevents economic losses associated with contaminant sanctions in milk and reduced productivity due to mycotoxicosis.