ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of aflatoxins in some common animal feed. A total of 1035 samples of animal feed were analyzed over three years (2020, 2021, and 2022). Comparison of the results showed that the possibility of aflatoxin contamination in cottonseed meal and corn is higher than in other types of animal feed. The mean of aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin among 112 Cottonseed meals was 24.3 µg/kg and 28.47 µg/kg respectively. These amounts were lower than 5 µg/kg for other animal feeds. The highest value detected in cottonseed meal samples for aflatoxin B1 was 273.5 µg/kg and that for total aflatoxin was 332.7 µg/kg. In corn samples, these amounts were 59 µg/kg for aflatoxin B1 and 102.5 µg/kg for total aflatoxin. The amount of aflatoxins in other animal feed was not considerable. Cottonseed meal and corn are popular food items used in raising livestock and there could be a large amount of aflatoxins in this product. So, in addition to using good agriculture practices, good manufacturing practices, good storage practices, and good transportation practices, when buying and consuming animal feed, attention should be paid to ensure that the animal feed complies with the maximum recommended limits in terms of aflatoxin.
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