83% OF FEED SAMPLES SHOW MULTI-MYCOTOXIN CONTAMINATION

83% of feed samples show multi-mycotoxin contamination. New dsm-firmenich data reveals rising co-contamination risks across global feed supply and escalating threat to food security.

dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health  has released the results of the World Mycotoxin Survey from January to March 2026, highlighting a sharp rise in multi-mycotoxin contamination across feed ingredients worldwide.

Analysis of 4,465 samples from 66 countries shows that 83% of samples contain 10 or more mycotoxins, with an average of 21 mycotoxins and metabolites per sample. The findings underline a shift from single-toxin to complex co-contamination risks, increasing pressure on feed safety, animal performance, and food production systems.

4,465 samples were collected and analysed from 66 countries around the world, resulting in 26,751 analyses.

Mycotoxins are naturally produced by the fungi that can contaminate feed raw materials in the field and during storage. When ingested by animals, mycotoxins have a wide range of negative effects such as impaired reproduction, digestive disorders, carcinogenicity, and reduced performance.

Key findings

·       Co-contamination is widespread: 83% of samples contained 10 or more mycotoxins

• Fusarium toxins dominate globally: 9 out of 10 samples were contaminated
• In North America, livestock and aquaculture face extreme to high risk of exposure to B-Trichos, FUM, and ZEN, with occurrence rates of 83%, 57%, and 79%, respectively.
• In Central and South America, high risk is associated with FUM and ZEN, with average contamination levels of approximately 2,411 ppb and 81 ppb, respectively.
• South Asia continues to face high to extreme risk of exposure to aflatoxins, B-Trichos, FUM, OTA, and ZEN, with 51–75% classified as high risk and 76–100% as extreme risk.
• In the China/Taiwan region, FUM was detected in 93% of samples, while East Asia recorded a 91% occurrence rate and extreme prevalence of B-Trichos at 96%.
• In Central and Southern Europe, B-Trichos shows high occurrence rates of 91% and 94%, respectively. Southern Europe is also experiencing challenges with high levels of FUM, detected in 97% of samples.

These results highlight the need for comprehensive multi-analyte testing and targeted mitigation strategies to address the growing complexity of contamination patterns.

Ursula Hofstetter, Head of Mycotoxin Risk Management at dsm-firmenich stated:

“These latest findings once again highlight the widespread and persistent nature of mycotoxin contamination in feed ingredients across the globe. With risks continuing to pose a threat to animal welfare, productivity, and sustainability. Therefore, proactive risk management and regular monitoring are more important than ever to maintain the profitability of both the feed industry and animal protein production sectors.”

The survey also includes further details on:

• Trends in mycotoxin occurrence over the years
• Prevalence levels for each mycotoxin in each region
• Global and local risk levels for each mycotoxin
• Risk levels posed to each species
• Comparison of prevalence levels from January-December 2024
• Insights on mycotoxin levels in grains and soy from major producing countries
• More information about Spectrum 380®, the most advanced mycotoxin analysis method used as a research tool and performed at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU)
• Overview on the occurrence of the most frequent mycotoxins, their masked and modified forms as well as emerging mycotoxins; based on results delivered by the most comprehensive commercially available multi-mycotoxin method, Spectrum Top®50

About the Survey 

Since 2004, dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health has analysed thousands of global feed samples annually to understand and monitor contamination levels of the different mycotoxins in a variety of feed ingredients. This information is shared in the quarterly dsm-firmenich World Mycotoxin Survey, which accurately identifies mycotoxin risks based on animal species and location.

Effective mycotoxin risk management should include frequent testing along with a multi-strategy mitigation approach.

To download to the dsm-firmenich World Mycotoxin Survey from January to March 2026, follow the link here.

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