Keep Mycotoxins in Mind and Out of Your Grain

Safe grain storage practices to minimize mycotoxin contamination risk

Keep Mycotoxins in Mind and Out of Your Grain

Remember that mycotoxins are produced by molds like Aspergillus (Afla) or Fusarium (DON).  You can learn more about mycotoxins in general and find more detail on the most common individual toxins here. When we speak about controlling mycotoxin contamination, we are really discussing creating grain storage conditions that are not favorable for mold growth. Here are 4 conditions you can control to help maintain the quality of your grain and keep mycotoxins out:

Moisture

Mold needs moisture to grow so when you reduce your moisture content you improve your chances of winning the fight against mycotoxin producing molds. It is recommended to reduce the amount of moisture as early as possible and to keep the percent moisture at 14% or less.

Temperature

Keep cool and even temperatures by using proper aeration.  Why?  Keeping the temperature cool will make the environment less favorable for insects. Keeping the temperature even will reduce the chance of condensation that can occur from drastic temperature changes.

Insects

Insects can damage grain with digging, chewing and leaving waste, leaving it more susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. They can also bring in additional moisture.

Damaged Grain

Remember the old adage “quality in quality out”?  Damaged grain is more susceptible to mycotoxin contamination.  Separate or sell damaged grain to limit its incorporation into high-quality stored grains.

Are your storage practices working?

Make sure your storage practices are adequate.  Monitor the quality of your grain through testing.  Begin with testing incoming grain to set a baseline understanding of the grain quality.  Then regularly test your grain to assure that your storage practices are working effectively.  EnviroLogix offers a complete line of mycotoxin tests for your testing needs.  Envirologix’ new Flex line of mycotoxin kits, which includes the market’s fastest DON test, provides fast, easy and accurate results to help you with your grain testing needs.
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