Determination of growth inhibitors and toxins

Abstract

Certain feedstuffs contain natural toxins that; at high enough levels, are growth inhibitors and sometimes fatal to the animal consuming them. Principal among these are: (a) Urease-an enzyme found in raw soybean which produces toxicity through the hydrolysis of urea to ammonia; (b) gosaypol-an endogenous toxin present in the gland of cottonseed which persists during production of the meal unless removed by a special process, or, unless, the cotton seed is a glandless variety; (c) Isothiocyanatescyanogenic glycosides are found in linseed and cassava; (d) aflatoxin is a class of extremely potent toxins produced by the mould Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxin may be present in any materials produced and stored under hot and humid conditions and is usually found in groundnut cake, palm cake, copra cake and maize.