[ABrC Newsletter] Hidden Danger in Animal Feed: Why Monitoring Aflatoxins Matters for Food Safety

Hidden Danger in Animal Feed: Why Monitoring Aflatoxins Matters for Food Safety

Sofiyatul Akmal Salim, Mohd Nazri Ismail

September 2026

When we think about food safety, we often focus on the food on our plates. But food safety actually begins much earlier, with what we feed our animals. Animal feed can sometimes become contaminated with aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are harmful toxins naturally produced by certain types of mould. These moulds grow readily in warm, humid environments, making tropical countries like Malaysia more vulnerable to contamination during the storage of grains and feed ingredients.

Although invisible to the naked eye, aflatoxins can have serious consequences. Animals that consume contaminated feed may experience poor growth, weakened immunity, liver damage and reduced productivity. More importantly, small amounts of these toxins can pass from feed into animal products such as milk, meat, and eggs, potentially exposing consumers to health risks over time.

To help address this issue, the Analytical Biochemistry Research Centre (ABrC) at Universiti Sains Malaysia has developed a faster, more environmentally friendly laboratory method for detecting aflatoxins in animal feed. The new method combines a simple extraction technique with advanced laboratory equipment known as Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Compared with conventional testing methods, it requires much less solvent, generates less chemical waste, and can prepare samples in approximately 15 minutes, making it suitable for routine monitoring by food safety laboratories.

 To evaluate the method, 30 commercial animal feed samples collected from local markets in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak, and Penang have been analysed. Small amounts of aflatoxins were detected in 16% of the samples. Encouragingly, all detected levels were well below the safety limits established by Malaysian and European regulations. While these findings indicate that the commercial feed tested was generally safe, they also demonstrate that aflatoxins continue to occur naturally and should not be overlooked.

Early detection is essential because aflatoxins cannot be completely removed once they have contaminated feed. Routine testing enables manufacturers and regulatory agencies to identify contamination before feed reaches farms, helping to protect livestock, support farmers, and ensure safer food for consumers.

Beyond improving food safety, the newly developed method also supports green analytical chemistry by reducing solvent consumption and laboratory waste. This makes testing faster, more cost-effective, and more environmentally sustainable. As climate conditions continue to favour mould growth, continuous monitoring of aflatoxins will remain an important part of safeguarding Malaysia's food supply. By developing rapid and reliable testing methods, researchers are helping to strengthen food safety from the very beginning of the food production chain, from feed to food.