title: Ochratoxin A occurrence in slaughter-pigs in Sweden and its use as a tool for feed screening programs.
abstract: The occurrence of ochratoxin A in pig blood can be used as a measure of ochratoxin A contamination of the feed. A method for ochratoxin A analysis in pig blood, suitable for screening programs, is presented. The relationship between ochratoxin A contents in the blood of pigs and the feed given is investigated with feeding experiments. Blood samples from pigs originating from 279 herds slaughtered in nine slaughter-houses in Sweden were analyzed for ochratoxin A. In total, 14% of the investigated pigs contained greater than or equal to 2 ng ochratoxin A per ml blood. The highest level found was 215 ng/mL. Correlations between the occurrence of ochratoxin A in the blood and parameters concerning the feed are investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hult
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hökby
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sellyey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rutqvist
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gatenbeck
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000097:blood*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013548:Sweden; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D009793:Ochratoxins; C025589:ochratoxin A