M.Y.Sreenivasa
Cereals grains and their by-products being major ingredients of foods/feeds represent an excellent substrate for growth and reproduction of fungi and have serious consequences on the safety of foods and feeds. Fungal infestation and mycotoxin contamination in food/feed stuffs represent a serious problem because of the unpalatability of contaminated feed and because of the reduction in food and feed quality. The presence of mycotoxins in food/feeds decreases food intake and animal performance. Contamination by mycotoxigenic fungi and its mycotoxins affects both the alimentary and organoleptic characteristics of cereal-based food/feeds and cause a risk of mycotoxicosis. Also, the reason for major disease outbreaks in different community of people, farm animals such as poultry, horses, pigs, cattles etc. Management of fungal mycotoxins includes prevention, regulation, monitoring, avoidance, decontamination, detoxification, and animal treatments. Most physical and chemical methods to reduce mycotoxin concentrations in food or feed have shown to be rather un-effective or to be difficult to implement into the production process. Therefore, probiotic based broad antifungal approach would be the better alternative for the management of mycotoxigenic fungi and its mycotoxins. Since probiotic LAB species are afforded GRAS status and have positive influence on gastrointestinal tract of human and other consumer animals, they can be used in the control of mycotoxigenic fungi. The talk is about determining the antifungal activity of probiotic Lactobacillus against mycotoxigenic fungi in vitro. Both the isolate and its extracellular metabolites can be used to lower mycotoxin content in feed model when compared to the level mycotoxin of feed in control. Further, in vivo studies to know probiotic effects in degrading mycotoxins. Thus, probiotic strain mainly, Lactobacillus can be used in formulation of a functional feed owing to its beneficial attributes.