Adsorption of zearalenone to Japanese acid clay and influencing factors.

Zearalenone (ZEA) mainly contaminates grains such as corn and wheat, causing damage to livestock through ingestion of contaminated feed. Recently, various clays have been added to the feed to adsorb mycotoxins and to prevent mycotoxicosis of animals fed contaminated feeds. However the adsorption mechanism of the mycotoxin to clay is not well understood. In this study, a method to analyze the level of adsorption of ZEA to clay was developed using Japanese acid clay. Changes to the amount of the clay, concentration of ZEA, shaking time, and other parameters were evaluated to determine their influence on adsorption. The adsorption isotherms were also developed. Under conditions that mimic the gastrointestinal tract of swine, 100 % of ZEA was adsorbed to clay at a pH equivalent to the stomach, while the level of desorption under intestinal basic conditions was 1.8 %. Thus Japanese acid clay has a high ability to absorb ZEA with very little desorption under gastrointestinal conditions of the swine. Isothermal analysis suggests that the Japanese acid clay is potentially highly efficacious as a ZEA adsorbent.