Sampling for Mycotoxins—Do We Care Enough? Analytical tests are the only way to detect mycotoxin content, and proper testing procedures are vital to ensuring that analysis is accurate, precise, and replicable. Uneven distribution of mycotoxins is caused by fungi growing unevenly throughout a field or bin, creating “hot spots” or “nuggets” of concentrated mycotoxins. Factors such as uneven distribution, improper sampling, and improper sample preparation can lead to false negatives and false positives. Sampling involves removing an appropriate quantity of material for testing from a larger lot. “Boot” and “bucket” sampling procedures do not result in samples that are representative of the whole lot and should not be used. Incremental samples and a proper sampling pattern are crucial to obtaining a representative sampling. Other factors include adequate sample size, appropriate equipment, accurate labeling, and proper handling. Although mycotoxins in mixed feeds could be more evenly distributed due to being coarsely ground after contamination, uneven distribution should always be assumed. |