The difficult thing about feed contamination is that the first changes are not always visible. Mold, bacteria, mycotoxins and oxidation can already be affecting feed quality and nutritional value while everything still appears normal, leaving your livestock to deal with the consequences.
Feed contamination
Feed can look clean, smell fine and still be working against your animals.
From field to feeder, quality is under pressure at every step
The conditions around your feed determine how well its quality holds up. Moisture and temperature create opportunities for mold and bacterial growth during storage, while microbial activity contributes to spoilage and nutrient loss. At the same time, oxidation affects sensitive components such as fats and vitamins, gradually reducing the nutritional value of the feed.
Mold growth brings another concern: mycotoxins. These can remain in feed even when the mold itself is no longer obvious, adding an animal-health risk to an already compromised feed-quality picture. Together with microbial spoilage and oxidation, this means contamination can affect both the nutritional value of the feed and what your livestock ultimately have to cope with.
Contamination doesn't stop at the feed bin. Bacteria and biofilm can also build up throughout the drinking-water system, from tanks to pipes and waterlines. As biofilm develops, it can restrict water flow and create conditions where microorganisms persist, affecting water intake and gut health.
It can start before harvest
Contamination can already begin in the field. Mould growth on the crop brings mycotoxins with it, long before the grain reaches a silo.
- Mould
- Mycotoxins
Every move adds a new chance
Harvest and transport bring new opportunities for moisture, mould and bacteria to enter the raw materials.
- Mould
- Bacteria
- Mycotoxins
Moisture and heat do the rest
Moisture and temperature create opportunities for mould and bacterial growth during storage, while oxidation slowly breaks down fats and vitamins.
- Mould
- Bacteria
- Mycotoxins
- Oxidation
Quality carried into the feed
Contamination can also start during feed production. Fat-rich feeds and ingredients are especially prone to oxidation, and mycotoxins from raw materials stay in the feed.
- Bacteria
- Mycotoxins
- Oxidation
Looks clean, still working against you
In the feeder and silage clamp, humidity and heat speed up spoilage. Silage can grow mould once it is opened, even when the feed still looks and smells fine.
- Mould
- Bacteria
- Mycotoxins
- Oxidation
Contamination doesn't stop at the feed bin
Bacteria and biofilm build up from tanks to pipes and waterlines. Biofilm restricts water flow and lets microorganisms persist, affecting water intake and gut health.
- Bacteria
- Biofilm
One contaminated batch, very different consequences
How Innovad helps you keep feed and water clean
Common questions about feed contamination
What is feed contamination?
Feed contamination is the presence of anything in feed, raw materials or drinking water that lowers its quality or safety. The main types are microbial contamination (molds, yeasts and bacteria), mycotoxins produced by molds, and oxidation, which breaks down fats, vitamins and other sensitive nutrients.
What causes feed to become contaminated?
Contamination can start in the field, during harvest, storage, transport or feed production, and on the farm itself. Moisture, temperature and storage time are the main drivers of mold and bacterial growth. Fat-rich feeds and ingredients are especially prone to oxidation.
How common are mycotoxins in animal feed?
Very common. In Innovad's 2024 survey of more than 1,700 feed and raw material samples from 34 countries, 83% contained at least one mycotoxin and 60% contained two or more. DON, fumonisins and zearalenone were the most frequent, and 15.6% of samples exceeded European Commission limits.
What is the difference between feed contamination and mycotoxin exposure?
Feed contamination describes what's in the feed or water. Mycotoxin exposure describes what your animals have actually absorbed. The two are linked, but a feed analysis alone doesn't show how much has reached the animal. That's why testing both feed and animals gives a more complete picture.
How can I prevent feed contamination, and what does Innovad offer?
Good storage, short storage times, clean equipment and regular checks of feed and water quality are the foundation. Our feed & hygiene preservation solutions protect feed and drinking water against microbial growth and oxidation. Mycotoxin management reduces the impact of mycotoxins, and diagnostic insights help you check what's really in the feed and in your animals.