Zeolite and Mycotoxins: Aflatoxin Detoxication of Animal Feed by KMI Zeolite

General statement: Zeolites are crystalline, hydrated aluminosilicates of alkali and alkaline earth cations which possess three-dimensional crystal structures. They have the ability to lose and gain water reversibly, to adsorb molecules of appropriate cross-sectional diameter and to exchange their constituent cations (NH₄⁺, Na₊, K₊, Ca₂⁺ ). In a structural standpoint, clinoptilolite like zeolite is made of windows, cages, and supercages (Fig.1). The windows are how the molecules reach the cages and supercages to be adsorbed or catalyzed. The window size can be modified by the ratio Si/Al and also by the ion exchange.

Aflatoxin: origin, toxicity and effects: Aflatoxins, a group of closely related, extremely toxic chemicals, are produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus and can occur as natural contaminants of animal foods and particularly poultry (Edds and Bortell, 1983; Leeson et al., 1995). The occurrence and the production of aflatoxins in foodstuffs before harvest and during storage are strictly related to the humidity and the temperature. The prevalence of the toxic amounts in animal feed leads to aflatoxicosis.