| Summary: | Six lactating Holstein cows received ammonia-treated or untreated aflatoxin-contaminated whole cottonseed (AFWC) or pure AFB₁ with their regular ration. Treatments were: AFWC (5,010 ppb AFB₁), 4 kg/day; the same AFWC treated with 1.5% anhydrous ammonia and 10% water; pure AFB₁ (2.2 mg twice daily) given in capsules; same amount AFB₁ treated with 50% NH₄OH for 26 days at 29°C; same amount ammoniated AFB₁ acidified to final pH of 5.0; same treatment as first except concentration of AFB₁ was 5,511 ppb. Levels of aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in milk were monitored before, during, and after each treatment, and conversion and feed-through ratios were calculated. Feed consumption and milk production were also measured. Mutagenicity of acetone extracts of spray-dried milk was determined using Salmonella/microsomal assay. Ammoniation of AFWC did not reduce concentration of AFB₁ to below FDA action level; however, when the seed was fed, the concentration of AFM₁ in milk was less than FDA action level (0.5 μg/L). Ammoniation of AFB₁ was very effective in reducing levels of AFM₁ in milk of treated cows to less than the FDA action level. The average AFB₁/AFM₁ conversion ratios for the steady-state period of AFM₁ excretion in milk while giving AFWC and AFB₁ was 1.06% and 1.18%, respectively. Ammoniation of AFWC reduced the average AFB₁/AFM₁ ratio to 0.20% during the constant-state period of AFM(,1) excretion in milk. The ration containing AFWC (5,010 or 5,511 ppb AFB₁) caused a highly significant decrease in total milk production and feed consumption; ammoniated AFB₁ decreased total milk production significantly. Complete disappearance of AFM₁ from milk after discontinuing Treatments 1-6 was 120, 48, 95, 72, 96, and 120 h, respectively. Under these laboratory conditions, significance of the results of the Ames test was questionable.
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