**4. Prevention and treatment**

Prevention of mycotoxin contamination of feed should start from the field, especially since the climatic condition indicate possible crops contamination with mycotoxigenic fungi: drought or heavy rain, aggression of harmful insects, other stress situations for plants (application of treatments, for example). A mycological and mycotoxicological analysis of feed at this stage would be indicated and would provide accurate and important information for subsequent prevention actions (during storage and feeding animals).

Also, the fungal growth and mycotoxin production conditions are not the same. Thus, *Aspergillus spp*. grows at a higher temperature and lower aw compared to *Fusarium spp*.; the production of AFB1 and AFB<sup>2</sup> by *Aspergillus flavus* in corn, for example, is favored by heat and drought stress associated with warmer climates and, furthermore, is enhanced by insect action both before and after harvesting. In fact, *Fusarium spp.* is one of the genres of fungi that develops both pre-harvest and post-harvest. On the other hand, fungal growth and association with Alimentary Toxic Aleukia has the best conditions at 25–30°C while the production of mycotoxins by *Fusarium* is not favored under this conditions; the opposite effect, strongly mycotoxigen, although fungi do not have a high growth rate, is observed at near-freezing temperatures [56]. Similar situations can be also observed when applying fungicides that reduce the growth of fungi but not the mycotoxins [57].

During the storage period, maintaining optimum conditions: less than 14% humidity in the feed, creating optimal conditions for silage - quickly reducing pH and elimination of oxygen, microbial or enzymatic silage additives, may partially inhibit the development of mycotoxigenic fungi or reduce their ability to produce mycotoxins. However, if contaminated feed is still in the animal feed, a dilution of it with healthy fodder is recommended. A number of mycotoxinadsorbing agents can also be used as food supplements: sodium and calcium aluminosilicates, bentonites, montmorillonites, zeolite, some organic polymers (polysaccharides, glucomannans, peptidoglicans, etc.), activated carbons, yeast cell walls, micronized fibers, bacteria. As mycotoxin-biotransforming agents: gram-positive anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, gram-negative aerobic bacteria, fungi, yeast, enzymes (e.g. *Flavobacterium aurantiacum* for aflatoxins, *Eubacterium* BBSH 797 and LS100 for trichothecene, and for OTA and ZEA, *Trichosporum mycotoxinivorans*; protease A, pancreatin etc) [58]. Galvano et al. have shown that an increase in the level of some nutritional parameters in food – protein, energy and antioxidants, mineral and vitamins can be beneficial to animal health by mitigating the harmful effects of mycotoxins [59].
