Mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by fungi found especially in grains and fodder. They are highly toxic to people and animals. Eating mycotoxin-contaminated diets leads to animal diseases caused by immunosuppression, decreased production, decreased feed intake and lower weight, alterations to reproduction functions, and others. According to the FDA, about 300 mycotoxins are known, the most harmful being: Aflatoxins, Fumonisin, Zearalenone, T2 and Don, which may work individually or in synergy to maximize their noxious effects on animals.

The most widely employed mycotoxin decontamination method is to use adsorbents mixed to the feed, as they chemically bind themselves to the toxins in the GI tract, thus reducing their bioavailability and toxicity. When choosing an adsorbent, one needs to consider factors such as: in vitro and in vivo experiments, ability to adsorb high concentrations of mycotoxins, selectivity, rate of inclusion per species, and composition.