The effects of mycotoxins and other hygiene parameters on health cattle status and to identify of prophylaxis methods for improving silage quality

The aim of the master's thesis was to evaluate the possibilities of the use of ethanolic extracts of plants: oregano (lot. Origanum vulgare) and thyme (lot. Thymus vulgaris) to improve the quality of silage and sanitary hygiene index also to determine the cytotoxic effects of silage samples with different concentrations (in vitro experiment). The samples of silage with ethanolic extracts were preserved in the laboratory. During the study, in the silage samples the percentage of dry matter (DM), pH, the concentration of AFL B1, ZON, DON and T-2 mycotoxins, the number of lactic acid bacteria, the total number of microscopic fungi, the number of yeasts and total number of microorganisms were measured. Tribes of microscopic fungi were also identified using microscope. The effects of mycotoxins on the BHK-21 and MH cell lines (in vitro experiment) were also evaluated in the samples of tested silage. In the studied silage samples mainly Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Rhizopus spp., Chromelosporium spp. and Mucor spp. were found. Oregano ethanolic extract had the strongest effect on microscopic fungi. Out of used oregano and thyme ethanol extracts in the silage samples the strongest effect on mycotoxins: AFL B1, ZEA, DON, and T-2 was with oregano ethanolic extract. A thyme ethanolic extract showed the strongest effect with cytotoxicity on BHK - 21 and MH. Based on the results of the study, it can be said, that ethanolic extracts of oregano and thyme can be used to improve the quality of the silage and to improve its sanitary hygiene, after assessing their effect on bovine well-being