Evaluation of the ability of a feed additive to ameliorate the adverse effects of aflatoxins in broiler chickens

Abstract EN

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of 3.5 g Humic acid (HA), 3.5g esterified glucomannan (EGM) and 5 g Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate (HSCAS) to counteract the toxic effects of 1 ppm aflatoxin in the broiler chicken.

Three hundred 7-day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into five treatment groups of 4 replicates (each contained 15 chicks).

While chicks in group 1 were fed a basal diet free of toxin (control), group 2 chicks were fed a basal diet contaminated with 1ppm AF, the other three groups 3 , 4 and 5 were AF fed contaminated basal diet supplemented with 3.5 g HA, 3.5 g GEM and 5 g HSCAS, respectively.

All groups were kept under observation from 7-35 days of age.

Results obtained can be summarized as follows: Feeding contaminated diets significantly decreased final body weight, BW gains and feed intake.

Feed conversion rate (FCR) was lowest in the group consuming the aflatoxin diet (P < 0.05).

Further, contaminated diet caused significant decreases in serum total protein, albumin, globulin , total lipids, calcium and phosphorus.

Compared with the control, the contaminated diet with 1ppm AF significantly increased the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) , uric acid and creatinine .

Also, there were impairment in liver and serum antioxidant enzyme activities ,antibodies titer against Newcastle Disease (ND) and aflatoxin B1 residual in the liver associated with aflatoxin toxicity.

Increased relative weights of liver and decreased dressing % were observed in chicks fed the AF- diet.

The results cleared that treatment of aflatoxicated birds with 3.5 g HA, 3.5 g GEM and 5 g HSCAS induced protection from the development of signs and lesions with significant (p<0.05) improvement of performance when compared with un-treated control group.

HA, GEM and HSCAS treatment induced significant (p<0.05) amelioration of the measured organs body weights ratio, humoral immune response to Newcastle Disease (ND) and biochemical parameters in aflatoxicated chickens.