Innovative methods for the amelioration of aflatoxin (afb1) effect in broiler chicks

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Myco-Detox (Invention) in counteracting the deleterious effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in broiler chicks. A total of 120 Ross 308 one-day-old male broiler chicks were assigned to 8 treatments for 42 d. The experiment had a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments involving 0 and 1 mg of AFB1/kg feed and 0, 1, 2, and 5 g of Myco-Detox (Spirulina platensis powder + 0.5 gm humic acid) / kg feed. Chicks were fed on Built-up litter the first 7 d and in cages (3 chicks/cage; 5 cages/treatment) from7 to 42 d. Growth performance was measured from d 7 to 42.Histopathologicalexamination of liver, and AFB1 residues in liver was determined on d 42. Aflatoxin B1 significantly decreased the BW gain, feed intake, and impaired feed conversion rate (P < 0.05). The addition of Myco-Detox in the contaminated diets significantly diminished the inhibitory effects of dietary AFB1 (P < 0.05) on the growth performance with no differences compared to the control diet. Liver tissue of broilers receiving AFB1 alone had perilobular inflammation and vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes as compared with the tissue from the control group (P < 0.05). Residues of AFB1 were detected in the liver tissues of broilers fed on the AFB1 diet (0.166 ?g/kg). Supplementation of Myco-Detox reduced the incidence and severity of the hepatic histopathology changes associated with aflatoxicosis and the amount of AFB1 residue in liver.