Performance and egg quality of laying hens fed diets containing aflatoxin, fumonisin and adsorbent

Lipid metabolism of commercial layers fed diets containing aflatoxin, fumonisin, and a binder

Aflatoxins (AF) and fumonisins (FU) are a major problem faced by poultry farmers, leading to huge economic losses. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of AF (1 mg/kg of feed) and FU (25 mg/kg of feed), singly or in combination, on the lipid metabolism in commercial layers and investigate the efficacy of a commercial binder (2 kg/t of feed) on reducing the toxic effects of these mycotoxins. A total of 168 Hisex Brown layer hens, 37 wk of age, were randomized into a 3 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement (3 diets with no binder containing AF, FU, and AF+FU; 3 diets with binder containing AF, FU, and AF+FU; and a control diet with no mycotoxins and binders), totaling 7 treatments. The hens contaminated with AF showed the characteristic effects of aflatoxicosis, such as a yellow liver, resulting from the accumulation of liver fat, lower values of plasma very low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides, and higher relative weight of the kidneys and liver. Hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects of FU were not observed in this study. On the other hand, the FU caused a reduction in small intestine length and an increase in abdominal fat deposition. The glucan-based binder prevented some of the deleterious effects of these mycotoxins, particularly the effects of AF on hepatic lipid metabolism, kidney relative weight, and FU in the small intestine.

Protective effect of Bacillus subtilis ANSB060 on egg quality, biochemical and histopathological changes in layers exposed to aflatoxin B1

Bacillus subtilis ANSB060 from the fish gut had strong ability to detoxify aflatoxins. The aim of this research was to investigate the protective effect of B. subtilis ANSB060 (ANSB060) on egg quality and biochemical and histopathological changes of liver and kidney in laying hens when exposed to aflatoxin B(1). Treatments (C20, C40, and C60) were prepared by substituting corn contaminated by aflatoxin B(1) (AFB1) at different proportions (20, 40, and 60%) for normal corn in basic diets. The aflatoxin degradation enzyme (E) treatments (E20, E40, and E60) were mixed with the fermentation liquor of ANSB060 with C20, C40, and C60, respectively. The results showed that ANSB060 can improve the eggshell strength in E60 compared with C60 (P ≤ 0.05), and toxin reduced the content of total protein (in groups C20, C40, and C60) and albumin (in C20 and C40; P < 0.05) and heightened the activities of GPT (in C60) and GOT (in C40 and C60) in serum (P < 0.05). In the liver, AFB1 inhibited the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (C40 and C60; P < 0.05) and increased the content of malonaldehyde (in C40 and C60), which induced the damage in the liver and kidney as shown in the photomicrographs of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. The addition of ANSB060 can enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and it recovered the protein synthesis in liver. Moreover, ANSB060 also ameliorated the damage of liver and kidney tissue and restored them to normal. Hence, ANSB060 had the ability to inhibit the damage induced by AFB1; it will have a great potential in industrial applications.