Effects of different levels of date pits in broilers’ feed contaminated with aflatoxin B1 on broilers’ performance and carcass characteristic

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of date pits (DP) to reduce the deleterious effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in broiler chicks. A total of 216 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were distributed randomly for nine treatments (with four replicates and six birds in each) for 35 days. The experiment included a 3×3 factorial arrangement of treatments involving three levels of DP (0, 2 and 4%) and three levels of AFB1 (0, 150 and 300 ppb) based on a completely randomized design. There was a significant reduction of feed intake with treatment of 300 ppb during fourth and fifth weeks. DP levels were effective in diminishing the adverse effect caused by aflatoxin on feed intake of broilers (P < 0.05). However, 4% date pits had better effect. Mean body weights were not affected weekly, but the main effect of aflatoxin was significantly (P < 0.05) low by feeding 300 ppb aflatoxin in fourth and fifth weeks. Treatments with DP levels did not show any significant change with control group in case of feed conversion ratio; however the main effect of aflatoxin diets containing 300 ppb showed significant reduction in feed conversion ratio only in fourth week (P <0.05). Carcass weight decreased significantly in the main levels of AFB1 while the relative weight of the liver, intestine, gizzard and thigh increased significantly (P ≥ 0.05). Other carcass parts were not affected. It is  suggested that DP might be used for reducing the adverse effects of aflatoxin in the broiler diets.Keywords: Aflatoxin, broiler, date pits, performance, carcass characteristicAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(1), pp. 185-193, 1 January, 201

Protective effects of milk thistle (silybum marianum) seeds and sodium bentonite in ameliorating the toxic effects of aflatoxin b1 in broiler chicks

 Background: Aflatoxin-contaminated feed cause mortality, suppression of the immune system, reduced growth rates and losses in feed efficiency. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the ability of different levels of sodium bentonite (SB), Silybummarianum seeds (SMS) and their combination for reducing the adverse effects of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in broiler chicks.Materials and Methods: 224 male Ross 308 broiler chicks in a completely randomized design based on factorial experiment (2 × 2 × 2) with 2 levels AFB (0and 500ppb), 2 levels SMS (0 and 0.5%) and 2 levels SB (0 and 0.5%) with 8 treatments, 4 replicates and 7 chickens per each were used from one to 24 days age.Results: The results showed that compared with the control group, diets contaminated with AFB1 increased the aminotransferase (AST) and gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) but decreased serum total protein (TP) and Albumin significantly (P≤0.05). SB with AFB caused a significant decrease in serum AST and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and increase Albumin significantly (P≤0.05). SMS with AFB causes a significant decrease in serum Urea, GGT and LDH levels significantly (P≤0.05). Broiler chickens fed diets containing SB, SMS and AFB1 their biochemical indices (AST, GGT, Albumin and total protein) were improved significantly compare to basal diet contaminated with aflatoxin (P≤0.05).Conclusion: The results showed that the combination of SB and the SMS were more beneficial as separate application of them for decreased toxic effect of Aflatoxin B1 in diets

The effect of different dietary levels of Pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium L.), probiotic and antibiotic on performance, carcass characteristics and, selected nutrients digestibility in broiler chickens

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different dietary levels of Pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium L.) essential oil (PEO), probiotic (Bioplus 2B) and antibiotic (Flavophospholipol) on performance, carcass characteristics and nutrients digestibility in broiler chickens in a completely randomize design (CRD).Material and methods: The treatments included: A corn-wheat-soybean meal basal diet without any additives as control group and adding three levels of Flavophospholipol (0.015, 0.03 and 0.05 % of diet), three levels of BioPlus-B2 (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 % of diet) and three levels of Mentha pulegium essential oil (0.03, 0.05 and 0.07 % of diet) to the basal diet. 5 replicates of 12 chicks were allocated to each experimental treatment.Results: The results showed that the treatments significantly affected body weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the all experimental periods (P<0.05); but, they had no significant effect on feed intake (P>0.05). PEO at the level of 0.07% significantly decreased WG during 11-25 d (P<0.05) but observed no effect  during 11-25 and 11-42 d in compared to control group (P>0.05). Breast and abdominal fat percentage were not significantly affected by treatments (P>0.05). Lowest crude protein (CP) digestibility was observed in 0.015% antibiotic treatment that was significantly lower than 0.1% probiotic treatment (P<0.05).Conclusion: More significantly, dietary supplements represented desirable performance in compared to antibiotics and control group. Hence, the possible usage of these components as antibiotics alternatives in poultry feeds should be outlined in futur

Berberine Improves Meat Quality and Carcass Traits in Broilers Challenged with Mycotoxins

Background and Aim: Mycotoxin-contaminated feed causes significant concern in poultry production and public health because of serious economic losses and health problems caused by them.  Berberine hydrochloride (Berberine), a natural plant alkaloid derived from Chinese medicine, is characterized by diverse pharmacological effects. This study is designed to evaluate the effects of different levels of Berberine (BBR) on carcass traits and meat quality of broilers fed diets contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 (AFB) and Ochratoxin A (OCT). Methods: A 42-day floor pen trial was performed with 288 Ross 308 broilers. A randomized design, with 4 replicates of 8 birds each, was conducted with the following 9 treatments: (1) negative control diet with no additives (NC); (2) NC + 2 ppm AFB (positive control AFB; PCAFB); (3) NC + 2 ppm OCT (positive control OCT; PCOCT); (4) PCAFB + 200 mg/kg BBR; (5) PCAFB + 400 mg/kg BBR; (6) PCAFB + 600 mg/kg BBR; (7) PCOCT + 200 mg/kg BBR; (8) PCOCT + 400 mg/kg BBR; and (9) PCOCT + 600 mg/kg BBR. At the end of the experiment, from every group, eight birds were selected, slaughtered, and subjected to analyses. The analyzed parameters carcass and cut yields and meat quality according to water-holding capacity (WHC) and breast level MDA. Results: Both PCAFB and PCOTA diets decreased carcass relative weight, breast level MDA, and WHC values compared with the NC diet (p<0.05). Meat level of MDA in PCAFB and PCOTA treatments were higher than in the NC treatment (p˂0.05), and supplementation with BBR at multiple levels partially these effects (p˂0.05). The addition of 600 mg/kg BBR to PCAFB diets increased WHC value to levels not different from that in the NC group (p>0.05). Carcass efficiency in PCAFB and PCOTA treatments was lower than in the NC treatment (p˂0.05), and supplementation with BBR at multiple levels partially or fully reversed these effects. The addition of 600 mg/kg BBR to PCAFB diet increased carcass relative weight compared to PCAFB alone (p>0.05). Conclusion: These data provided supplementation of BBR (600 mg/kg) improves meat quality in broiler fed diet contaminated with mycotoxins. *Corresponding Author: Nazar Afzali; Email: [email protected] Please cite this article as: Malekinezhad P, Afzali N, Farhangfar SH, Omidi A, Mohammadi A. Berberine Improves Meat Quality and Carcass Traits in Broilers Challenged with Mycotoxins. Arch Med Lab Sci. 2020;6:1-9 (e23). https://doi.org/10.22037/amls.v6.3333

To Reduce the Effects of Experimental Aflatoxicosis in Broiler Chicks Using Specific Egg Yolk Immunoglobulin (IgY)

Background: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of the specific egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) on reducing the defects of experimental aflatoxicosis in broilers.Materials and Methods: In a completely randomized design, a total of 128 Ross 308 broiler chicks were used in 4 treatments, 4 replicates and 8 observations (chicks) for 42 days.  Treatments were: 1) control; 2) diet containing 1 ppm aflatoxin B1; 3) diet contaminated with 1 ppm aflatoxin B1 + 0.75 % of egg yolk containing IgY; 4) diet contaminated with 1 ppm aflatoxin B1 + 1.5 % of egg yolk containing IgY.Results: The results showed that the use of aflatoxin containing diet significantly increased the feed conversion ratio, serum cholesterol concentration, serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Also, experimental aflatoxicosis resulted in reduced feed intake, weight gain, serum total protein and albumin concentrations (p<0.05); as well as the liver histopathologic lesions. IgY containing egg yolk (0.75% and 1.5%) added to the contaminated ration improved feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio compared to treatment 2 (p<0.05). Compared to treatment 2, serum cholesterol concentration decreased while total protein concentration increased in treatments 3 and 4 (p<0.05). Liver tissue was approximately normal with mild effects on hepatocytes and mild cytoplasmic changes in chicks receiving treatments 3 and 4. Conclusion: It can be concluded that specific IgY is effective in reducing the defects of experimental aflatoxicosis as well as improving performance in broilers.

Effect of citric acid and microbial phytase on small intestinal morphology in broiler chicken

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of citric acid (CA) (0, 3 and 6%) and microbial phytase (MP) (0, 500 and 1000 IU/kg) on morphology of different segments of small intestine (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) in broiler chickens fed on corn and soybean meal based diets. The effect of 9 experimental treatments (3×3 factorial design) were assessed using 270 7-d-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks in a randomized complete block design in three replicates of 10 birds each. The mean villi length (VL), crypt depth (CD) and goblet cell number (GCN) in duodenum, jejunum and ileum and villi width (VW) and VL:CD ratio in duodenum was significantly greater for the birds fed on acidified diets compared to the control birds at day 42 of age (P<0.01). Inclusion of 3% CA in diet significantly decreased the epithelial thickness (ET) in duodenum, jejunum and ileum (P<0.01). The birds received diets with 1000 IU/kg of MP showed significant increase in CD (P<0.01) and GCN in jejunum (P<0.05), and significant decrease in VL:CD ratio and ET in the duodenum (P<0.01), jejunum (P<0.05) and ileum (P<0.01) segments. No variable of interest were affected by CA × MP interaction. It was concluded that CA and MP independently exhibit positive impact on morphometery of small intestine, toward facilitating the nutrient absorption and reducing the metabolic demands of the intestinal tract in broiler chickens

Effect of Hydroethanolic Saffron petals’ extract on performance, carcass characteristics and blood parameters of Japanese quails challenged by aflatoxin

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Hydroethanolic saffron petals’ extract (HSPE) on the performance, carcass characteristics and blood biochemical parameters of Japanese quails challenged with Aflatoxin B1. A total of 168 day-old quails were arranged into 28 experimental units with 7 treatments in a completely randomized design. The treatments included control, 3, 6 ppm aflatoxin B1, 3ppm aflatoxin +350 ppm HSPE, 3ppm aflatoxin +700 ppm HSPE, 6ppm aflatoxin +350 ppm HSPE and 6ppm aflatoxin +700 ppm HSPE. Each treatment included 4 replicates with 6 birds. Two quails from each pen were selected, slaughtered and carcass parts were weighed and their relative weights were calculated. The data were analyzed by the SAS software. The results revealed that chicks contaminated with aflatoxin had weight loss and reduced feed intake. However, addition of HSPE to their diet improved the feed intake and body weight of the sick birds. The lower FCR were observed in quails contaminated with aflatoxin. However, supplementation of Hydroethanolic saffron petals’ extract to their diet improved the FCR. The relative weight of burs of fabricus and liver had decreased and increased in the contaminated birds, respectively. Aflatoxin B1 affected the relative weight and length of intestine parts. Aflatoxin B1 decreased the concentration of cholesterol and triglyceride and increased liver enzyme activity. Therefore, supplementation of Hydroethanolic saffron petals’ extract to diets may improve the body weight, feed intake and FCR of quail contaminated with aflatoxin B1

Identification of New Aflatoxin B1-Degrading Bacteria from Iran

Background: Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mutagenic and carcinogenic compound mainly produced by the Aspergillus parasiticus, A. flavus, A. nomius, A. tamari, and A. pseudotamarii. AFB1 biodegradation is the most important strategy for reducing AFB1 in plant tissues. Bacteria can deactivate and biodegrade AFB1 for effective detoxification of contaminated products. The present study investigated the efficiency of AFB1 degradation by soil bacteria from the Southern Khorasan Province in Eastern Iran by thin-layer and high-performance liquid chromatography during 2014–2015. Methods: DNA was extracted from AFB1-degrading isolates by the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide method and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified with the 27f and 1492r general bacterial primers and the sequences were used to identify the isolates based on their similarity to Gene Bank sequences of known bacterial species. Results: We isolated five strains from four species of AFB1-degrading bacteria from Birjand plain, including Bacillus pumilus, two isolates of Ochrobactrum pseudogrigonens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter cloace, which had AFB1-degrading activities of 88%, 78%, 61%, 58%, and 51%, respectively. Conclusion: We provide the first demonstration of AFB1 degradation by B. pumilus in from Iran and the first report identifying O. pseudogrigonens and E. cloace species as having AFB1-degrading activity

Astudy on accuracy of predicted breeding value for body weight at eighth week of age in Khorasan native chickens

Introduction: Genetic resources in any country are valuable materials which needed to be conserved for a sustainable agriculture. An animal phenotype is generally affected by genetic and environmental factors. To increase mean performance in a population under consideration not only environmental conditions, but also genetic potential of the animals should be improved. Although, environmental improvement could increase the level of animals’ production in a more rapid way, it is not a permanent and non-cumulative progress. In any breeding schemes prediction breeding value of the candidate animals is needed to be obtained with a high precision and accuracy for making a remarkable genetic gain for the traits over the time. The main objective of the present research was to study accuracy of predicted breeding value for body weight at eighth week of age in indigenous chickens of Khorasan Razavi province. Materials and methods: A set of 47,000 body weight (at the age of eight weeks) records belonging to 47,000 head of male and female chicks (progeny of 753 sires and 5,154 dams) collected during seven generations (2006-2012) was used. The data were obtained in Khorasan Razavi native chicken breeding center. An animal model was applied for analyzing the records. In the model, contemporary group of generation*hatch*sex (GHS) as a fixed effect, weight at birth as a covariable, as well as direct and maternal additive genetic random effects were taken into account. In an initial analysis using SAS software, all fixed and covariate factors included in the model were detected to be significant for the trait. All additive genetic relationships among the animals in the pedigree file (47,880 animals) were accounted for. Variance and covariance components of direct and maternal additive genetic effects were estimated through restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method. Breeding value of the animals was obtained by best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP). Selection accuracy was then calculated based on prediction error variance (PEV). The model was fitted to the data using DMU package. Post analysis of breeding values (genetic trend estimation and statistical comparison of groups using student’s t test) was also undertaken using SPSS software. Results and Discussion: Average and standard deviation of body weight at the age of eight weeks were 607.93 g. and 127.347 g., respectively. As expected, males (668.98 g.) were generally heavier than females (549.86 g.) chickens. Additive and maternal genetic variance components were 3183.9253 and 350.8929, respectively. Based on genetic covariance (-363.8555) the correlation between direct and maternal genetic effects was revealed to be -0.3442. Direct and maternal heritability for the trait were found to be 0.4387 and 0.0483, respectively. Mean direct and maternal breeding values were 76.65 g. and -7.91 g., respectively. The corresponding figures for the direct and maternal accuracies were 0.741 and 0.427, respectively. Genetic trends for direct and maternal breeding value were 26.951 g. (SE=1.344 g.) and -2.252 g. (SE=0.199 g.), respectively and statistically significant (