Detoxification of aflatoxin in corn meal for animal feeding

Experiment has 3 parts: 1. Laboratory experiment using mixed corn meal with solid ammonium bicarbonate 3 % by weight with 20 % moisture and kept at room temperature for 3 days. Afterwards ammonia gas was evaporated from the treated corn meal in the open air for 1 day, sun-drying for 1 day and sun-drying for 2 days. Later, storage for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days for aflatoxin B1 evaluation was conducted. II. Duckling experiment was conducted to compare the effects of 3 processes and fresh corn meal in male ducklings (Khaki Campbell x Native Crossbred). Four rations were formulated at 60.0 corn meal with 18.14 % CP and 2,761 Kcal ME/kg. One hundred eighty one-day old ducks were assigned into 4 treatments with 3 replications of 15 ducks. III. Laying duck experiment was conducted to compare the effects of 3 processes and fresh corn meal in laying ducks (Khaki Campbell x Native Crossbred). Four rations were formulated at 62.40 % corn meal with 16.06 % CP and 2,697.09 Kcal ME/kg. One hundred twenty, ten-month old ducks were assigned into 4 treatments with 3 replications of 10 ducks. Both duck experiments were confined in the area of 1.20x1.85 square m and were fed ad libitum. CRD was used to compare the effects of ration and DMRT for mean comparisons. The results showed that: I. Ammonium bicarbonate treatment could detoxify aflatoxin B1 in corn meal for about 50 %. Exposure of corn meal to sunlight for 2 days showed the lowest aflatoxin level in after-processing and storage. Increasing storage time will cause an increase in aflatoxin B1 level. II. Ducklings fed with sun-dried for 2 days corn meal showed the best feed consumption and weight gain. But ducklings fed with air dried for 1 day corn meal showed the best FCR. Processed corn meal showed no effects on heamatocrit, haemoglobin and mortality rates. III. Laying ducks fed with sun-dried for 2 days corn meal showed the best feed consumption, FCR, egg production, eff weight, haematocrit and haemoglobin. Ducks fed with fresh corn meal showed the best percentage of albumin and egg shell. Also, ducks fed with sun-dried 1 day corn meal showed the best percentage of egg yolk. But processed corn meal showed no effects on weight gain, yolk colour and mortality rate.