Ability of biological adsorbents to ameliorate aflatoxicosis in broiler chicken: Effect on blood biochemicals and organ weights

The ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) and mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) alone or in combinations as aflatoxin adsorbents in the diets of broiler chickens during aflatoxicosis was investigated. A total of 320 day-old broiler chicks were divided into 10 treatment groups (T₁ - control; T₂ - T₁ + 300 ppb AFB₁; T₃ - T₂ + 0.05% MOS; T₄ - T₂ + 0.1% MOS; T₅ - T₂ + 0.2% MOS; T₆ - T₂ + 0.05% SC; T₇-T₂ + 0.1% MOS; T₈ - T₂ + 0.2% MOS; T₉ - T₂ + 0.05% MOS+ 0.05% SC; T₁₀ - T₂ + 0.1% MOS + 0.1% SC). Each diet was offered from day-old to 42 days of age to four replicated groups of 8 birds each. Aflatoxin contamination in feed (T₂) caused significant (P<0.05) reduction in serum protein, cholesterol, uric acid and significant (P<0.05) increase in enzyme activities. The serum protein in all binder groups, barring T₆, was statistically similar to that of control indicating that addition of both the binders significantly ameliorated the adverse effect of aflatoxicosis on total protein, except T₆ wherein 0.05% level of SC failed to improve the serum protein content. Addition of binders to the aflatoxin contaminated diet partially or completely reversed the adverse effects of aflatoxin on serum cholesterol, uric acid, SGPT and SGOT in a dose dependent manner. Aflatoxin contamination in feed (T₂) caused significant (P<0.05) increase in relative weight of liver, gizzard, spleen and significant (P<0.05) decrease in relative weight of bursa of Fabricius. It is concluded that inclusion of binders MOS and SC (at the rate 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%) and their combination partially or completely ameliorated the adverse effect of aflatoxin on blood biochemicals and organ weights in dose dependent manner. The 0.2% level of MOS or SC as well as combination of 0.1% MOS and SC is effective to counteract 300 ppb aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens