Effect of three mycotoxin adsorbents on growth performance, nutrient retention and meat quality in broilers fed on mould-contaminated feed.

1. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of an esterified glucomannan (EGM), a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) and a compound mycotoxin adsorbent (CMA) on performance, nutrient retention and meat quality in broilers fed on mould-contaminated feed. Mould-contaminated diets were prepared by replacing half of the non-contaminated maize in the basal diets with mould-contaminated maize, which contained 450·6 µg/kg of aflatoxin B1, 68·4 µg/kg of ochratoxin A and 320·5 µg/kg of T-2 toxin. 2. The mould-contaminated diet significantly decreased body weight gain (BWG) between 10 and 21 d, feed intake (FI) between 35 and 42 d, the apparent retention of crude lipid and phosphorus, and the lightness (L*) value of breast and thigh muscle. It also significantly increased the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) value in breast muscle and the b* value in thigh muscle. 3. The addition of 0·2% HSCAS significantly increased FI between 35 and 42 d and the apparent retention of phosphorus. Supplementation with 0·1% CMA in the contaminated diet significantly improved BWG from 10 to 21 d, and increased FI from 35 to 42 d and from 10 to 42 d. CMA also significantly increased the apparent retention of crude lipid, crude protein, ash and phosphorus. All three mycotoxin-adsorbent treatments significantly improved the L* values of breast and thigh muscle when compared with the mould-contaminated group. Supplementation with 0·1% CMA in the contaminated diet significantly decreased b* value and improved tenderness in thigh muscle. 0·05% EGM significantly decreased b* value of thigh muscle compared to mould-contaminated group. 4. The results indicated that mycotoxins in contaminated feed retard growth, nutrient retention and meat quality, whereas the addition of 0·05% EGM, 0·2% HSCAS or 0·1% CMA prevents the adverse effects of mycotoxins to varying extents, with 0·1% CMA being the most effective adsorbent treatment.

Dietary L-arginine supplementation alleviates immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide in weaned pigs.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of L-arginine (Arg) on performance and immune function in cyclophosphamide (CY) immunosuppressed weaned pigs. The weaned pigs were allotted randomly into one of three treatments, including: (1) non-challenged control; (2) CY-challenged group; and (3) CY + 0.5% Arg. On days 14 and 21 of the trial, pigs were injected with CY or sterile saline. Blood samples were obtained on days 21 and 28 of the trial for further analysis. On day 28, delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction was evaluated. Arg alleviated the decrease of average daily gain (P < 0.05) induced by CY challenge from days 21 to 28. Arg mitigated the CY-induced decrease of total white blood cell numbers (P < 0.05) on day 28 and improved the lymphocyte percentage on day 21 (P < 0.05). Arg increased the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (P < 0.05), and attenuated the decrease of bovine serum albumin antibody level caused by CY treatment (P < 0.05) on day 28. In addition, Arg elevated the levels of serum interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma (P < 0.05) on day 28, and mitigated the decrease of serum interferon-gamma level on day 21 (P < 0.05). These results indicate that Arg supplementation has beneficial effects in attenuating the immunosuppressive effects of CY challenge, therefore improving growth performance of young pigs.