Efficacy of powdered alfalfa leaves to ameliorate the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 in turkey poults.

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of an adsorbent material based on powdered alfalfa leaves added in the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-contaminated diet of turkey poults on production parameters, blood cell count, serum biochemistry, liver enzymes, and liver histology. For this purpose, three hundred and fifty female Nicholas-700 poults were randomly assigned into five treatments: (1) Control, AFB1-free diet; (2) AF, diet contaminated with 250 ng AFB1/g; (3) Alfalfa, AFB1-free diet + 0.5% (w/w) adsorbent; (4) AF+alfalfa, diet contaminated with 250 ng AFB1/g + 0.5% (w/w) adsorbent, and (5) AF+ yeast cell wall (YCW), diet contaminated with 250 ng AFB1/g + 0.5% (w/w) of yeast cell wall (a commercial mycotoxin binder used as reference material). The in vivo efficacy of powdered alfalfa leaves was assessed during a 28-day period. In general, the addition of powdered alfalfa leaves in the AFB1-free diet gave the best performance results (body weight, body weight gain, and feed intake) and improved the values of total protein, glucose, calcium, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. Moreover, the addition of powdered alfalfa leaves in the AFB1-contaminated diet enhanced body weight and body weight gain and significantly reduced the feed intake, compared to the AF and AF+YCW groups. Additionally, significant alterations in serum parameters were observed in poults intoxicated with the AFB1, compared to the Control group. Furthermore, typical histopathological lesions were observed in the liver of the AF group, which were significantly ameliorated with the addition of powdered alfalfa leaves. Conclusively, these results pointed out that low inclusion of powdered alfalfa leaves in the contaminated feed counteracted the adverse effects of AFB1 in turkey poults.

Responses of Broiler Chickens Fed Low or High Non-Starch Polysaccharide Diets and the Addition of Humic Substances from a Worm Compost

The objective was to evaluate the productivity, microbiology and histopathology of the jejunum, ceca and liver in broilers fed a control or a high non-starch polysaccharide (HNSPs) diet added with an extract of humic substances (EHS). 240 broilers individually allocated, from 21-42 d of age were assigned to a factorial arrangement of 2 types of diets: 1) A corn/soybean meal diet (Control) and 2) As Control plus 7% distillers dried grain with solubles and 12% of wheat bran (HNSPs), and 3 growth promoters: 1) Antibiotic growth promoters (AGP); 2) without AGP (NAGP) and C) with 0.5% of EHS. At the end of the trial, the breast and carcass were weighed and samples of the intestine, ceca and liver were taken for microbial and histopathology analysis. Results were subjected to ANOVA. EHS-fed broilers had lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) and total aerobic bacterial (TAB) counts in the liver and higher ashes digestibility with the Control diet, but negative responses were seen with the HNSPs diet (Type of diet and growth promoter interaction, p≤0.05). The lesion scores in the jejunum were lower in EHS-fed broilers with the Control and HNSPs diet (p≤0.05). The TAB and E. coli were lower in the jejunum and ceca of AGP-fed broilers (p<0.01) compared to NAGP and EHS groups. EHS-fed broilers showed improved FCR and ileal ashes digestibility and lower TAB in the liver with the Control diet and had lower lesion score in the jejunum and similar weight gain compared to the AGP-fed broilers.(AU)

Growth Performance and Tibia Mineralization of Broiler Chickens Supplemented with a Liquid Extract of Humic Substances

The objective of the study was to evaluate the productive, carcass, and tibia mineralization responses in broiler chickens supplemented with a liquid extract of humic substances (HS) in the drinking water. Chicks were housed in holding cages from 8-42 days of age and were randomly assigned to one of five increasing HS levels in the drinking water (0, 161, 322, 483, and 644 µg/L). At 21 and 42 days, to obtain carcass and tibia measurements half of the broilers were slaughtered. ANOVA and linear regression were used to analyze the data. The HS chemical composition and flat structures were estimated. At 21 days, increasing levels of HS in the drinking water resulted in a cubic response on breast weight (p<0.05), tibia ashes percentage (p<0.05) and tibia Ca percentage, as well as a linear increasing response (p<0.05) on P percentage. HS elicited a quadratic response on the tibia DM percentage (p<0.05), Ca content (p<0.01), and P content (p<0.05) at 42 days. The optimal HS supplementation level to achieve the highest tibia DM percentage, Ca and P content were 345.00, 322.46, and 347.75 µg/L, respectively. Increasing HS levels also resulted in a cubic response in tibia Ca (p<0.05) and P percentage (p<0.01). In conclusions, HS supplementation in drinking water improved bone mineralization in broiler chickens at 21 and 42 days of age.(AU)

Addition of a worm leachate as source of humic substances in the drinking water of broiler chickens.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the growth performance, the apparent ileal digestibility of nitrogen and energy, the retention of nutrients and the apparent metabolizable energy corrected to zero nitrogen retention (AMEn) in broiler chickens supplemented with increasing doses of a worm leachate (WL) as a source of humic substances (HS) in the drinking water. In Exp. 1, 140 male broilers were penned individually and assigned to four WL levels (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) mixed in the drinking water from 21 to 49 days of age. Water was offered in plastic bottles tied to the cage. In Exp. 2, 600 male broilers from 21 to 49 days of age housed in floor pens were assigned to three levels of WL (0%, 10%, and 20%) mixed in the drinking water. The WL was mixed with tap water in plastic containers connected by plastic tubing to bell drinkers. The results of both experiments were subjected to analysis of variance and polynomial contrasts. In Exp. 1, the daily water consumption was similar among treatments but the consumption of humic, fulvic, and total humic acids increased linearly (p<0.01) as the WL increased in the drinking water. The feed conversion (p<0.01) and the ileal digestibility of energy, the excretion of dry matter and energy, the retention of dry matter, ash and nitrogen and the AMEn showed quadratic responses (p<0.05) relative to the WL levels in drinking water. In Exp. 2, the increasing level of WL in the drinking water had quadratic effects on the final body weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio (p<0.05). The addition of WL as a source of HS in the drinking water had beneficial effects on the growth performance, ileal digestibility of energy, the retention of nutrients as well on the AMEn in broiler chickens; the best results were observed when the WL was mixed at levels of 20% to 30% in the drinking water.