Efficacy of adsorbents to reduce the affect of ochratoxin in broilers

Ochratoxin A was extracted from Aspergillus ochraceus and mixed with broiler diet at 2 ppm level and detoxified the contaminated feed using different adsorbents (bentonite, activated charcoal, hydrated sodium calcium alumino silicate (HSCAS), lyophilized yeast culture and yeast cell wall extract) at different levels. Based on the performance of adsorbant, HSCAS 0.3% and yeast culture 0.1% were selected for testing their efficacy in reducing the effect of toxin on the performance of broiler chicks. Basal diets prepared for 0–3 week grower and 4–6 wk finished broilers were supplemented with 2 ppm ochratoxin 2 ppm ochratoxin + 0.3% HSCAS or 2 ppm ochratoxin + 0.1% yeast culture.

The birds fed diet containing 2 ppm ochratoxin showed significantly (P<0.01) lower weight gains and feed consumption as well as low (P<0.05) levels of serum proteins, cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium and phosphorus and significantly (P<0.01) higher serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyl transferase, uric acid, creatinine and glucose level compared to that in birds fed basal diet. Further, birds of this group also exhibited congestion of central vein in liver, hyaline casts in kidneys, germinal center depletion in spleen and cystic spaces in bursa. The diet containing yeast culture at 0.1% level could not reduce the effect of ochratoxin A though it adsorbed 68% of toxin in in vitro studies. However, diet containing HSCAS at 0.3% level could show partial ameliorative effect on ochratoxicosis because it adsorbed only 77% of toxin in in vitro studies, indicating HSCAS at 0.3% was good enough to reduce the negative affects of ochratoxin A contaminated diet in broiler chicks.