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Vitamins play an essential role in broiler nutrition. They are fundamental for normal metabolic and physiological process, and their requirements for poultry are not fixed and can be affected by multiple factors. In contrast, mycotoxins are a challenging issue because they hinder performance and the immune system. Vitamin supplementation above minimum requirements would permit improvement in productive potential, health, bone and meat quality in a situation of mycotoxin challenge. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of optimum vitamin nutrition in diets contaminated with aflatoxin in broilers from 1 to 44 days of age. A total of 1800 Cobb 500 male chicks were randomized to 15 sets of eight treatment groups, each containing 15 birds using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design (commercial vitamin levels and high vitamin levels, two levels of aflatoxin – 0 and 0.5 ppm with binder levels of 0 and 10 000 mg/kg). The mash diets were corn and soybean meal based, formulated according to commercial practices. Feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion were analyzed for birds from 1 to 44 days of age. To determine carcass characteristics (carcass yield, breast yield and leg yield) and black bone syndrome, two birds were slaughtered from each group at 45 days. Other analyses included breast tenderness, water loss by dripping and malonaldehyde concentrations. The results demonstrated that broilers that were fed high levels of vitamins showed better weight gain, feed conversion, carcass yield and breast yield than broilers that were fed diets with commercial vitamin levels (P < 0.05); also, broilers that were fed diets containing 0.5 ppm aflatoxin had lower weight gain, carcass yield and breast yield (P < 0.05). The use of 10 000 mg/kg of binder improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion throughout the rearing period. We conclude that aflatoxin negatively affects performance and carcass yield; however, feeding optimum vitamin nutrition improved these performance traits.

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This trial evaluated the effects of activated silicon dioxide on sows’ diets and its effects on piglets’ performance. Eighty PIC sows from different delivery orders (3rd, 4th, 5h, and 6h) were used. At 100 ± 1 day of gestation, females were transferred from the gestation to the maternity rooms. Before delivery, they were weighed, classified according to the order of delivery, distributed and fed with the experimental diets. Sows were distributed in a completely randomized design with 2 treatments of 40 replicates, each experimental unit being composed of 1 sow. The treatments were: T1: basal diet – corn and soybean meal based; T2: basal diet + 0.3 kg of silicon dioxide/ton. Feed intake, body weight change were evaluated. At d10 after delivery, milk from 5 sows/treatment were collected to analyze density, total solids, fat, protein, and lactose. At birth and wean, litter size and weight were determined. The data was analyzed using the TTEST procedure (Statistical Analysis System, version 9.3). When the distributional assumptions for a t-test were not met, the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test was applied to compare the difference in means between treatments using the NPAR1WAY procedure. Sows fed diets supplemented with activated silicon dioxide shown higher milk production (260 kg versus 247 kg; P = 0.09) and smaller body weight change than sows fed control diet (7.37% versus 9.33%; P = 0.003). At weaning, piglets from sows fed diets supplemented to activated silica were heavier than piglets from sows fed treatment control (7.00 kg versus 6.69 kg; P = 0.06). It was not found differences between treatments for milk quality (P &gt; 0.05) but a numerical improvement on fat content for the group fed with activated silica (9,12 % vs 8,46%). It was concluded that under our trial conditions, the use of activated silicon dioxide-40 microns on maternal diets improves sows’ and piglets’ performance.

Effects of phytase supplementation to reduced-nutrient diets on performance, egg quality, and economic parameters in commercial layers Efectos de la suplementación con fitasa en dietas bajas en nutrientes sobre el rendimiento, la calidad del huevo y los parámetros económicos en ponedoras comerciales. Efeitos da suplementação de fitase em dietas com nutrientes reduzidos sobre o desempenho, qualidade do ovo e parâmetros econômicos em poedeiras comerciais