Protective Effect of Date Pits on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Blood Indices, Intestinal Morphology, Nutrient Digestibility, and Hepatic Aflatoxin Residues of Aflatoxin B1-Exposed Broilers

Abstract

This research aimed to assess the influence of date pits (DP) on reducing toxic influences of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in broilers by examining the growth performance, carcass characteristics, serum indices, ileum morphology, apparent nutrient digestibility, and liver AFB1 residues. In total, 360 11-day-old straight-run broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 6 dietary treatments, with 10 replications of 6 birds each, in a 20-day experiment. The treatments were as follows: standard basal diet (negative control, NC); NC + 0.25 mg/kg AFB1 (positive control, PC); NC + 2% DP; NC + 4% DP; PC + 2% DP; PC + 4% DP. Compared to the NC diet, feeding the PC diet decreased the daily feed intake (DFI) during the grower and overall periods (p < 0.01); reduced the daily weight gain (DWG) and production efficiency factor (PEF); increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) during all experimental periods (p < 0.001); diminished the dressing percentage, breast meat yield, serum concentrations of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), glucose (GLU), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), villus height (VH), villus surface area (VSA), apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE), apparent metabolizable energy (AME), and nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn) (p < 0.001); and raised the proportional liver weight, serum activities of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), and residues of AFB1 in the liver (p < 0.001). Compared to the PC diet, feeding the PC + 2% DP or PC + 4% DP diets increased the DWG during finisher and overall periods, PEF during the finisher period, serum levels of TP, GLU, T-AOC, and T-SOD, VH, and apparent digestibility of CP and EE, AME, and AMEn, and decreased FCR during all experimental periods and AFB1 residues in the liver (p < 0.001). Moreover, feeding the PC + 4% DP diet increased the DWG during the grower period, PEF during the overall period, dressing percentage, serum ALB level, and VSA, and decreased the proportional liver weight and serum GOT and GPT activities when compared to the PC diet (p < 0.001). To conclude, our findings demonstrate that a dietary addition of 4% DP can deliver a better safeguard against the adverse influences of AFB1 in broiler chickens.

The effect of dietary aflatoxin B1, thyme oil, and their combination on sustainability of meat production of broiler chickens

“…Also, Bhatti et al (2016) summarized that a significant decrease (p<0.05) had been observed in body weight gain of broiler fed dietary added with 0.1, 0.2 and 0.6 mg/kg aflatoxin B1 compared to control group. In addition, Khaleghipour et al (2019) (Alharthi et al, 2022). Also, Santurio (1999) reported that supplementation of aflatoxin at 3 mg/kg to broilers diet had been significantly (p<0.05) decreased body weight gain compared to control group.…”

“…Likewise, observed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in feed intake of broilers treated with dietary 0,5 g/kg aflatoxin B1 during the period from 1 to 20 days of age, compared to the control group. Also, feed intake was significantly lower in broilers fed contaminated diet with aflatoxin B1 at 0.25 mg/kg than control group (Alharthi et al, 2022). Additionally, Khaleghipour et al (2019) reported that supplementation of 2.2 mg/kg aflatoxin B1 to broiler Japanese quail diet during the period from 7 to 35 days of age had been significantly (p<0.05) reduced feed intake compared to the control group.…”

Effects of Aflatoxin B₁ on growth performance, carcass traits, organ index, blood biochemistry and oxidative status in Chinese yellow chickens

“…Additionally, there was an observed increase in the feed conversion ratio across all experimental periods. Moreover, AFB 1 decreased the dressing percentage and breast meat yield, as well as the apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE), apparent metabolizable energy (AME), and nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn) [ 3 ]. However, in this study, aflatoxin had no effect on the slaughter rate, half-eviscerated yield, rate of breast muscle increase, or abdominal fat rate of broilers.…”

Evaluating the effectiveness of Toxfin and Novasil as dietary aflatoxin-binding agents in broilers for sustaining hepatic antioxidant capacity and intestinal health status during aflatoxin B 1 exposure

“…Upon ingestion, AFB 1 undergoes conversion into secondary toxic metabolites, primarily within the liver, resulting in liver deterioration by triggering hepatocyte apoptosis and disrupting cellular enzymatic activities (Dohnal et al 2014). A wide-ranging body of research has extensively elucidated the damaging impacts of AFB 1 on broiler chickens, spanning a spectrum of detrimental outcomes including diminished growth performance (Chen et al 2022;Alharthi et al 2022a), deteriorated carcass yields (Bryden 2012; Alharthi et al 2022b), metabolic disorders (Li et al 2019), compromised antioxidant defense system (Amminikutty et al 2023), heightened vulnerability to infectious diseases (Ellakany et al 2011), and augmented mortality rates (Pasha et al 2007). These multifaceted repercussions converge to result in signi cant nancial burdens for poultry producers (Monson et al 2015).…”