PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF MMDA AGAINST A COMBINED CHALLENGE
WITH AFLATOXINS AND FUMONISINS IN BROILER CHICKENS
Goran Grubjesić1, Diego Artemio Franco Sturza2, Leandro Giacomini2, Alexandro Marchioro3, Jog Raj1 and Marko Vasiljević1
1PATENT CO. DOO., Mišićevo, Serbia
2Samitec lnstitute, Santa Maria, Brazil
3Agromed Patent Co. Brazil, Londrina-RP, Brazil
Corresponding author: grubjesic@agromed.at
OBJECTIVE
A trial was conducted to test the effect of a commercial multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA) on the performance parameters, ileal microbiota, and serum biomarkers of mycotoxin-challenged broiler chickens.
MATERIALS & METHODS
The trial took place in May 2023 at the Samitec lnstitute in Brazil and lasted 21 days.
A total of 240 one-day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks were distributed into four groups with 60 animals each, and six replicates per group.
The birds were housed in battery cages and provided water and a corn and soybean meal-based feed ad libitum.
The mycotoxin challenge consisted of 1.4 mg/kg aflatoxins and 50 mg/kg fumonisins in the finished feed.
MMDA consists of a mineral component, Bacillus spp., yeast cell walls, and a plant extract.
The four trial groups were:
Negative control
Positive control (mycotoxin challenge)
MMDA (5 kg/t feed) without the mycotoxin challenge
MMDA (5 kg/t feed) with the mycotoxin challenge
Means were compared using Student’s or Welch’s t-test.
The study was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the National Council for Experimentation Control in Brazil (GONCEA) and was approved by the Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee of the Samitec lnstitute, protocol number 029.01 .23.
RESULTS
The mycotoxin challenge had a limited negative effect on performance parameters, reducing body weight gain (7.2 %; p = 0.003) and feed intake (5.3 %; p = 0.050) but not affecting feed conversion ratio.
MMDA alone did not compromise performance parameters, proving safe for broilers up to 21 days.
In the mycotoxin-fed group, MMDA tended to increase feed intake (7.6%; p=0.058) without affecting other performance parameters.
TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, a marker of imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant processes) was significantly lower (p<0.001) in the mycotoxin challenge group.
However, adding MMDA to the mycotoxin-contaminated feed significantly increased TBARS (p=0.013), suggesting a positive effect on oxidative stress metabolism.
MMDA inclusion resulted in a significantly higher population of Bacillus spp. in the ileum, both in groups without (38.6 %; p < 0.001) and with mycotoxins (35.4 %; p < 0.001), indicating successful intestinal colonization with microbes from MMDA which perform biotransformation of certain mycotoxins.
CONCLUSIONS
A challenge with 1.4 mg/kg aflatoxins and 50 mg/kg fumonisins negatively influenced performance parameters, ileal microbiota, and serum biomarkers of broiler chickens, while MMDA helped reduce these effects.
