Effects of mycotoxin-contaminated diets and deactivating compound in laying hens: 2. Effects on white shell egg quality and characteristics

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of Mycofix Select (Biomin GmbH, Herzogenburg, Austria) on discrete egg parameters and quality characteristics of hens fed mycotoxin-contaminated diets (aflatoxin; AFLA) and deoxynivalenol (DON)) during a 10-wk trial. A 4 × 2 factorial design was used with 4 contamination levels: control, low (0.5 mg/kg of AFLA + 1.0 mg/kg of DON), medium (1.5 mg/kg of AFLA + 1.5 mg/kg of DON), and high (2.0 mg/kg of AFLA + 2.0 mg/kg of DON) with or without the inclusion of mycotoxin deactivating compound. Three hundred and eighty-four 25-wk-old laying hens were housed 3 per cage. Birds were fed contaminated diets for a 6-wk phase of toxin administration followed by a 4-wk recovery phase, when all birds were fed mycotoxin-free diets. Parameters evaluated included egg weight, Haugh unit value, specific gravity, eggshell thickness, egg shape index, and relative albumen and yolk weights. Albumen height and Haugh unit value were depressed (P < 0.05) at the high mycotoxin level 2 wk postinclusion. Egg weight was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) with the high toxins level by the third week of toxin administration and remained throughout the study during toxin administration. Egg shape index indicated a variation (P < 0.05) in shape with all toxin levels compared with the control. Relative yolk weight was decreased (P < 0.05) by the high toxin level. An interaction existed between the deactivating compound inclusion and toxins level with regard to specific gravity. Following the toxin phase, the deactivating compound inclusion increased (P < 0.05) egg specific gravity in the control and low toxin groups whereas a decrease (P < 0.05) was observed at the high toxin level. These data indicate that mycotoxins present in feed can reduce egg quality, size, yolk weight, and alter egg shape and that inclusion of a mycotoxin deactivating compound can ameliorate some of the negative effects of mycotoxin consumption.

Detoxification of Mycotoxins through Biotransformation

“…As can be seen from the examples given in this review that both organisms and the isolated enzymes possess considerable biochemical potentials to convert mycotoxins. The recently-reported examples, coupled with the emergence of some efficient commercialized biological/enzymatic agents, highlight the promise of this approach to address the safety of animal feed and human food [11,168,169].…”

Strategies and Methodologies for Developing Microbial Detoxification Systems to Mitigate Mycotoxins

“…The recently-reported examples, coupled with the emergence of some efficient commercialized biological/enzymatic agents, highlight the promise of this approach to address the safety of animal feed and human food [170,171]. …”

“…The introduction of state-of-the-art research tools, such as next-generation sequencing, recombinant-enzyme overexpression and robust HPLC-MS/MS systems, combined with our enhanced understanding of the actual mechanisms underlying the diminished toxicity of final biotransformation products [140,146,172], will immensely aid in the identification [12], optimization and usage [170,171] of such naturally-derived alternatives. It is anticipated that these novel approaches will form the basis for sustainable long-term solutions to the ever-growing problem of mycotoxins in the coming years.…”

Aflatoxicosis: Lessons from Toxicity and Responses to Aflatoxin B1 in Poultry

“…In layers fed AFB1, age to maturity is increased [34] and egg production is reduced [34,121,125,[128][129][130][131]. Egg quality parameters such as total weight, shape, albumin or yolk percentage, and shell thickness in chickens and quail can be adversely affected by AFB1, although the effects were variable among studies [34,125,126,128,[131][132][133]. The declines in poultry production traits are often indirect effects of AFB1 reducing the metabolic potential of the liver.…”