Hydroalcoholic Extract of Saffron Petals, Yeast Cell Wall and Bentonite Reduce Contamination Effects With Aflatoxin B₁ and Ochratoxin A in Exposed Broilers

Abstract

BackgroundContamination is not surprising in light of the ubiquitous nature of the fungi that produce aflatoxin and ochratoxin A. The presence of these toxins in the broiler diet leads to increased losses, an increased feed conversion ratio, and decreased productivity.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the effects of the use of hydroalcoholic extracts of saffron petals, yeast cell walls and bentonite in the diets of broiler chickens contaminated with aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A.MethodsIn a completely randomised design, 350 one‐day‐old Ross 308 broilers were allocated into seven treatment groups and five replications: a negative control diet (without toxins or additives), a positive control diet (2.5 mg/kg aflatoxin + 2 mg/kg ochratoxin A (mg/kg) and diets containing toxins with a commercial toxin binder or yeast cell wall, processed bentonite or saffron petal extract alone or together.ResultsCompared with those in the positive control treatment, the relative weights of the carcasses, breasts and drumsticks improved with the addition of toxic adsorbent compounds (p < 0.05). Compared with the control treatment, the inclusion of a toxin binder had a significant effect on the concentration of glucose (p < 0.05). The concentrations of alanine aminotransferase and gamma‐glutamyltransferase enzymes in the yeast cell wall + processed bentonite + saffron petal extract treatment were lower than those in the other treatments (p < 0.05). Toxin adsorbent compounds significantly improved the morphology of the small intestine in chickens fed contaminated diets (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe inclusion of toxic adsorbent compounds can reduce the negative effects caused by the presence of Aflatoxin B1 and Ocratoxin A. Saffron petal extract can potentially be used to modulate diets contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 and Ocratoxin A, which is best achieved with 750 mg/kg saffron petal extract along with 0.1% yeast cell wall extract and 1% processed bentonite.