Can the Inclusion of a Vegetable Biocholine Additive in Pig Feed Contaminated with Aflatoxin Reduce Toxicological Impacts on Animal Health and Performance?

Aflatoxin B1: Challenges and Strategies for the Intestinal Microbiota and Intestinal Health of Monogastric Animals

The objective of this review is to investigate the impacts of aflatoxins, particularly aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), on intestinal microbiota, intestinal health, and growth performance in monogastric animals, primarily chickens and pigs, as well as dietary interventions to mitigate these effects. Aflatoxin B1 contamination in feeds disrupts intestinal microbiota, induces immune responses and oxidative damage, increases antioxidant activity, and impairs jejunal cell viability, barrier function, and morphology in the small intestine. These changes compromise nutrient digestion and reduce growth performance in animals. The negative impact of AFB1 on the % change in average daily gain (ΔADG) of chickens and pigs was estimated based on meta-analysis: ΔADG (%)chicken = -0.13 × AFB1 intake per body weight (ng/g·d) and ΔADG (%)pig = -0.74 × AFB1 intake per body weight (µg/kg·d), indicating that increasing AFB1 contamination linearly reduces the growth of animals. To mitigate the harmful impacts of AFB1, various dietary strategies have been effective. Mycotoxin-detoxifying agents include mycotoxin-adsorbing agents, such as clay and yeast cell wall compounds, binding to AFB1 and mycotoxin-biotransforming agents, such as specific strains of Bacillus subtilis and mycotoxin-degrading enzyme, degrading AFB1 into non-toxic metabolites such as aflatoxin D1. Multiple mycotoxin-detoxifying agents are often combined and used together to improve the intestinal health and growth of chickens and pigs fed AFB1-contaminated feeds. In summary, AFB1 negatively impacts intestinal microbiota, induces immune responses and oxidative stress, disrupts intestinal morphology, and impairs nutrient digestion in the small intestine, leading to reduced growth performance. Supplementing multi-component mycotoxin-detoxifying agents in feeds could effectively adsorb and degrade AFB1 co-contaminated with other mycotoxins prior to its absorption in the small intestine, preventing its negative impacts on the intestinal health and growth performance of chickens and pigs.

AFB1 Toxicity in Human Food and Animal Feed Consumption: A Review of Experimental Treatments and Preventive Measures

AIMS

The current review aims to outline and summarize the latest research on aflatoxin, with research studies describing natural, herbal and chemical compound applications in animal (pig) models and in vitro cellular studies. Aflatoxin, a carcinogenic toxin metabolite, is produced by Aspergillus flavus in humid environments, posing a threat to human health and crop production. The current treatment involves the prevention of exposure to aflatoxin and counteracting its harmful toxic effects, enabling survival and research studies on an antidote for aflatoxin.

OBJECTIVES

To summarize current research prospects and to outline the influence of aflatoxin on animal forage in farm production, food and crop processing. The research application of remedies to treat aflatoxin is undergoing development to pinpoint biochemical pathways responsible for aflatoxin effects transmission and actions of treatment.

SIGNIFICANCE

To underline the environmental stress of aflatoxin on meat and dairy products; to describe clinical syndromes associated with aflatoxicosis on human health that are counteracted with proposed treatment and preventive interventions. To understand how to improve the health of farm animals with feed conditions.

A Polyherbal Mixture with Nutraceutical Properties for Ruminants: A Meta-Analysis and Review of BioCholine Powder

BioCholine Powder is a polyherbal feed additive composed of Achyrantes aspera, Trachyspermum ammi, Azadirachta indica, and Citrullus colocynthis. The objective of this study was to analyze published results that support the hypothesis that the polyherbal product BioCholine Powder has rumen bypass choline metabolites through a meta-analysis and effect size analysis (ES). Using Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and university dissertation databases, a systematic search was conducted for experiments published in scientific documents that evaluated the effects of BioCholine supplementation on the variables of interest. The analyzed data were extracted from twenty-one publications (fifteen scientific articles, three abstracts, and three graduate dissertations available in institutional libraries). The studies included lamb growing-finishing, lactating ewes and goats, calves, and dairy cows. The effects of BioCholine were analyzed using random effects statistical models to compare the weighted mean difference (WMD) between BioCholine-supplemented ruminants and controls (no BioCholine). Heterogeneity was explored, and three subgroup analyses were performed for doses [(4 (or 5 g/d), 8 (10 g/d)], supplementation in gestating and lactating ewes (pre- and postpartum supplementation), and blood metabolites by species and physiological state (lactating goats, calves, lambs, ewes). Supplementation with BioCholine in sheep increased the average daily lamb gain (p < 0.05), final body weight (p < 0.01), and daily milk yield (p < 0.05) without effects on intake or feed conversion. Milk yield was improved in small ruminants with BioCholine prepartum supplementation (p < 0.10). BioCholine supplementation decreased blood urea (p < 0.01) and increased levels of the liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT; p < 0.10) and albumin (p < 0.001). BioCholine doses over 8 g/d increased blood glucose, albumin (p < 0.10), cholesterol, total protein, and globulin (p < 0.05). The ES values of BioCholine in retained energy over the control in growing lambs were +7.15% NEm (p < 0.10) and +9.25% NEg (p < 0.10). In conclusion, adding BioCholine Powder to domestic ruminants' diets improves productive performance, blood metabolite indicators of protein metabolism, and liver health, showing its nutraceutical properties where phosphatidylcholine prevails as an alternative that can meet the choline requirements in ruminants.