# Combination of Anti-Mycotoxin Additive in Diet Contaminated with Multiple Mycotoxins (Aflatoxin, Fumonisin, Zearalenone and Deoxynivalenol): Effects on Performance and Health of Lambs

## TL;DR

A combination additive reduced the harmful effects of multiple mycotoxins in lambs' diets, improving weight gain and health.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a multi-component anti-mycotoxin additive in mitigating mycotoxin-induced health and performance issues in lambs.

## Key findings

- The anti-mycotoxin additive minimized weight loss and liver damage biomarkers in lambs exposed to multiple mycotoxins.
- Additive use restored oxidative stress levels to those of the control group, indicating protection against toxin-induced stress.
- Lambs receiving the additive had similar average daily weight gain and feed efficiency to the control group.

## Abstract

Extreme climates have compromised the production of high-quality cereals or silage, both due to the chemical composition of animal feed and contamination factors, particularly mycotoxins. The problem of mycotoxins, often more than one, has been addressed with the use of anti-mycotoxin additives as a preventative in ruminant diets. In this study, we found that animals exposed to four types of mycotoxins, exceeding the maximum contamination limit recommended by regulatory agencies, interfered with weight gain and in cattle, and increased biomarkers that characterize cell/tissue damage. However, when an additive based on bentonite, activated charcoal, milk thistle extract, and yeast cell wall was added, the negative impacts of these toxins were minimized, with weight gain being similar to that of animals in the control group.

During the grain and cereal production process, whether during harvesting, processing, or storage, errors can occur, compromising product quality and potentially leading to contamination by fungi, which produce toxic substances known as mycotoxins. When fed to animals, these contaminated grains and cereals can cause several negative effects on animal health, impacting their production performance, including immunosuppression, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and reproductive problems. To minimize the problems caused by mycotoxins, anti-mycotoxin additives, also known as adsorbents, are used. These are inert materials that bind to mycotoxins and are excreted in feces, preventing their action within the animal’s body. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an anti-mycotoxin product based on bentonite, activated charcoal, milk thistle extract, and yeast cell wall in the diet of mycotoxin-contaminated lambs on animal health and performance. Thirty lambs were divided into three homogeneous groups: control (without mycotoxins or additives), mycotoxin (with mycotoxins), and anti-mycotoxin (mycotoxins and additive). The mycotoxins used for feed contamination were aflatoxin (AFLA) (200 ppb), fumonisin (FUMO) (15 ppm), zearalenone (ZEA) (500 ppb), and deoxynivalenol (DON) (1.5 ppm). The anti-mycotoxin additive was used at a dose of 1 kg/ton of concentrate. Parameters of zootechnical performance, hematological profile, serum biochemistry, and oxidative status were evaluated. The group that ingested the contaminated concentrate with mycotoxin had a lower average daily weight gain (ADG) when compared to the control and anti-mycotoxin groups. Ingestion of a mycotoxin-contaminated diet increased the activity of aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyltransferase, which are indicators of liver damage. However, when the anti-mycotoxin additive was used, the increase in these enzymes was modest and lower than in the mycotoxin group. Ingestion of a mycotoxin-containing concentrate increased levels of oxidative stress biomarkers such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and reduced glutathione (GST), demonstrating that the mycotoxin challenge was effective in causing oxidative stress. However, when the diet was contaminated with mycotoxins and supplemented with the anti-mycotoxin additive, the levels of ROS and TBARS were similar to those of the negative control group. We concluded that adding the anti-mycotoxin product to the lambs’ diets prevented or minimized the problems caused by mycotoxin consumption, allowing these lambs to have ADG, and feed efficiency similar to the control group.