The Impact of High Environmental Temperature on Aflatoxicosis and the Effects of Mannanoligosaccharide (MOS) as a Binding Agent

Aflatoxin continues to be a serious hazard to high quality grains, animal productivity, and health and food security in many countries. Poor growth, feed efficiency, immuno suppression, organ damage, carcinogenicity, and toxin residue in foods are some of the adverse effects of aflatoxicosis. To reduce aflatoxicosis several binding agents have been suggested including sodium bentonites, synthetic zeolite, activated charcoal, H.S.C.A.S. and yeast. MOS is a non-digestible carbohydrate from the extract of yeast and has been very effective as a binding agent for aflatoxin in feeds. The Objectives ofthese studies were to show the; (I) effects ofaflatoxin on growth, and feed utilization, (2) relationship between aflatoxicosis and environmental temperature, and (3) effects of non-digestible carbohydrate (MOS) on the reduction of aflatoxicosis. In these separate studies commercial broiler chicks were fed aflatoxin-treated feed to 4 wks ofage. In the first and second studies, the effect of aflatoxin on perfonnance was examined under two separate environmental temperatures, 21° and 32 OC. In the third study, the effects ofMOS on aflatoxicosis under the two different temperatures were examined. Parameters measured were body weight, feed utilization, mortality and relative organ weights. Results showed that body weight of broiler chicks at 4 weeks of age was severely suppressed by 59% with the ingestion of 3 ppm of aflatoxin. Feed utilization was also significantly reduced, Among the internal organs examined, the liver, proventriculus, spleen and heart were severely affected by the feeding of aflatoxin. Under different environmental temperatures, the effect ofaflatoxicosis was more severe at 32 °C. MOS applied at 21bs per ton offeed was extremely effective in reducing aflatoxicosis by 85 percent. Irrespective ofthe temperature, body weight and feed utilization improved markedly compared to the control with the dietary inclusion ofMOS at 2 Ibs per ton of feed. In conclusion, MOS has been proven to be an effective binder for aflatoxins.