Prevalence of aflatoxin b1 in some common poultry feed ingredients and optimum inclusion levels of mycofix binder as feed additive on performance of broiler chickens

Abstract

A preliminary study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Aflatoxin B1 (AfB1) contamination and common moulds growing in some selected poultry feed raw materials in Zaria. Five different feed raw materials: Maize (MZ), soybean cake (SBC), groundnut cake (GNC), brewers dried grain (BDG) and maize offal (M/O), were collected from four feed mills and the open market. The common moulds isolated from the samples were Mucor spp., Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillum spp., Curvularia spp. and Rhizopus spp. AfB1 contamination showed that maize and soya bean cake were less than the 20 parts per billion (ppb) permissible limits forAfB1 in poultry feed ingredients, while BDG, M/O and GNC were 40, 60 and 80%respectively above 20 ppb permissible limits. A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the response of broiler chickens to Mycofix™ a toxin binder. Three hundred and thirty Ross, 1-day old broiler chicks were assigned to five dietary treatments, each with three replicates of 22 chicks per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Treatment 1 was the control diet without Mycofix™ while treatments 2, 3, 4 and 5 had Mycofix™ included at 100, 200, 300 and 400 g /100kg diet, respectively at both starter and finisher phases. Experimental diets and water were given to the birds ad libitum during eight weeks of the feeding trial. Data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using General Linear Model procedure of SAS and significant differences among treatment means were compared using Dunnette test of significance. Results of the starter phase showed that birds fed 400 g/100kg Mycofix™ diet had the best final body weight (902.67g), weight gain (839.67g) and average daily weight gain (29.98g). Birds fed 200 g /100 kg Mycofix™ had the lowest feed conversion ratio of 1.60 and the least cost per kilogram gain (₦138.52). At the finisher phase, birds on 400 g/100kg Mycofix™ diet had the best final weight (2345.3g), weight gain (1403.3g), average daily gain (50.1g), feed conversion ratio (2.1) and least feed cost per kilogram gain (₦167.20). It may be concluded that addition of Mycofix™ to diets of broiler chickens at 400g/ 100kg at both starter and finisher phases of the study improved performance significantly and gave the least cost of production.