Effects of feeding wheat naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on blood biochemistry and the effectiveness of dietary lignin treatment to alleviate mycotoxin adverse effects in broiler chickens

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding wheat naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on some biochemical parameters and the efficacy of lignin to alleviate adverse effects of fusariotoxins in broiler chickens. Eighty, 1-d-old ROSS 308 broiler chicks of both sexes were used in the experiment. All birds received the control diet for two weeks and then they were fed experimental diets for two more weeks. The 4 diets included the following: 1.) negative control diet (0.1 mg DON/kg diet; 0.005 mg ZEA/kg diet), 2.) positive control diet (0.1 mg DON/kg diet, 0.005 mg ZEA/kg diet + 0.5% lignin), 3.) mycotoxin-contaminated diet (2.95 mg DON/kg diet, 1.59 mg ZEA/kg diet) and 4.) mycotoxincontaminated diet with the addition of lignin at 0.5% of the diet (2.95 mg DON/kg diet, 1.59 mg ZEA/kg diet + 0.5% lignin). The feeding of contaminated wheat did not significantly affect parameters of mineral metabolism, including calcium, chlorides and phosphorus. Decreased levels of total protein, albumin and potassium were observed. However, dietary supplementation with lignin prevented this effect. Plasma triglycerides and free glycerol levels were not affected by dietary treatments. There was a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities and magnesium and cholesterol levels in plasma from birds fed contaminated wheat. Inclusion of lignin in the diet reversed elevated alkaline phosphatase activity in chicks induced by mycotoxin-contaminated diet. Results indicated that consumption of grain naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins can adversely affect chickens' metabolism. As a food additive, lignin was not effective in the prevention of Fusarium mycotoxins effects in chickens.