Mycotoxins are natural toxins produced by fungi which grow in grain and feed of poultry. There are hundreds of known mycotoxins having mild to severe toxicity. The most important mycotoxins in poultry production include:
- Aflatoxins: AFB1, AFB2,AFG1, AFG2
- Ochratoxin A (OTA)
- Trichothecenes Type A: Toxin T-2 Diacetoxiscirpenol
- Fumonisins: FB1, Fb2
The mycotoxin contamination in poultry feed has the potential to cause:
- Immunosuppression
- Damage kidney and liver health
- Reduce fertility
- Reduce performance
- Impair gut health
- Ineffectiveness of vaccines
The mechanism of action of the mycotoxins is based on enzymatic inhibition that reduces protein synthesis.
Aflatoxins:
They are mainly immunosuppressive.
Type A Trichothecenes:
It is highly toxic in birds and cause reduction in feed intake, body weight, egg production and oral lesions.
Ochratoxins:
This toxin is nephrotoxic and affects egg shell quality, egg production and growth of birds.
Fumonisins:
This toxin causes increased mortality & lowers average daily weight gain in the birds.
The clinical symptoms associated with Mycotoxin intoxication in poultry include:
- Loss of appetite
- Reduction in body weight
- Hepatic and renal damage
- Reduced egg weight and Production and eggshell quality
- Immunosupression
- Increased flock mortality
The first step to prevent mycotoxin contamination involves elimination or reduction of fungal growth in poultry feed. Use of detoxifying or adsorbing agents in
poultry rations helps to eliminate mycotoxins present in the feed. NOREL-NBPL has two unique mycotoxin binders TOXIFREE® & TOXIWALL® which exhibit a wide spectrum capacity of mycotoxin adsorption and are highly stable at high granulation and extrusion temperatures and different pH. These mycotoxin binders form a strong and stable union with the toxins until being excreted out. The bentonite-montmorillonite clay and kieselgur present in TOXIFREE® and TOXIWALL® have high porosity and high adsorption capacity. TOXIFREE® contains Sepiolite, another clay mineral, which is a complex magnesium silicate and has a fibrous-like structure that acts like a sieve in capturing mycotoxins.
TOXIWALL® contains yeast cell walls which enhance the adsorption capacity. It is active against ZEN, Aflatoxin, Orchatoxin and T-2, thus providing a step ahead in prevention of mycotoxin contamination.
TOXIFREE® and TOXIWALL® help in restoring the intestinal epithelium integrity when mycotoxins are present. Due to high adsorption capacity of TOXIFREE® and TOXIWALL®, their addition in poultry feed helps eliminate mycotoxins from feed thus being able to rear flocks with high production capacity and stronger immunity. Addition of these mycotoxin binders reduces mortality and limits economic losses related to mycotoxicosis in birds.
