Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Yeast, Zeolite and Active Charcoal as Aflatoxin Absorbents in Broiler Diets

2 Abstract: A total of 630 day old chicks were used in a completely randomized design to investigate the effects of yeast, zeolite and active charcoal, alone or in combination, in aflatoxin B1 contaminated diets on the performance, biochemical traits and the internal organ weights of broilers. Three pen replicates with 30 chicks in each pen were assigned into each of the 7 dietary treatments comprising: 1) basal diet containing 200 ppb of aflatoxin B1; 2) basal diet + %0.5 yeast; 3) basal diet + %1.5 zeolite; 4) basal diet + %0.5 yeast + %1.5 zeolite; 5) basal diet + %0.5 yeast + %1.5 active charcoal; 6) basal diet + %1.5 zeolite + %1.5 active charcoal; and 7) basal diet + %0.5 yeast + %1.5 zeolite + %1.5 active charcoal. The addition of absorbents to diets improved weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of chicks. Serum concentration of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin and uric acid were also increased in chicks fed on absorbent added diets. Supplementation diets with absorbents reduced the relative weights of proventriculus, gizzard, liver, spleen and pancreas of broiler chicks, but their relative bursa weight were increased. In conclusion, results of the present study indicated that the mixtures of the tested absorbents were more effective for reducing the signs of aflatoxin B1 toxicities in growing broiler.