Biological suppression of aflatoxicosis in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) by dietary addition of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

• Published in: Research in veterinary science 2001-12, Vol.71 (3), p.207-211
• Main Authors: Parlat, S.S., özcan, M., Oguz, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aflatoxins - toxicity; Animal Feed - microbiology; Animals; Body Weight - drug effects; Coturnix - growth & development; Dietary Supplements; Energy Intake - drug effects; Feeding Behavior - drug effects; Female; Food Contamination; Male; Mycotoxicosis - prevention & control; Mycotoxicosis - veterinary; Poultry Diseases - microbiology; Poultry Diseases - prevention & control; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism
• ISSN: 0034-5288; 1532-2661
• DOI: 10.1053/rvsc.2001.0512

The amelioration of aflatoxicosis in Japanese quails was examined by the dietary addition of live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; SCE). Yeast incorporated into the diet at 1gkg−1was evaluated for its ability to reduce the deleterious effects of 2·5mg total aflatoxin (AF; 82·30 per centAFB1 , 2·06 per cent AFB2, 7·68 per cent AFG1and 7·96 per cent AFG2) kg−1diet on growing Japanese quail chicks from 10 days to 45 days of age. Forty 10-day-old Japanese quail chicks were assigned to 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments (control,AF , SCE, AF plus SCE) each consisting of 10 quails. The performances of birds were evaluated. The AF treatment significantly and dramatically decreased food consumption and body-weight gain from the first week onwards. The significant adverse effect of AF on the food conversion ratio was also determined from week 1 to the end of the experiments. The addition of SCE to the AF -containing diet significantly reduced these deleterious effects of AF on food consumption, body-weight gain and food conversion ratio. Compared to controls, the cumulative body weight gain was reduced by 37 per cent among the quails consuming AF without SCE, but increased 15 per cent for the birds fed AF plus SCE. Interestingly, the single inclusion of SCE to the AF -free diet provided significant improvements in all the investigated growth performances of birds (approximately 40 per cent) compared to controls.