Effect of Different Levels of Aflatoxin B1 in Concentrated Livestock Diets on Some Characteristics of Rumen Fluid in Laboratory with Sodium Bentonite

Abstract

This study was conducted in the nutrition laboratory of the Department of Animal Production in the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences at the University of Baghdad, Al-Jadriya. The experiment lasted for 90 days to investigate the effects of adding sodium bentonite (SB) to a concentrated diet contaminated with aflatoxin B1 on some characteristics of rumen fluid in a laboratory setting. Four diets were prepared, each contaminated with different concentrations of aflatoxin B1 (0, 20, 40, 60 ppb), and four different percentages of sodium bentonite (0, 3, 5, 7%) were added to each ration. The results showed a significant increase in pH values among the different treatments, with the diet contaminated with 40 ppb aflatoxin B1 (T3) recording the highest acidity compared to the control treatment at 0% concentration. However, there were no significant differences in pH rates between the treatments. The pH rates of 7% sodium bentonite addition did not differ significantly from 5% and 0%, while 3% had the lowest pH rate. Regarding volatile fatty acids (VFA), there was a significant increase in their percentage with the increase in sodium bentonite concentrations. The second treatment contaminated with 20 ppb aflatoxin B1 recorded the highest VFA percentage among the treatments, while the fourth treatment (T4) at 0% concentration recorded the lowest VFA percentage. Significant differences in VFA percentages were observed among all the treatments, with the highest VFA percentage in T2, followed by T3 and T1, while T4 recorded the lowest percentage. The analysis of ammonia nitrogen values showed a significant increase among the different treatments, with T2 recording the highest value among the treatments, and T4 at 0% concentration recording the lowest ammonia nitrogen value. Significant differences in the average percentage of ammonia nitrogen were observed among all the experimental treatments, with the highest value in T2, followed by T1 and T3, while T4 recorded the lowest percentage. The total number of microorganisms showed a significant increase with the increase in sodium bentonite concentrations, with T2 at 7% concentration having the highest number of microorganisms, while T4 at 0% concentration recorded the lowest number. Significant differences in the average total number of microorganisms were observed among all the experimental treatments, with T2 having the highest number, followed by T1 and T3, while T4 had the lowest number.