Clay minerals as sorbents for mycotoxins in lactating goats’ diets: Intake, digestibility, blood chemistry, ruminal fermentation, milk yield and composition, and milk AFM1 content

Publication date: Available online 5 April 2019Source: Small Ruminant ResearchAuthor(s): G.A. Gouda, H.M. Khattab, M.A. Abdel-Wahhab, S.A. Abo El Nor, H.M. El-Sayed, S.M. KholifAbstractWe assessed the effect of bentonite and montmorillonite, as sorbents, on intake utilization, lactation performance, and mycotoxin concentrations in milk. During the first week of lactation, fifteen lactating crossbred (Nubian × Baladi) goats weighing 20.5 ± 0.5 kg were randomly assigned to three treatments (five does each) in a complete randomized design for a 90-day trial with repeated measures. Goats were stratified according to parity and expected average milk yield to be fed daily with one of three diets: a basal diet containing 600 g concentrates and 400 g berseem hay (Control treatment), the control diet supplemented with bentonite clay at 20 g/kg dry matter (DM) concentrate (bentonite treatment), or the control diet supplemented with montmorillonite clay at 20 g/kg DM concentrate (montmorillonite treatment). The basal diet used in all treatment groups was naturally contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) (56.67 µg/kg) and zearalenone (ZEN; 112.5 µg/kg). Additives had no effect on nutrient intake but increased (P < 0.05) DM, organic matter, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, non-fibre carbohydrates and neutral detergent fibre digestibility. The montmorillonite diet had a greater (P < 0.05) nutritive value than the bentonite diet or the contr...
Source: Small Ruminant Research - Category: Zoology Source Type: research