Evaluation of adsorbents on the health and productivity of finishing steers fed a naturally mycotoxin-contaminated diet
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2026v47n2p431Keywords:
Feed conversion, Fumonisin, Hepatic degeneration, Pneumonia, Reactive oxygen species (ROS).Abstract
Mycotoxins are common contaminants in cattle diets that compromise animal performance and health. Despite the demonstrated efficacy of adsorbents in poultry and swine, studies involving feedlot cattle, particularly those fed naturally contaminated diets, are limited. This study evaluated the impact of a mixed adsorbent (MA) and an inorganic adsorbent (IA) on the hepatic, ruminal, respiratory, and immune health and productive performance of 36 crossbred steers (½ Angus-Nelore; average weight of 501.7 ± 33.2 kg and 11 ± 5 months of age) fed naturally contaminated diets containing aflatoxin, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and fumonisins over 63 days. The treatments included a control, MA (bentonite, yeast cell wall, and silymarin), and IA (bentonite, clinoptilolite, and activated charcoal from babassu). Parameters related to immune, hepatic, respiratory, and ruminal functions as well as animal performance were assessed on days 0, 21, 42, and 63. Immunologically, MA treatment resulted in higher neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, whereas the IA group exhibited only increased neutrophil counts on day 63 compared to the control group. Both treatments resulted in a higher albumin/globulin ratio, indicating a more efficient immune response. The hepatic profiles revealed a tendency for the control group to have higher AST levels (p=0.07) and greater hepatic degeneration (p=0.07) than the treated groups. In the rumen, the MA group showed thickening of the keratin layer and connective tissue, suggesting an increased absorptive area. The average daily gain was higher in the MA group (1.362 kg) than in the control (1.198 kg) and IA (1.266 kg) groups. Feed conversion efficiency was higher in the MA group (7.37) than in the control (7.94) and IA (8.47) groups. These results confirm that adsorbents, particularly MA, mitigate the adverse effects of mycotoxins, thereby enhancing the performance and health of feedlot steers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rafael Igor Mattei, Jayme Augusto Peres, Mikael Neumann, Eloise Carla de Almeida, Bianca Milla, Elisa Emanuela Bremm , Nathalia Silvestre da Luz, André Martins de Souza, Heloisa Godoi Bertagnon
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