Effect of Aflatoxin B1 Contaminated Feed on Broiler Chickens Performance and Meat Content of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

The effect of aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) contaminated feeds on performance parameters (feed intake, body gain and feed conversion ratio) and on the Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) content of chicken meat was investigated in broiler chicks. Feed contaminated with aflatoxin B1 caused a significant (p 0.05) increase in feed conversion ratios, a decrease in body gain and a significant (P 0.05) increase in feed consumption regardless of the AFB1 concentration. The percentage of decrease in body gain at the seventh week was about 35% compared with the control treatment. In addition, no increase in weight was observed at weeks 6 and 7 for the third treatment (384.5 ppb) and fourth treatment (894.5 ppb). On the contrary, no mortalities were observed in chicks fed contaminated feed (AFB1 1000 ppb). The CLA content of fat extracted from poultry meat with the skin at the end of the second week was found to be reduced by a minimum of 20% at the end of the second week when the feed was contaminated with AFB1 for the three treatments