Profitability of poultry farming depends upon various factors including faster growth of the birds, breast meat yield, efficiency of feed conversion, lower mortality and morbidity rates for broilers & increased egg production for layers. Corn, soya, wheat bran, and other plant based materials are used as a major ingredient for poultry feed preparation.
These ingredients are usually prone to toxigenic fungal attack, leading to contamination with single or multiple mycotoxins. It has been proved by various studies that mycotoxins are having carcinogenic, estrogenic, immunotoxic, nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic and neurotoxic effects on animals and the effect is more pronounced, when multiple mycotoxins are present. These effects can lead to a significant loss in profitability of poultry farming. In addition to the direct toxic effect on the host cells, some recent reports suggest that mycotoxins have a negative effect on beneficial gut microflora also.
Mycotoxins are hazardous metabolites of molds (fungi) that are usually found in feed. They are known to exert toxic effects in animals and humans. Mycotoxigenic fungi infect crops in the field and during storage. Aflatoxins particularly aflatoxin B1 are among the most common mycotoxins in corn, which is the most important feed grain. Mycotoxins contamination results in the loss of nutritive value of feedstuffs and leads to mycotoxicosis, which varies from acute diseases with a high morbidity to chronic disorders with reduced animal productivity.
Choosing toxin binders on basis of its composition & Spectrum
Dietary inclusion of prebiotics and commercial toxin binders, in single and combined form, improved growth performance in grower and finisher periods, cellular and humoral immunities, intestinal morphology and the serum concentration of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose and liver enzyme activities of broiler chicks fed with aflatoxin. Commercially, two types of toxin binders are available, namely, clay-based and yeastbased. These toxin binders form a complex with a mycotoxin so that absorption of toxin from the intestine is restricted to the maximum extent. Researchers have found that smectite clay and bentonite-montmorillonite efficiently avert digestive absorption of mycotoxins of feed origin, ensuring food safety and animal health. Yeast based toxin binders harbour polysaccharides, lipids and protein fractions. These fractions of the yeast cell wall are capable of adsorbing mycotoxin owing to the availability of adsorption sites. These substances are non-digestible and are claimed to be efficient in binding with mycotoxins in the small intestines when mixed with feed.
Anti-aflatoxin activities of milk thistle (Silybum marianum) in broilers & Layers
Silymarin is composed of flavonolignans and derived from the dry seed of milk thistle (Silybummarianum) herb. It is used as a
hepatoprotective treatment for different liver ailments, mainly cirrhosis, jaundice, growth promotant, alcoholic liver disease, chronic
hepatitis C, chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma. The mode of action by which silymarin might protect liver cells includes stabilisation of membranes, free radical scavenging, stimulation of hepatocyte protein synthesis and modulation of the immune response. In addition, silymarin can be used to treat jaundice disorders by ameliorating the levels of various hepatic enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Silymarin is used as a cheap, non-toxic and safe feed additive to manage liver related disorders and to replace synthetic drugs in poultry diets.
The ingested toxins absorbed from the guts, firstly enter the liver and can accumulate, resulting in disease. Liver damage ranges from acute hepatitis to hepatocellular carcinoma, caused through immune response, inflammation, necrosis, fibrosis, apoptosis, altered gene expression and regeneration.
Silymarin could be effective against hepatotoxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride in broilers and layers. It decreased the toxicity of aflatoxins B1, and showed a positive effect on feed intake, liver morphology and body weight. Silymarin can protect the spleen against adverse effects of aflatoxicosis as well as the protection afforded by synthetic toxin binders fed broilers diets containing different
levels of silymarin and found significantly better breast weights. Using silymarin as feed additive showed positive effects on concentration of hepatic enzyme ALT in chicks. Milk thistle could be used as mycotoxins binder and liver protection supplement in broilers and layers in cases where diets include the gossypol pigment derived from cotton seed meal that is a hepatic toxin for chickens.
Inclusion of Silymarin acts as a powerful antioxidant in the hepatocytes protecting them from harmful effects generated by free radicals. In addition, Silymarin increases the liver’s ability to regenerate itself through the production of new healthy cells
Artichoke Extract
Artichoke leaf extract is derived from artichokes (Cynara scolymus). This plant belongs to the daisy family and is native to areas such as southern Europe and northern Africa. Artichokes and its leaves have been traditionally used to treat ailments like jaundice, acid
reflux, and various liver disorders. Artichokes also contain antioxidants, such as flavonoids. Artichokes are low in fat, high in fiber, and loaded with vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, and magnesium. They are also one of the richest sources of antioxidants. Artichoke leaf extract protect liver from damage and promote the growth of new tissue. It also increases the production of bile, which helps remove harmful toxins from liver. Artichoke extract protects from hepatotoxicity, modulate the oxidative stability, enhancing the immune response, and reduce cholesterol & triglycerides in broilers. Artichoke extract improve reproductive performance & ensuring low cholesterol eggs in laying hens. Artichoke extract (AE) protects from hepatotoxicity, reduction of blood
urea, cholesterol and triglyceride, modulating the oxidative stability and meat quality and enhancing the immune functions in broiler chickens, improving the productive, reproductive performance and low cholesterol eggs of laying hens.
Two compounds in artichokes:
Cynarin and Silymarin improve the overall health of the liver by removing toxins from liver and body. Artichoke is indeed a potent antioxidant and has similar liver regenerating attributes to milk thistle.
Red Vine Leaf Extract
One of the common approaches to overcome mycotoxicosis in poultry is using herbal products including essential oils as plant‐based fumigants in feed storage. Essential oils are complex compounds, and their chemical composition and concentrations of various compounds are variable. Red vine leaf can be used as natural non‐antibiotic feed additive on broilers in the prevention of aflatoxicosis. Phenolic phytochemicals have antioxidant effects at varying degrees due to their various chemical structures, they are assumed to have a protective role in the cellular components against free radical–induced damage caused by aflatoxicosis.
Betaine

The principal physiologic role of betaine is to act as an osmolyte and as a methyl donor. As an osmolyte, betaine increases intracellular water retention and, therefore, protects intracellular enzymes against osmoticinduced inactivation. As a methyl donor, betaine participates in the methionine cycle (mainly in the liver) and can be further used in transmethylation reactions for synthesis of essential substances like carnitine and creatine. Intake of betaine decreases body fat and is beneficial for treatment of fatty liver
disease and metabolic syndrome. Betaine inhibited hepatic fat accumulation and promoted mitochondrial content and activity, suggesting that betaine is involved in the regulation of lipid and energy metabolism. Gene expression analysis implied that betaine stimulates fatty acid oxidation and lipid secretion.
Inositol
Inositol is often referred to as vitamin B8, but it is not actually a vitamin. It’s a type of sugar that influences the insulin response and several hormones associated with mood and cognition. One of inositol’s main functions appears to be its involvement as a phospholipid component of cell membranes and lipoproteins. Cell signaling pathways involving phosphoinositide phospholipids lead
to a number of cellular responses that are important for cell survival and growth. Since inositol has also been shown to be an
important regulator of the transport and deposition of fat, it may be possible to use inositol to support the growth of a lean meat.
Brown Algae Meal
Algae are valuable sources of food, micronutrients (essential nutrients, especially trace elements), and raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry and considered as the food supplement for 21st century as source of proteins, lipids, polysaccharides,
minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Brown algae have an obvious effect against fungal toxins AFB1 which responsible for the beginning and encourage the emergence of cancer in the liver. Algae contained a higher composition of unsaturated fatty acids (74%), mainly
omega fatty acids and 26% of saturated fatty acids (mainly palmitic acid) and also relatively high levels of calcium and iron. algae are good source for essential vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B12, C, E, nicotinic acid, biotin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. Also, algae are rich in pigments such as chlorophyll (0.5% to 1%) of dry weight and carotenoids (0.1 to 0.2%). brown algae dried aerobically contains 10.49% protein, 0.73% fat, 36.41% fiber, 27.23% mineral salts and 10.6% sodium chloride, and the average value of the energy represented by 1849 Kcal/kg, and the average values of 13 amino acid is about 32%, also algae contained a quantity of vitamins such as vitamin E, B2.
L- Carnitine
Carnitine is an amino acid-derived substance that coordinates a wide range of biological processes. Such functions include transport of long-chain fatty acids from the cytoplasm to the mitochondrial matrix, regulation of acetyl-CoA/CoA, control of inter-organellar acyl traffic, and protection against oxidative stress. L-Carnitine is best known for its function as a shuttling molecule for the import of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix where fatty acids are oxidized for energy generation. The major metabolic role of L-carnitine appears to be the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria for β-oxidation and energy production. In case of increased metabolic rate (in fasting-growth broilers and cold temperature) when energy demands are elevated, the availability of L-carnitine may become a limiting factor for oxidative metabolism.
Fintox Pro advance
Fintox Pro Advance is a broad spectrum toxin binder with phytobiotics which act as liver protectant as well. It is an excellent detoxifier against mycotoxins and other toxic complexes of microbial origin, together with organic detoxifiers and liver protectors designed to
eliminate mycotoxins and improve zootechnical parameters.
Composition of Fintox pro advance
Components
Bentonite
Sepiolitic Clay
Kaolinitic Clay
L-Carnitine
Yeast cell wall
Brown Algae Meal
Betaine
Silybum Marinum
Red Vine Leaf Extract
Artichoke Extract