Effect of Activated Charcoal on the Fermentation Parameters and Degradability of Contaminated Diet with Aflatoxin B1 by Microorganisms Isolated from Rumen In Vitro

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effect of activated carbon on reducing the negative effects of aflatoxin on gas production, digestibility of dry matter and organic matter of sheep diet ration under laboratory conditions. In this experiment, we assumed that activated carbon was able to reduce the negative effects of aflatoxin. This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with five treatments and four replicates per treatment. Expermental treatments were: 1- control (untreated diet), 2- control with methanol (control + methanol), 3- contaminated diet with methanol solution containing AFB1 at 800 ng/ml, 4- contaminated diet treated with activated charcoal at 7mg/200mg, 5-contaminated diet treated with activated carbon at 75 mg/200mg and 6-contaminated diet treated with activated carbon at 150 mg/200mg. To measure gas production and digestibility, glass bottles with a volume of 100 ml was used in a constant culture. All bottles were purged with anaerobic CO2, sealed with rubber stoppers and incubated in a water bath for 96 h at 39 degree centigrade and their gas production at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96 h incubation times was measured. The amount of gas produced was measured by means of a pressure gauge. The results showed that aflatoxin B1 treatment decreased the amount of gas production but the amount of gas production was increased in treated group as supplemented activated carbon level increased (p <0.05). Regarding the digestibility of dry matter and organic matter, there is a similar process to gas production, where aflatoxin treatment reduces both, but in treated group as supplemented activated carbon level increased the amount of them increases (p <0.05). Ammonia N concentration was highest in aflatoxin group and declined with addition of increasing level of activated carbon. Partitioning factor, microbial mass and efficiency of microbial synthesis were distinctly lower in aflatoxin group than other groups (p <0.05). However, treatments that containing high level of activated carbon had higher Partitioning factor, microbial biomass production and efficiency of microbial synthesis. It can be concluded that activated carbon has the potential to improve detrimental effect of aflatoxin on ruminal fermentation.