Strategies for Decontamination and Alleviation of Mycotoxins for Sustainable Poultry Farming – A Review

Mycotoxins including aflatoxins (AF), zearalenone (ZEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisins (FUM), trichothecenes (TCN), deoxynivalenol (DON), and T-2 toxin had negative influences on poultry productivity causing a depression in performance, product quality, antioxidative properties, immunity, health status, economic value and sustainability of production. The liver and kidney are the organs most affected by dysfunction and genetic damage (carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and teratogenicity). Chemical and physical approaches, including washing and extracting solvents, heat inactivation, irradiation, and chemical agents, are used to detoxify mycotoxins in feedstuff. Also, the dietary addition of adsorbents (zeolites, bentonites, hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate, glucomannan, etc.) is a strategy extensively used in poultry production. Additionally, several feed additives, including microorganisms, phytogenic additives, and natural anti-oxidants, can reduce the negative impacts of mycotoxins and achieve promising results in the poultry industry. However, the efficacies of these various strategies are different, showing distinct variations, and some limited effectiveness. Moreover, the minimum time required to induce a complete recovery from mycotoxins is lacking in the literature, as four weeks after removal, there are still adverse effects on performance and some physiological traits. This review focuses on the impact of different strategies for eliminating or mitigating the negative effects of mycotoxins on poultry productivity and their physiological and immunological traits by various means. In addition, the mycotoxicosis effect on the molecular pathways and the prevention and alleviation of different feed additives concerning the genetic pathways have been evaluated.