Efficacy of Toxfin in Mitigating Mycotoxin Effects in Laying Hens
Adiel Vieira de Lima, José de Arimatéia de Freitas Pinto, Carlos Henrique do Nascimento, Aline Beatriz Rodrigues, Paloma Eduarda Lopes de Souza, Humberto de Araújo Brito Filho, Raiane dos Santos Silva, Luayne Morais Correa, Ricardo Romão Guerra, Edijanio Galdino da Silva, Apolônio Gomes Ribeiro, Juliana Cristina Ramos Rezende Arrais, Matheus Carlos Romeiro Miranda, Julia Pinto Piccoli, Fernando Guilherme Perazzo CostaThis study evaluated the effects of supplementation with Toxfin™ Dry, a mineral adsorbent composed of bentonite and sepiolite, on productive performance, egg quality, intestinal morphometry, serum biochemical parameters, antioxidant status, and sphingolipid metabolism of laying hens challenged with T-2 toxin and fumonisin. A total of 480 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens at 25 weeks of age were distributed in a completely randomized design with six treatments and eight replicates of 10 birds each, over 112 days divided into four 28-day cycles. Treatments consisted of a control diet, either uncontaminated or contaminated with 2 mg/kg T-2 toxin and 60 mg/kg fumonisin B1, with or without 1 kg/ton Toxfin™ Dry. Mycotoxin challenge reduced egg production (p < 0.0001), egg weight (p < 0.0001), egg mass (p < 0.0001), feed intake (p < 0.0001), eggshell strength (p < 0.0001) and thickness (p < 0.0001), Haugh unit (p < 0.0001), and villus ratio (p < 0.0001), while increasing inflammatory and hepatic biomarkers, malondialdehyde levels, and the sphinganine ratio, with more pronounced effects under combined contamination. Supplementation with Toxfin™ Dry mitigated most adverse effects, with responses approaching those of the control group. The adsorbent reduces intestinal mycotoxin bioavailability and helps maintain performance and physiological homeostasis in laying hens.