January 29, 2026
Enayat Rahmatnejad

Enayat Rahmatnejad

Academic Rank: Assistant professor
Address:
Degree: Ph.D in Poultry Nutrition
Phone: -
Faculty: Faculty of Agricultural Engineering

Research

Title Effects of toxin binder and an organic acid blend on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, metabolic profile, and intestinal barrier function in broilers challenged with aflatoxin B1 and Clostridium perfringens
Type Article
Keywords
Acidifiers, Clostridium-challenged broilers, Digestibility, Intestinal health, MycotoxinToxin binder
Journal Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102585
Researchers Maryam Zandi Karimi (First researcher) , Hassan Shirzadi (Second researcher) , Hossein Ali Ghasemi (Third researcher) , Kamran Taherpour (Fourth researcher) , Mohammad Amir Karimi Torshizi (Fifth researcher) , Enayat Rahmatnejad (Not in first six researchers)

Abstract

Mycotoxin exposure and enteric bacterial overgrowth often coincide in broiler production, compromising performance and gut barrier function. Accordingly, multicomponent toxin binders (MTB) and organic acid blends (OAB) warrant integrated in vivo evaluation under concurrent challenge with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Clostridium perfringens. To assess the efficacy of MTB alone or in combination with OAB under these dual challenges, a 42-day trial was conducted using 420 day-old broiler chickens assigned to seven treatments (6 replicates × 10 birds): control (unchallenged), A (AFB1), AM (AFB1 + MTB), AMO (AFB1 + MTB + OAB), AC (AFB1 + C. perfringens), ACM (AFB1 + C. perfringens + MTB), and ACMO (AFB1 + C. perfringens + MTB + OAB). AFB1 (500 ppm) was fed on days 0–42; C. perfringens (1 × 108 CFU/mL) was administered on days 15–24. Compared to control, AFB1 and C. perfringens significantly reduced body weight gain (BWG) and the European Production Efficiency Index (EPEI), with AM mitigating these effects. In the co-challenge scenario, AC further impaired BWG and EPEI, while ACMO restored feed conversion ratio and EPEI to levels comparable to control during days 25–42. Nutrient digestibility and villus metrics declined under both challenges. AC increased C. perfringens counts, while AM and ACMO mitigated these effects and normalized the villus-to-crypt ratio by day 42. The combined AFB1 and C. perfringens challenge reduced ZO-1 expression, but supplementation with MTB and OAB restored ZO-1 and occludin levels to control values and tended to increase JAM-2 expression. In conclusion, co-exposure to AFB1 and C. perfringens produced more severe impairments than AFB1 alone; MTB was protective, and its combination with OAB enhanced mitigation against both challenges.