Humic substances (HS) from different sources have been evaluated to replace or reduce the use of growth promoter antibiotics (GPA) in the feeds of broiler chickens. The objective was to evaluate the growth performance, tibia measurements, nutrient balance, meat quality, and microbiological status of broiler fed with an HS extract (EHS) under ad libitum (ADLIB) or feed restriction (REST). Individually caged broilers (n = 180, 14–35 day of age) were assigned to a factorial arrangement of three dietary treatments: (1) positive control with bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) and salinomycin; (2) negative control without BMD nor salinomycin, and (3) same as negative control with 0.25% EHS, and two feeding regimens 1) ADLIB or REST for 24 h on d 1, 7, and 14. Results were subjected to ANOVA. Positive control and EHS-fed broilers showed higher carcass yield (p < 0.05) and lower oocyst excretion (p < 0.01) compared to negative control birds. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) were higher in negative control and EHS-broilers compared to positive control (p < 0.01). In conclusion, higher carcass yield, lower C. perfringens and oocyst excretion were found in positive control and higher carcass yield, higher LAB and lower oocyst excretion were found in EHS-fed broilers. Broilers subjected to REST had reduced growth performance and meat quality. In conclusion, EHS could be used to increase the carcass yield and beneficial LAB in broilers.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of humic acid (HA) from worm compost as an adsorbent for aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) in turkey poults. The experiment involved the inclusion of 0.25% (w/w) HA in the diet of turkey poults consuming aflatoxin-contaminated feed (250 ng AFB₁/g). A total of 350 1-day-old female Nicholas-700 turkey poults were randomly allocated to five equal groups: negative control (basal diet); positive control (basal diet + 250 ng AFB₁/g; HA (basal diet + 0.25% HA); HA + AFB₁ (basal diet + HA + 250 ng AFB₁/g); and zeolite + AFB₁ (basal diet + 0.25% zeolite + 250 ng AFB₁/g). Each group had seven replicates of 10 poults (n = 70). The impact of HA addition was evaluated in terms of performance parameters, relative organ weights, liver histological lesions, and serum biochemical and hematological constituents. In general, the addition of HA improved body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion rate (FCR). Furthermore, HA effectively mitigated the toxic effects caused by AFB₁ in the majority of the analyzed variables. The results indicated that HA effectively counteracted the AFB₁-induced toxic effects in turkey poults. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that HA is capable of removing AFB₁ from the contaminated diet.

Corrigendum: Evaluation of the efficacy of humic acids to counteract the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 in turkey poults