Adding a Yeast Blend to the Diet of Holstein Females Minimizes the Negative Impacts of Ingesting Feed Naturally Contaminated with Aflatoxin B1

Although a yeast-based additive was initially employed as a performance enhancer, subsequent analysis revealed high aflatoxin B1 levels in the corn silage. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine if the use of a yeast blend in the diet of Holstein calves that consumed feed naturally contaminated with high levels of aflatoxin can minimize the negative impacts of mycotoxins on animal health, contributing to improved performance. For this, we used 24 Holstein calves (6 months old) divided into two groups: Control (n = 12; no additive) and Treatment (n = 12; 5 g additive/animal/day). During the 100-day experiment, animals were weighed, feed intake was measured, blood samples were collected to assess health, and ruminal fluid was analyzed for ruminal fermentation. We observed greater weight gain and better feed efficiency in cattle that consumed the yeast-based additive compared to the control group. Yeast ingestion increased the concentration of propionic acid in the experimental environment, as well as increasing the protozoan count. Higher lymphocyte counts combined with higher levels of immunoglobulin G in the blood of females that consumed the additive were observed. Lower activity of enzymes that are biomarkers of liver damage, as well as markers of oxidative stress, was observed when animals consumed the yeast blend compared to the control group. Lower levels of ceruloplasmin (positive acute phase protein) and higher levels of transferrin (negative acute phase protein) are indicative of an anti-inflammatory response to the additive. The results preliminarily suggest that the consumption of the yeast blend is a nutritional tool capable of acting as a performance enhancer, even under challenging conditions, such as diets contaminated with aflatoxin at levels exceeding international limits.