Abstract

Aflatoxins (Afs) are always produced during grains and wheat storage, creating severe health problems when ingested. This study aims to test the use of the ozone and hot air for the treatments of the toxicity of aflatoxins contaminated diet to albino rats. Aflatoxins production by Aspergillus parasiticus (2  104 spores/kg) were decreased in diets treated with either ozone or hot air compared with un-treated diet. Animals fed on aflatoxins contaminated diet alone showed a significantly decreased feed intake and body weight compared with control. Animals fed on Afs-contaminated diet and treated with O3 or hot air showed significantly higher feed intake and body weight than those of Afs fed group. Significant changes in serum biochemical parameters were recorded for rats fed on Afs-contaminated diet compared with those of the control group. Similarly, rats of Afs-contaminated group exhibited severe histological anomalies of the tested organs (liver and kidney). The recorded histological alterations in the liver were liver cells degeneration, necrotic nuclei and leucocytic infiltration while those in the kidney were congestion in the glomerulus and vacuolar degeneration in the epithelium of renal tubules. The recorded data showed improvement of biochemical parameters as well as histological profiles of liver and kidney of rats fed on Afs-contaminated diet and treated with either ozone or hot air. Thus, it could be concluded that ozone and hot air induced protective effect against physiological and histological changes induced by aflatoxins. It was found that ozone was more efficient than hot air treatment.

Key words: Aspergillus parasiticus, Aflatoxins, Hot air, Ozone, Rats