1. General determination of the safety indicators of shungite and preparations based on it – screening studies on rats, mice, rabbits, piglets and guinea pigs.
1. General determination of the safety indicators of shungite and preparations based on it – screening studies on rats, mice, rabbits, piglets and guinea pigs.
1.1. The safety of shungite and paste based on it for animals has been established
1.2. The absence of a potential danger of development is shown
chronic toxicity when using shungite for a long time in an amount of 2, 4 and 10% of the dry matter of the diet. The drugs also do not have teratogenic, embryotoxic, irritating and allergenic properties.
1.3. The test of taking into account the duration of recovery of the ability to rectilinear movement after rotation demonstrates the effectiveness of shungite to increase the adaptation of the vestibular apparatus to overloads and increase static physical endurance.
1.4. Shungite significantly increases the life time of mice, while lipid peroxidation indicators stabilized (levels of malondialdehyde and hydroperoxides of brain lipids decreased) and antioxidant (catalase) activity was restored, which indicates an increase in the reserve antioxidant activity of the brain.
1.5. Daily consumption of shungite by mice for a month increases the adaptive capabilities of the body, including the ability to anti-radical protection. General adaptogenic properties: activation of the central nervous system, improvement of vegeto-motor and psychomotor self-regulation, increase of physical endurance and working capacity of experimental animals.
1.6. Shungite increases the detoxifying function of the liver (it neutralizes hexenal faster). Repeated administration of shungite did not have a negative effect on the functional state of the liver.
2. Assessment of the effect of shungite on the body of pigs
It was found that piglets receiving shungite in the amount of 2% of the diet:
2.1. Were distinguished by higher growth energy. The average daily increase on the 30th day was 516 g, compared to 427 g in the control group, when consuming approximately the same amount of compound feed. Shungite is well eaten by animals, helps to increase the body's resistance to diseases.
2.2. The average content of erythrocytes, leukocytes, the level of hemoglobin and total protein in the blood gradually increased, while being within the physiological norm.
2.3. The activity of ACT and ALT decreased. Consequently, the use of shungite has a beneficial effect on the functional activity of the liver.
2.4. There was a decrease in the activity of gammaglutamyltransferase and an increase in lactate dehydrogenase, which may be associated with the activation of bioenergetic processes in piglets under the action of shungite.
2.5. The relative number of T and B lymphocytes increased.
2.6. Lysozyme and phagocytic activity increased, which is probably due to an increase in the absorption capacity of neutrophils against the background of the use of shungite.
3. Study of the effect of shungite on the body and productivity of poultry
The use of shungite in chickens:
3.1. The safety has increased. It was 9.1% higher than that of the control.
3.2. The weight on day 42 exceeded the control weight by 6% (80 g). The average daily gain was 1.7% higher.
3.3. In the animals of the control group, there was a violation of the digestive function, which was accompanied by liquid feces, in some birds the droppings were dark, with an admixture of blood. Consequently, the use of shungite in the amount of 3 kg per ton of feed mixture contributes to improving the safety of livestock, increasing weight gain with equal feed intake and contributes to improving the clinical status of poultry.
3.4. The morphological and biochemical composition of the blood of chickens that consumed shungite indicates an increase in their function of erythropoiesis and hemoglobin synthesis, and as a consequence - redox processes and activation of metabolic processes and energy.
3.5. The data obtained indicate a positive effect of shungite on the content of total protein and its fractions in the blood serum of experimental chickens. In the chickens of the experimental group, the protein and albuminosynthetic liver function were more intense, which is probably due to the better digestibility of the protein of the feed consumed.
3.6. The number of T- and B-lymphocytes in peripheral blood, phagocytic and bactericidal activity increased. Consequently, the ability of the blood to self-purify has increased.
3.7. The content of CEC in blood serum decreased, which is characteristic of reducing the antigenic load on the body due to the bactericidal and adsorption properties of shungite.
3.8. The number of immunoglobulins has increased, which also indicates the activation of immunity
4. Evaluation of the effectiveness of shungite as a sorbent. For evaluation, experiments were conducted on rats, calves, sheep, pigs and rabbits.
Experiments on pigs:
4.1. In piglets of the group infected with mycotoxin, there was a decrease in appetite, depression of the general condition. By the end of the experiment, one piglet had fallen, the rest were noticeably behind in growth. Animals of this group were more susceptible to gastrointestinal disorders and bronchopneumonia. In the experimental group, these signs were absent: the general condition of the animals was satisfactory, the appetite was good, the bristles were smooth, shiny.
4.2. In the group receiving aflotoxin without sorbents, by the end of the experiment there was a decrease in the body weight of piglets by 10.6% from the initial one. In the group receiving the toxin with shungite (2% of the feed), body weight increased for 20 days by 11.1% of the background (without toxins) and by 21.3% of the seed group.
4.3. The positive effect of shungite was confirmed by the study of morphological parameters of piglets' blood.
- The results of the study indicate the protective effect of shungite
when exposed to aflatoxin.
- The introduction of shungite into the diet of animals contributed to the normalization of natural resistance factors.
- Carcasses of piglets of the seed group were of poor quality, the presence of aflatoxin was detected in the meat. Carcasses
the piglets taking the sorbent were normal, the toxin was not detected.
Similar conclusions were obtained in experiments with other animals.
It should be noted that with a decrease in pH to 2 - shungite dramatically increased its sorption properties.
4. Evaluation of the effectiveness of shungite as a sorbent. For evaluation, experiments were conducted on rats, calves, sheep, pigs and rabbits.
Experiments on pigs:
4.1. In piglets of the group infected with mycotoxin, there was a decrease in appetite, depression of the general condition. By the end of the experiment, one piglet had fallen, the rest were noticeably behind in growth. Animals of this group were more susceptible to gastrointestinal disorders and bronchopneumonia. In the experimental group, these signs were absent: the general condition of the animals was satisfactory, the appetite was good, the bristles were smooth, shiny.
4.2. In the group receiving aflotoxin without sorbents, by the end of the experiment there was a decrease in the body weight of piglets by 10.6% from the initial one. In the group receiving the toxin with shungite (2% of the feed), body weight increased for 20 days by 11.1% of the background (without toxins) and by 21.3% of the seed group.
4.3. The positive effect of shungite was confirmed by the study of morphological parameters of piglets' blood.
- The results of the study indicate the protective effect of shungite
when exposed to aflatoxin.
- The introduction of shungite into the diet of animals contributed to the normalization of natural resistance factors.
- Carcasses of piglets of the seed group were of poor quality, the presence of aflatoxin was detected in the meat. Carcasses
the piglets taking the sorbent were normal, the toxin was not detected.
Similar conclusions were obtained in experiments with other animals.
It should be noted that with a decrease in pH to 2 - shungite dramatically increased its sorption properties.
Research has been conducted:
5. Conclusion
5.1. Daily feeding of shungite to white mice in doses of 1-4% to the diet for 30 days shows a growth-stimulating effect on the animals' body and does not adversely affect their clinical status. The use of the mineral to piglets in a dose of 2% to the diet for 30 days, to broiler chickens - 3 kg per ton of ready-made feed mixture, promotes growth stimulation, increases the body's resistance to diseases, the safety of livestock, increases the immune status of animals.
5.2. In vitro studies have established: the sorption activity of shungite against T-2 toxin at 38 °C and pH values 2 and 7 is 84.2 and 82.4%, respectively, aflatoxin B, - 88.4 and 92.1%, patulin - 88.7 and 89.6%, relative to lead acetate — 60.8 and 62%, cadmium chloride - 56.7 and 54.5%, TMTD - 91.7 and 61%, with a decrease in the pH value to 2, shungite most dramatically enhances its sorption properties with respect to the pesticide TMTD.
5.3. The use of shungite (2% of the diet) in T-2 mycotoxicosis, aflatoxicosis B, patulinotoxicosis, lead poisoning with acetate, cadmium chloride and TMTD pesticide contributes to the normalization of clinical, hematological, biochemical parameters, as well as to the increase of factors of nonspecific resistance and the quality of the products obtained.
5.4. Intoxication of rats with mycotoxins leads to pathomorphological changes mainly in the liver and kidneys, the development of focal necrosis of the epithelium of the convoluted tubules of the kidneys, thickening of glomerular capsules, fibrinoid necrosis of glomerular mesanglia cells, necrosis of liver cells, perivascular lymphocytic infiltration of the liver and hepatocyte dystrophy. The use of shungite helps to smooth out pathomorphological changes and is manifested only by a small hydropic dystrophy of the kidneys, necrosis of single hepatocytes.
5.5. Meat of broiler chickens, calves, piglets, sheep, rabbits treated with shungite, according to organoleptic, physico-chemical, bacteriological indicators, meets the requirements of GOST standards established for good-quality meat.