@article{article_1662806, title={Application of New Dietary Bentonite Clay as an Aquaculture Feed Additive}, journal={Journal of Animal Science and Economics}, volume={4}, pages={54–63}, year={2025}, DOI={10.5281/zenodo.16408939}, author={Lashkarashvili, Tornike and Chkuaseli, Amros}, keywords={Adsorbent, bentonite, mycotoxin binders, fish, mycotoxins, nutrition}, abstract={This study evaluated the effectiveness of Georgian bentonite clay as a natural mycotoxin adsorbent in Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets. The experiment involved 100 fish per group, fed diets without adsorbent (Control 1; C1), with 0.1% synthetic adsorbent (Control 2; C2), and with bentonite at 0.1% (Test 1; T1), 0.15% (Test 2; T2), and 0.2% (Test 3; T3) for 24 weeks. Weight gain was highest in T3 (254±15.8 g) and T2 (244.92±14.47 g), significantly exceeding C1 (143.39±9.51 g) and C2 (187.67±12.1 g) (P < 0.05). Survival rates were 97% in T2 and T3, but differences among groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Feed conversion ratios (FCR) were lowest in T2 and T3 (0.9–0.92), indicating superior feed efficiency compared to C1 (1.3) and C2 (1.1). High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that bentonite effectively adsorbed mycotoxins, with T2 and T3 removing 83-90% of Aflatoxin B1 and 12.5-14% of T2/HT2. Chemical composition analysis showed significantly higher protein (18.3-18.5%) and fat content (7.8%) in T2 and T3 compared to C1 (16.5% protein, 6% fat) and C2 (17.2% protein, 6.8% fat) (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that Georgian bentonite clay enhances fish growth, feed efficiency, and nutritional quality while effectively mitigating mycotoxin contamination. This natural adsorbent offers a promising alternative for improving aquaculture sustainability and fish health.}, number={2}, publisher={Atatürk Üniversitesi}, organization={Gürcistan Tarım Üniversitesi ve Shota Rustaveli Ulusal Bilim Vakfı’na derin şükranlarımızı sunuyoruz.}