Biochar Derived from Agro-Industrial Coconut Shell Waste for the Removal of Aflatoxin B1 Using an In Vitro Model That Considers Buffer Solutions and an In Vitro Avian Digestion Model

The use of agro-industrial waste to obtain biochar has emerged as an environmentally friendly, low-cost, effective, profitable, and sustainable strategy for the removal of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a highly toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin of importance in poultry production systems because it can cause serious economic losses, affect hatchability, egg production, and the growth of birds, and can cause their death. In this sense, the objective of the present study was to obtain a sustainable and low-cost biochar derived from agro-industrial coconut shell waste (BCS) and evaluate its AFB1 adsorption capacity using a conventional method based on buffer solutions and an in vitro avian digestion model that simulates the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract of the broiler chicken. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of BCS on AFB1 (250 ng/mL) at both pH 5.0 and 1.2 was close to 100%, while at pH 6.8, the adsorption of AFB1 was 86.24%. However, in the in vitro avian digestibility model, the adsorption capacity of BSC on AFB1 was 32.96%, thus highlighting the importance of considering factors that can affect the adsorption capacity of materials before in vivo studies, as this can lead to overestimations of results and, therefore, ineffective treatments or unexpected results in animals.