Toxicological Evaluation of Locally Sourced Jordanian Zeolite as a Safe Feed Additive in Broiler Diets: Histopathological and Hematological Perspectives

Zeolite is a naturally occurring highly absorbent mineral primarily composed of aluminosilicate. It is commonly used in animal feed due to its beneficial properties. Jordan possesses abundant natural deposits of zeolite, particularly rich in phillipsite and chabazite. However, no previous studies were conducted in Jordan to assess the pathological use of the local zeolite as a feed additive in broilers. This study aimed to assess the safety and evaluation of health impacts of locally sourced Jordanian zeolite inclusion in poultry diets. A total of 200 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatment groups containing 0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, and 15% Jordanian zeolite. The feeding trial lasted for 32 days. At the end of the experiment, postmortem examinations, histopathological analyses and different hematological parameters were performed. Neither postmortem nor histopathological examination revealed any significant abnormalities of the organs examined across all dietary groups. Biochemical parameters showed no statistically significant variations (p>0.05). Similarly, all measured hematological parameters remained within normal physiological ranges. The findings demonstrate that Jordanian zeolite, rich in phillipsite and chabazite, is non-toxic under tested conditions and can be safely incorporated into broiler diets at levels up to 15%. Its use as a feed additive shows promise as a functional and sustainable component in poultry nutrition without adverse effects on organ health or blood parameters.