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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341363
Research Project: Production and Processing Intervention Strategies for Poultry Associated Foodborne Pathogens

Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit

Title: Evaluation of the addition of organic acids in the feed and/or water for broilers and the subsequent recovery of salmonella typhimurium from litter and ceca

Author
item BOURASSA, DIANNA - Auburn University
item WILSON, KIMBERLEY - The Ohio State University
item RITZ, CASEY - University Of Georgia
item KIEPPER, BRIAN - University Of Georgia
item Buhr, Richard - Jeff

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/17/2017
Publication Date: 11/13/2017
Citation: Bourassa, D.V., Wilson, K.M., Ritz, C.W., Kiepper, B.K., Buhr, R.J. 2017. Evaluation of the addition of organic acids in the feed and/or water for broilers and the subsequent recovery of salmonella typhimurium from litter and ceca. Poultry Science. 97:(1)64-73. doi.org/10.3382/ps/pex289.

Interpretive Summary: Three broiler chicken grow-out experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of supplementing feed with organic acids (formic and propionic) to aid in the suppression of Salmonella in challenge experiments. Salmonella-positive seeder chicks were placed into 12 out of 24 total pens to commingle with 33 penmates. In experiment 1 all seeder chicks’ were Salmonella-positive at week 3, but there was no differences in Salmonella recovery among the supplemented feeding treatments and the non-supplemented controls sampled at 3 and 6 week or detected the weekly litter samples. In experiment 2 the treatments were: propionic acid in the feed, formic acid in the water, propionic acid in the feed and formic acid in water, and a control. Again Salmonella-positive seeder chicks were placed into pens to commingle and all were Salmonella-positive at week 3. By week 6 all pens maintained detectable Salmonella in litter, and broilers provided propionic acid in feed and formic acid in the water had the lowest cecal recovery at 35%, compared to the non-supplemented control at 60%. In experiment 3 the treatments were: formic acid from weeks 0 to 6 or for only the last week, propionic acid for only the last week, and a basal control. For a third time Salmonella-positive seeder chicks were placed into pens to commingle and all were Salmonella-positive at week 3. By week 6 the broilers fed formic acid for the entire growout had no Salmonella-positive ceca (0/30). All treatments that provided acid supplemented feed for only the last week had 3 to 13% Salmonella-positive ceca. This series of three experiments indicate that adding formic acid to broiler feed appears to prevent Salmonella spread and colonization from challenge pens entering into the adjacent nonchallenge pens. Supplementing feed with formic acid for 6 weeks resulted in no recovery of Salmonella from ceca compared to the non-supplemented control recovery of 17% (5/30). Results suggest that negative pen litter Salmonella status at week 6 was a good predictor of Salmonella negative ceca (93%), but positive pen litter Salmonella status did not predict cecal Salmonella status (12%) in these experiments.

Technical Abstract: Broiler Salmonella challenge experiments were conducted evaluating efficacy of formic and propionic acid feed supplements to suppress environmental and cecal Salmonella prevalence. In experiment 1, treatments were: formic acid, propionic acid, or basal control with no added acids. Seeder chicks were challenged with Salmonella and placed into 12/24 pens. Seeder chicks’ ceca were sampled at 3 wk, penmates sampled at 3 and 6 wk, the litter sampled weekly, and no differences among feeding treatments were detected. In experiment 2, treatments were: propionic acid in feed, formic acid in water, propionic acid in feed and formic acid in water, and a basal control. Seeder chicks were challenged with Salmonella, ceca sampled at 1 wk, penmates sampled at 3 and 6 wk, and pen litter sampled weekly. By 6 wk all pens maintained detectable litter Salmonella,and broilers provided propionic acid in feed and formic acid in water had the lowest cecal recovery (35%), compared to the control (60%). In experiment 3 treatments were: formic acid from wk 0 to 6 or for only the last week, propionic acid for only the last week, and a basal control. Seeder chicks were challenged and ceca sampled at 1 wk, penmates at 6 wk, and pen litter sampled at wk 3, 5, and 6. By 6 wk, broilers fed formic acid (4 kg/ton) for the entire growout had no Salmonella-positive ceca (0/30). All treatments provided acid supplemented feed for only the last week had 3-13% Salmonella-positive ceca. These experiments indicate that adding formic acid to broiler feed appears to prevent Salmonella colonization from challenge pens entering into the adjacent nonchallenge pens. Feeding formic acid (4 kg/ton) for 6 wk resulted in no recovery of Salmonella from ceca compared to the control prevalence of 17%. Results suggest negative pen litter Salmonella status at 6 wk was a good predictor of Salmonella negative ceca (93%), but positive pen litter Salmonella status did not predict cecal Salmonella status (12%) in these experiments.