Effect of lactic acid administration in the drinking water during preslaughter feed withdrawal on Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination of broilers.
The crop is a known source of Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination. We evaluated the use of selected organic acids (0.5% acetic, lactic, or formic) in drinking water during a simulated 8-h pretransport feed withdrawal (FW). Salmonella typhimurium was recovered from 53/100 control crops and from 45/100 of crops from acetic acid-treated broilers. However, treatment with lactic acid (31/100) or formic acid (28/76) caused significant (P < 0.05) reduction in incidence. Reductions of recovered incidence were also associated with reduced numbers of S. typhimurium recovered (e.g., control, log 1.45 cfu/crop; lactic acid, 0.79 cfu/crop). In an additional commercial farm study, broilers were provided 0.44% lactic acid during a 10-h FW (4 h on the farm and 6 h transport) and pre-FW crop, post-FW crop, and pre-chill carcass wash samples were collected for Campylobacter and Salmonella detection. Crop contamination with Salmonella was significantly reduced by lactic acid treatment (6/175) as compared with controls (29/175). Importantly, Salmonella isolation incidence in prechill carcass rinses was significantly reduced by 52.4% with the use of lactic acid (26/175 vs. 55/176). Crop contamination with Campylobacter was significantly reduced by lactic acid treatment (62.3%) as compared with the controls (85.1%). Lactic acid also reduced the incidence of Campylobacter found on pre-chill carcass rinses by 14.7% compared with the controls. These studies suggest that incorporation of lactic acid in the drinking water during pretransport FW may reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination of crops and broiler carcasses at processing.
US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, College Station, Texas 77845, USA. byrd@ffsru.tamu.edu
J A
JA
Byrd
B M
BM
Hargis
D J
DJ
Caldwell
R H
RH
Bailey
K L
KL
Herron
J L
JL
McReynolds
R L
RL
Brewer
R C
RC
Anderson
K M
KM
Bischoff
T R
TR
Callaway
L F
LF
Kubena
D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D003426:Crop, Avian / Q000382:microbiology*; D004326:Drinking; D005508:Food Deprivation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water
D014867:Water; D019344:Lactic Acid