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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #194884
Title: SALMONELLA COLONIZATION AND MICROBIAL FERMENTATION IN THE TURKEY CROP

Author
item CUTLER, SARA - IOWA STATE UNIV,AMES,IA
item Rasmussen, Mark
item SCANES, COLIN - MS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Feedinfo News Service
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2006
Publication Date: 4/11/2006
Citation: Cutler, S., Rasmussen, M.A., Scanes, C. 2006. Salmonella colonization and microbial fermentation in the turkey crop. Feedinfo News Service. Available: http://www.feedinfo.com.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Salmonellosis is one of the major food borne illnesses. Salmonella can be associated with crop tissue of turkeys. The crop can serve as an origination site for food borne contamination. In an attempt to reduce the incidence of bacterial contamination during the harvest process, the poultry industry has moved towards feeding probiotics or prebiotic supplements. In order assess these feeding technologies designed to prevent Salmonella colonization in the turkey crop, the crop’s function as a fermentation organ must first be determined. Preliminary data led us to investigate the occurrence of fermentation in the turkey crop during the nocturnal fast. There were marked increases in concentrations of lactic acid in the crop during nocturnal fast. The crop also showed a decrease in pH during the dark cycle. Our studies indicate that there can be retention of ingesta in the crop of turkeys for times sufficient to promote microbial fermentation. We concluded that fermentation does occur in the crop of turkeys as indicated by the levels of fermentation acids. These observations may be of practical importance to nutrition. For example the ability of phytase to act on phytate is dependent upon pH. Nutritional interactions related to crop fermentation merit further research.