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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338859
Research Project: Ecological Reservoirs and Intervention Strategies to Reduce Foodborne Pathogens in Cattle and Swine

Location: Food and Feed Safety Research

Title: Effects of nitro-treatment on Salmonella, E. coli and nitrogen metabolism during composting of poultry litter

Author
item ARZOLA-ALVAREZ, CLAUDIO - Universidad Autonoma De Chihuahua
item LEDEZMA-PEREZ, EVELIN - Universidad Autonoma De Chihuahua
item Anderson, Robin
item Hume, Michael
item RUIZ-BARRERA, OSCAR - Universidad Autonoma De Chihuahua
item CORRAL-LUNA, AGUSTIN - Universidad Autonoma De Chihuahua
item CASTILLO-CASTILLO, YAMICELA - Universidad Autonoma De Ciudad Juarez
item Byrd Ii, James - Allen
item SALINAS-CHAVIRA, JAIME - University Of Tamaulipas
item ONTIVEROS-MAGADAN, MARINA - Universidad Autonoma De Chihuahua
item RODRIGUEZ-MUELA, CARLOS - Universidad Autonoma De Chihuahua

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/28/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Poultry litter contains appreciable amounts of uric acid which makes it a good crude protein supplement for ruminants whose gut microbes transform the nitrogen in uric acid into high quality microbial protein. However, poultry litter must be treated to kill bacterial pathogens before feeding. Presently, we examined the antimicrobial activity of certain nitrocompounds when administered to early-stage composted poultry litter. The one year-old wood chip litter used in this study had been exposed to 2 to 3 flocks reared without antibiotics. Treatments (ethyl nitroacetate, 3-nitropropionate, ethyl-2 nitropropionate or nitroethane) were applied to 200 g litter by spraying with 100 mL of each nitro-treatment (80 mM in 0.4 M phosphate buffer, pH 6.4) to achieve 25 micromol/g litter. Control litter was sprayed with buffer alone. After application, the litter was distributed (11g) to 50-mL tubes (in triplicate), inoculated with a novobiocin and naladixic acid-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium (STNN) to achieve 3.0 log10 CFU/g. Tubes were closed with caps, sealed with parafilm and incubated at 37 deg C for 3 days after which time the tube contents were diluted and plated on 3M E. coli/coliform petri-film and Brilliant Green Agar supplemented with 25 and 20 microg/mL novobiocin and naladixic acid, respectively, for enumeration of wildtype E. coli and STNN strain. Ammonia, uric acid, and urea were measured colorimetrically. Analysis of variance revealed that all nitrocompound treatments decreased (P < 0.05) STNN 1.4 to 1.9 log units compared to controls (6.0 +/- 0.2 log10 CFU/g). Escherichia coli was decreased (P < 0.05) compared to controls (6.5 +/- 0.2 log10 CFU/g) by 0.5 log units with ethyl nitroacetate but did not differ otherwise. Accumulations of ammonia were decreased (P < 0.05) 21 to 27% by the ethyl-derivatives compared to controls (2.8 +/- 0.1 micromol/g). Uric acid concentrations were 3.4 to 4.5-fold higher (P < 0.05) in litter treated with ethyl 2-nitropropinate and nitroethane than in controls (15.5 +/- 1.3 micromol/g). Urea (7.9 +/- 2.9 micromol/g) was unaffected by nitro-treatment. Results suggest that nitro-treatment may help preserve uric acid in composted litter while aiding in Salmonella control.