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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 #347775
Research Project: Production and Processing Intervention Strategies for Poultry Associated Foodborne Pathogens

Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit

Title: Evaluation of poultry water treatments during feed and water withdrawal on water usage and Salmonella prevalence in broilers

Author
item HARRIS, CAITLIN - University Of Georgia
item TEO, MING - University Of Georgia
item LU, LARRY - University Of Georgia
item MOU, CONNIE - University Of Georgia
item GOTILLA, KEVIN - University Of Georgia
item Bartenfeld Josselson, Lydia
item BOURASSA, DIANNA - Auburn University
item FAIRCHILD, BRIAN - University Of Georgia
item KIEPPER, BRIAN - University Of Georgia
item Buhr, Richard - Jeff

Submitted to: International Poultry Scientific Forum
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2017
Publication Date: 1/29/2018
Citation: Harris, C.E., Teo, M.L., Lu, L., Mou, C.T., Gotilla, K.A., Bartenfeld, L.N., Bourassa, D.V., Fairchild, B.D., Kiepper, B.K., Buhr, R.J. 2018. Evaluation of poultry water treatments during feed and water withdrawal on water usage and Salmonella prevalence in broilers. International Poultry Scientific Forum. 97(E-Suppl.1)M16. p.6.

Interpretive Summary: none

Technical Abstract: Acidic water treatments during feed and water withdrawal were evaluated as a potential preharvest Salmonella intervention. The hypothesis for the study was the addition of acidified water treatments during feed and water withdrawal should impact the recovery of Salmonella from broiler crops and ceca. Previous data indicates that adding 50 ppm hydrogen peroxide in combination with citric acid (pH 5.0 or 6.2) to drinker lines during feed and water withdrawal may have depressed the number of Salmonella positive crops and ceca. On day 1, 6 wk old broilers were challenged with 1.0 mL of 10^8 CFU Salmonella Typhimurium marker strain, distributed into 12 pens (12 broilers/pen, 144 total), and provided feed and water ab libitum. On day 3 post challenge, pens were connected to carboys containing treatment or control (tap) water. Treatments included: hydrogen peroxide (50 ppm) pH adjusted to 5.0 or 6.2 with citric acid and sodium bisulfate (pH 3.2). Feed consumption and water usage were monitored by weight at beginning and end of trial. The 3 pens/treatment were assigned to one of the following feed/water withdrawal times: 12 h feed/ 6 h water withdrawal, 6 h feed/ 0 h water withdrawal, or 0 h feed/ 0 h water withdrawal. On day 6 after feed/water withdrawal, 6 broilers/pen were euthanized and crops and ceca were aseptically collected for microbiological analysis. Crops and ceca with buffered peptone water were stomached and the rinsate streaked onto brilliant green sulfur agar plates with nalidixic acid (200 µg/mL); plates and samples were incubated at 37°C for 24 h. Plates were restreaked from enriched rinsate if direct plating was negative then incubated. One-way ANOVA was used for analysis of water usage and feed consumption data and no significant differences were found. For Salmonella data, Fisher’s exact test was used for statistical analysis and the water treatments did not differ significantly from the control for both crops (65% +) and ceca (79% +). There was significantly lower Salmonella recovered for enriched crops between full fed vs. 12 h (P=0.0032) and 6 h (P=0.0010) feed withdrawal. Results indicated that the acidic water treatments did not impact feed consumption, water usage, or Salmonella recovery from the crops or ceca after feed and water withdrawal.