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Title: REDUCTION OF SALMONELLA IN THE CROP OF BROILER CHICKENS SUBJECTED TO FEED WITHDRAWAL

Author
item Hinton Jr, Arthur
item Buhr, Richard - Jeff
item Ingram, Kimberly

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2000
Publication Date: 11/1/2000
Citation: HINTON JR, A., BUHR, R.J., INGRAM, K.D. REDUCTION OF SALMONELLA IN THE CROP OF BROILER CHICKENS SUBJECTED TO FEED WITHDRAWAL. JOURNAL OF POULTRY SCIENCE. 2000.

Interpretive Summary: A drink supplemented with sugar was provided to chickens while they were denied access to feed, and the ability of the drink to reduce the number of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract of the chickens was examined. Chickens were orally inoculated with Salmonella, then placed in either cages or floor pens without feed and provided water or a drink containing different concentrations of sugar. After 12 hours the chickens were processed; and their upper digestive tract was removed, weighed, and mixed in distilled water. The acidity of the mixture was measured, and the number of bacteria in the mixture was determined. Findings indicate that there were fewer Salmonella in the upper digestive tract of chickens provided the sugar solution than in the upper digestive tract of chickens that were provided water. Inhibition of Salmonella and other harmful bacteria in chickens provided the sugar solution was associated with the presence of higher numbers of beneficial bacteria and increased concentrations of acid in their upper intestinal tracts. Providing the sugar solution to chickens before sending them to processing plants may reduce the number of harmful bacteria associated with poultry processing.

Technical Abstract: Broilers were challenged with Salmonella typhimurium then provided a cocktail supplemented with 0-15 percent glucose during feed withdrawal in battery cages or in pens on litter. After feed withdrawal, broilers were processed, and their crops were aseptically removed and weighed. Crops were then stomached in distilled water, and the pH of the suspension was measured electronically. S. typhimurium, Enterobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria in the blended crop suspensions were enumerated on the appropriate bacteriological medium. Fewer S. typhimurium and other Enterobacteriaceae were recovered from the crops of broilers provided the cocktail supplemented with 7.5 percent glucose than from the crops of broilers provided either water or cocktails supplemented with lower or higher concentrations of glucose. Inhibition of the growth of S. typhimurium and other Enterobacteriaceae in the crops of broilers provided the cocktail supplemented with 7.5 percent glucose was generally associated with increased growth of lactic acid bacteria and decreased crop pH. Providing the cocktail to broilers during feed withdrawal may reduce the number of food-borne pathogens that the poultry carry into processing plants.