Investigation of Medium Chain Fatty Acid Feed Supplementation for ReducingSalmonellaTyphimurium Colonization in Turkey Poults

Abstract

Studies indicate that persistent Salmonella colonization occurs in poultry that are infected early in life, leading to both food safety and public health concerns. Development of improved preharvest Salmonella management strategies is needed to reduce poultry product contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a product containing medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) for reducing early Salmonella colonization in turkey poults. Day-of-hatch turkeys were provided a standard starter diet supplemented with MCFA at 0 (negative and positive controls), 1.5, 3, 4.5, or 6 lbs/ton of feed. Positive control and MCFA treated birds were also crop-gavaged with 108 colony forming units (CFU) of bioluminescent Salmonella Typhimurium. Gastrointestinal tissue samples were collected at 3 days postinoculation for bioluminescence imaging (Meckel's diverticulum to the cloaca) and selective enumeration (cecal contents). Quantification of bioluminescence indicated that the 4.5 and 6 lbs/ton MCFA groups had significantly less colonization than the positive control group (p = 0.0412 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Similarly, significantly lower numbers (1-log10 CFU/g reduction) of Salmonella were observed in the ceca of the 6 lbs/ton MCFA group compared to the positive control group (p = 0.0153). These findings indicate that incorporation of MCFA in turkey diets can significantly reduce early Salmonella colonization. In addition, this study highlights the utility of bioluminescence imaging as a screening methodology for assessing the efficacy of treatments that may reduce Salmonella in poultry.

Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella in the Food Supply and the Potential Role of Antibiotic Alternatives for Control

“…A study conducted by Evans et al [ 157 ] revealed that when medium-chain fatty acids were supplemented through feed, a 1 log 10 reduction in the cecal colonization of S. Typhimurium was observed in turkey poults 3 days after inoculation. Also, supplementation of caprylic acid at 0.7% and 1.0% significantly reduced Salmonella after 5 days of challenge in chickens [ 158 , 159 ].…”

Development of an Effective Chain Elongation Process From Acidified Food Waste and Ethanol Into n-Caproate

“…Electron donors that are suitable for chain elongation processes, such as ethanol (Steinbusch et al, 2011 ), hydrogen (Steinbusch et al, 2011 ), methanol (Chen et al, 2016b ), and lactic acid (Zhu et al, 2015 ), can also be produced from organic residues (e.g., lignocellulosic bioethanol). Particularly, MCFAs can be used for production of aviation fuels (Harvey and Meylemans, 2014 ; Khor et al, 2017 ) and for other end-products such as solvents, lubricants, feed additives for poultry (Evans et al, 2017 ) and piglets (Hanczakowska et al, 2013 ), plastics and dyes (Angenent et al, 2016 ). The main advantage of chain elongation is that it is catalyzed by an anaerobic open-culture reactor microbiome (i.e., sludge).…”

Lactate-based microbial chain elongation for n-caproate and iso-butyrate production: genomic and metabolic features of three novel Clostridia isolates

“…Speciality chemicals such as n-caproate and iso-butyrate are valuable products of the carboxylate platform, with a broad range of potential applications in agriculture and industry [1][2][3]. For example, n-caproate can be used as promoter of plant growth and feed additive, or as precursor for the production of biofuels, lubricants and fragrances [1,[4][5][6][7]. Currently, n-caproate is mainly produced from vegetable oils such as palm kernel oil [8], though it can be produced from more sustainable feedstocks such as agro-industrial waste by anaerobic fermentation and microbial chain elongation [9,10].…”