Role of organic acids in poultry nutrition
Dr V. Rajendra Prasad,Poultry consultant
- High levels of production and efficient feed conversion are the need of the modern poultry industry, which to a certain extent could be achieved by the use of specific feed additives.
- Organic acid treatments composed of individual acids and blends of several acids have been found to perform antimicro- bial activities similar to those of antibiotics (Wang et al. 2009)
- Organic acids have been used for decades in commercial compound feeds, mostly for feed preservation, for which formic and propionic acids are par- ticularly effective (Lückstädt 2014).
- Antimicrobial activity of organic acids:
a) The addition of organic acids in diet can have a beneficial effect on the performance of poultry by decreasing pathogenic bacteria.
b) Most common bacteria that affect the intestinal health of poultry are Salmonella, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli which can be controlled by supplementation of an organic acids in diet (VanImmerseel et al. 2006; Naseri et al. 2012).
- It is possible to decrease chicken carcass and egg contaminations by adding organic acids to the feed or drinking water at appropriate times, which can hinder its multiplication (Russell & Diez Gonzalez )
- Ghazala et al. (2011) reported that dietary 0.5% of either fumaric or formic acid and 0.75% of acetic or 2% citric acid improved both ME and nutrient digest- ibility, that is, crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) of broiler diets.
- Organic acid
supplementation improved CP and ME digestibilities by redu- cing microbial competition with the host for nutrients, endogenous nitrogen losses and production of ammonia (Omogbenigun et al. 2003).
8.(Lee et al. 2014). Ao (2005) added 2% citric acid to the soyabean meal as substrates in the in vitro trial. The result indicated that addition of citric acid increased the activity of α-galactosidase resulting in decreased the crop pH.
- He reported that citric acid decreased the crop pH and enhanced the activity of α-galactosidase in the crop in vivo trial.👌
- Yesilbag and Çolpan (2006) reported that at the age between 24 and 28 weeks, the egg production of hens significantly increased more quickly in dietary organic-acid-supplemented groups as compared to the control group and in subsequent ages in layers.
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