Abstract
The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the benefits of acetic acid in different periods of inclusion in broiler drinking water on broiler performance, pH, and microbiota, especially the morphometry of the jejunum of broiler chickens. For this, 240 chickens of the Cobb500® lineage of 21 days of age were used and distributed in boxes in an experimental broiler house, considering a completely randomized design, with four treatments and four replications of 15 birds each (experimental unit). The treatments were: T1 - Control (chlorinated water at 3 ppm); T2 - chlorinated and acidified water with acetic acid in the period from 21 to 42 days of age; T3- chlorinated and acidified water with acetic acid in the period from 28 to 42 days of age; T4 - chlorinated and acidified water with acetic acid in the period from 35 to 42 days of age. The results were analyzed using Analysis of Variance, followed by Tukey's post-test, considering a significance level of 5%. No differences in performance were observed in the period from 21 to 42 days of age, pH, and Lactobacillus spp. counts of the crop at 42 days of age and height of villi and jejunum crypt depth in the same age. However, there was a reduction (P<0.05) in the enterobacteria count in the crop at 42 days of age, which could contribute to the reduction of intestinal enterobacteria counts and, in turn, reduce the contamination of the carcass of broiler chickens.
Highlights
Brazil invests in technology for the production of chicken meat, and this has been reflected in the increase in exports, which in 2020 reached 4,231 thousand tons (ABPA, 2021)
Organic acids have been used in feed or drinking water for improving immunity and digestibility of nutrients and for contributing to the prevention of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and, improve the performance of broilers (Yadav e Jha, 2019)
The use of organic acid blends in drinking water 24 hours before the slaughter of broiler chickens decreased the percentage of broilers positive for Escherichia coli and Hafnia alvei in the crop and maintained the number of broilers positive for Lactobacillus spp when compared to the control group (Fernandes et al, 2014a), demonstrating benefits of its use
Summary
Brazil invests in technology for the production of chicken meat, and this has been reflected in the increase in exports, which in 2020 reached 4,231 thousand tons (ABPA, 2021). According to Maiorka et al (2004), organic acids increase the performance of chickens by improving feed conversion and weight gain, mainly associated with growth promoters. As antimicrobial action, it may be controversial, as they do not present superior efficiency in relation to antibiotics, it can be enhanced with associations of other organic acids or with other additives such as oils, enzymes, etc. The use of organic acid blends (formic acid, acetic acid, and ammonium formate) in drinking water 24 hours before the slaughter of broiler chickens decreased the percentage of broilers positive for Escherichia coli and Hafnia alvei in the crop and maintained the number of broilers positive for Lactobacillus spp when compared to the control group (Fernandes et al, 2014a), demonstrating benefits of its use
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