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Page 10 %u2013 National Poultry Newspaper, January 2025 www.poultrynews.com.auSUSTAINABLY producing meat and eggs for consumers is critical to meet the increasing demand for protein food sources to feed a growing global population. Poultry, meat and eggs are essential to the food supply worldwide. As the largest centralised input into poultry production, feed significantly influences food safety, security and sustainability.Anitox director of nutrition and live production Dr Enrique Montiel said, %u201cFeed is fundamental to each stage of poultry production, from breeding operations to grow-out and layer operations. %u201cSimilarly, each of these stages has specific goals related to food safety pathogens, such as salmonella, and productivity goals largely impacted by gut health. %u201cThe role of feed as a fomite has been extensively evaluated. %u201cA strong body of literature evidence feed as a fomite for avian pathogens in poultry production, most notably salmonella.%u201dFeed hygiene influence on producer food safety initiativesOver 500 publications link salmonella to animal feeds. Wang et al reviewed nearly 40 publications over the course of more than 50 years focusing on salmonella detection and prevalence in broilers, summarising data from over 40,000 samples.%u201cLiterary analysis of these studies allowed researchers to isolate the relative contribution of various factors influencing salmonella prevalence in broiler operations,%u201d Dr Moniel said.%u201cAccording to the literary review by Dr Wang, feed was observed to have a 4.8 percent contribution to salmonella positivity in broilers.%u201dPathogen transmission via feed is concerning because of its ability to interact directly with the gastrointestinal tract and exert influence on the microbiome. %u201cFor example, the findings from Wang et al directly state that the feed itself accounts for 4.8 percent of the salmonella prevalence in poultry production systems,%u201d he said.%u201cThis excludes the fact that feed contributes to the pathogen prevalence in the gut and consequently to the horizontal transmission observed in grow out, laying and breeding facilities.%u201dPoultry producers generally accept that prevention is the best protection against pathogens within poultry production systems and deploy many strategies and tactics to reduce inbound microbial loads. %u201cToday%u2019s producers have strict comprehensive biosecurity programs intent on mitigating pathogen transmission in poultry production, including vaccination programs, wash-in and wash out procedures and feed pathogen control measures,%u201d Dr Montiel said.Implement effective feed pathogen controlOrganic acid and heat treatment are commonly used strategies for controlling feed source pathogens. Heat treatment, when performed at 86C for six minutes as recommended by Aviagen, serves as an effective kill step for salmonella but offers no protection against recontamination. R e c o n t a m i n a t i o n post-heat and during transit to the farm is a significant challenge. %u201cPost-heat conditions, particularly in coolers, can become favourable to microbial survival, meaning any persisting microbes within feed can rebound, contaminating feed production lines and subsequent loads of feed,%u201d Dr Montiel said.%u201cIn mills, where pelleting is the only pathogen mitigation strategy, this is especially true as the temperatures typically fall between 80-85C and are not sustained for a time long enough to achieve effective contamination control.%u201dIncreased awareness and loss of control tools such as antibiotics have led many producers to pay more attention to feed contamination. Organic acids are a common tool used and efficacy depends on the acid or acid blend used. Formic, propionic and acetic acid have all demonstrated efficacy at high inclusion rates, usually 4-8 kg/MT. When combined with heat treatment, higher microbial load reductions may be observed.%u201cMaking a real significant impact on feed microbial loads and pathogen prevalence requires an understanding of feed and feed ingredient microbial risk,%u201d Dr Montiel said.%u201cWhen the risk is high or the tolerance for risk is low, feed sanitation may be the best fit. %u201cFeed sanitation reduces feed microbial loads, controls pathogens such as salmonella and provides continued protection against recontamination. %u201cDecreasing microbial loads in feed also contributes to intestinal balance and the development of a healthy microbiome.%u201dSee Figure 1.Reducing inbound feed microbial loads helps producers take effective action against pathogen prevalence within live production and meet their food safety goals. However, continued research into the imSafe feed leads to more efficient productionPoultry, meat and eggs are essential to the food supply worldwide. Rodenticide solutions for every situation...Distributed bywww.ccdanimalhealth.com.auFor more information, visit pest-control.basf.com.auor contact CCD Animal Health on 1300 791 009 ccdsales@ccdanimalhealth.com.auALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS.%u00a9 Copyright BASF 2023 %u00ae Registered trademark of BASF. 213735 04.2023%ufffd Selontra%u00ae Soft Bait will deliver outstanding control even under high pest pressure while protecting non-target animals wherever they might be at risk.%ufffd Storm%u00ae Secure remains as cost-effective, durable and dependable as ever and Storm%u00ae Soft Bait offers the same potency with a new level of palatability.Storm Soft BaitFigure 1: Finio, Anitox feed sanitiser depicted as product A, demonstrates high-level salmonella control at much lower inclusion rates than for a variety of commercially available organic acid mixtures.* continued P11Figure 2. Feed sanitiser Termin-8 reduces feed microbial loads.Figure 3. Eggs from hens fed sanitised feed exhibited lower eggshell surface microbial loads.Figure 4. Chicks from hens fed sanitised feed were more likely to receive %u2018Grade A%u2019 ratings.