In the modern food industry, prioritizing safety and quality is essential. This means that effectively controlling microbial loads in feed plays a crucial role in both animal feed and food production. Sanitizing feed stands out as a highly effective method for managing microbial loads and reducing pathogen’s detrimental effect on poultry performance.
Global Director of Nutrition and Live Production
Anitox
The foundation of good quality feed for animal production lies in the use of good quality raw materials. Once used in finished feed, high-quality feed ingredients should provide ample digestible nutrients while also having a low microbial load. However, microbial loads in feed and raw materials fluctuate and can impact animal health and performance.
The quality of the animal feed is closely tied to the quality of its ingredients. Despite best efforts in sourcing high quality ingredients, the consistency of ingredient quality can sometimes vary. Research has shown that feed containing high levels of both pathogenic and apathogenic microbes can negatively impact animal health, leading to decreased performance and heightened risks of morbidity and mortality. It underscores the importance of maintaining high standards in feed production to safeguard the well-being of the livestock.
Feed sanitation offers a four-fold opportunity to animal production:
1) to decrease the microbial loads in feed and feed ingredients, including total loads and potential pathogens;
2) minimize the role of feed to work as a vector to spread contamination within the house,
3) protect the feed from recontamination from manufacturing to the farm feeder, and
4) offer control of legacy bacteria established in the feed mill equipment and environment.
Nutritionists have access to a diverse selection of ingredients based on geographic location that, in turn, brings the risk of multiple–source contamination. Utilizing feed sanitation in their selection of grains, oilseeds, and other protein meals to formulate a diet to meet the needs of the animal helps mitigate the risk of fluctuating microbial loads and potential introduction of pathogens, such as the African swine fever virus or Avian influenza. By blending these ingredients thoughtfully, producers ensure their livestock not only receive a comprehensive array of nutrients, safeguarding against the volatility of individual commodity prices and adding a layer of biosecurity to prevent the introduction of new pathogens through feed.
On the farm, farmers grow crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat, which are later taken to a feed mill for processing into animal feed. This feed is then delivered back to the farm to nourish the livestock, providing them with essential nutrients for growth and the production of meat, milk, or eggs. Along this journey, the raw materials encounter various conditions that can potentially introduce microbial contamination.
Microbial loads in feed vary based on factors like geography, seasonality, and storage conditions. Raw materials can be a source of mycotoxins, Salmonella, and other enterobacteria, including E. coli. that are often resistant to antibiotics.
Consistently testing and monitoring the nutritional content of incoming ingredients allows for necessary adjustments to formulations. This should be always accompanied by regular testing for microbial loads in ingredients, finished feed and feed manufacturing environment, including farm storage bins and feed hoppers in the house. Collaborating closely with trusted suppliers and implementing strict quality control measures play a key role in preserving the integrity of feed composition.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that commercial poultry flocks consuming feeds with reduced microbial loads exhibit improved performance compared to those on a regular diet.
ENSURING FEED QUALITY AND SAFETY
Understanding the path of feed ingredients from field to farm and the journey of animal feed from the farm to the animal is crucial for preserving feed quality, enhancing productivity and safeguarding profits. Protecting feed quality and value requires effective handling of microbial threats, which have the potential to diminish animal performance and raise morbidity and mortality rates.
Elevated microbial levels in feed can result in various health and performance issues, mainly by stimulating goblet cells in the gastrointestinal tract to generate mucus, leading to dysbiosis and enteric disease. Pathogen colonization in the gastrointestinal tract often leads to health challenges in animal production, making it increasingly important for producers to address risks through efficient feed hygiene protocols.
Over the past few years Anitox has worked with Colorado Quality Research to assess the effects of feed sanitation programs on broiler health and performance. Encouragingly, the findings indicate that decreasing microbial levels in broiler feeds can lessen the severity of the lesions and associated mortality while improving performance under a Necrotic Enteritis challenge model. Broilers that received sanitized feed at different production stages exhibited enhanced feed conversion, growth rates, and reduced mortality rates in comparison to those on a regular diet.
In the modern food industry, prioritizing safety and quality is essential. This means that effectively controlling microbial loads in feed plays a crucial role in both animal feed and food production. Sanitizing feed stands out as a highly effective method for managing microbial loads and reducing pathogen’s detrimental effect on poultry performance. The use of feed sanitizers, as studies consistently show, has been shown to decrease microbial loads in feed, leading to enhancements in poultry performance metrics. For instance, Avila et al. discovered that broiler breeder hens consuming sanitized feed had lower mortality during production, reduced microbial loads in laid eggs that in turn produced better quality chicks.
By comprehending the microbial risks associated with feed ingredients, acknowledging the role of legacy bacteria in feed mills, and implementing effective feed hygiene practices, producers can attain feed quality, biosecurity, and performance goals.
About Dr. Enrique Montiel
Veterinarian, Dr. Enrique Montiel has more than 25 years global poultry and animal health experience. A Master of Science in avian pathology and immunology and a Ph.D. in poultry science, he is a leading authority on the influence of feeding methods on immune responses in poultry. As Global Director of Nutrition and Live Production at Anitox, Dr. Montiel supports global understanding of feed as a fomite for performance-limiting pathogens including Salmonella and viruses, and works closely with the world’s leading producers to prevent feed-source pathogens entering live production.
