Opinion: Organic acid inclusion in Poultry diet

First researcher of Nepal to conduct trial on organic acid inclusion in poultry feed. 

In the last few years in Nepal, there are so many farmers engaged in poultry farming. The poultry population of Nepal is estimated to be increasing. Certain antibiotics even as residues can cause allergic or hypersensitive reactions in consumers. Tiwari et.al., (2013) reported that the utilization of organic acids has been increased as growth promoters in animals which could help in providing protection from adverse human health implications.

Organic acid (1% sorbic acid and 0.2% citric acid) supplementation significantly increased the villus width, height, and area of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broiler chicks at 14 days of age (Kum et.al., 2010). Garcia et.al., (2007) reported that broilers fed diets containing formic acid had the longest villi (1273 and 1250 μm for 0.5 and 1% formic acid, respectively) compared with control (1088 μm). Similarly, crypts of jejunum were deeper in birds fed the formic acid diet (1%) than in birds fed the antibiotic diets (266 vs. 186 μm, respectively) in the same experiment.

Dr. Mohamad Husneid Azad is a researcher in animal science who has been employed with the Nepal Agricultural Research Council since 2012 A.D. He is the first researcher in Nepal to conduct a trial on poultry feed by applying organic acid to it. He carried out this trial while employed by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council at the National Animal Nutrition Research Centre. He has published his research article for a journal paper title “Evaluation of Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens (Cobb 500) Feed on Different Level of Organic Acids Inclusion in Diet at Parwanipur” Nepalese Veterinary Journal 36: 137 –147.

The experiment was carried out on Cobb 500 broiler chickens at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Parwanipur, Bara from 12 February 2018 to 3 April 2018 (074/11/9 to 074/12/20 BS) for 41 days.

Advantages of Organic acids in Poultry diet

Organic acid treatments composed of individual acids and blends of several acids have been found to perform antimicrobial activities similar to those of antibiotics (Wang et.al.,2009). The cost of using antibiotics in poultry farms could be reduced by the addition of organic acids in broiler diets. The mixture of organic acid in the poultry diet also enhances the growth of poultry with reduced mortality rates. The quality of meat flavor seems to be improved with the addition of organic acid in poultry diets. The zoonotic disease from poultry to humans including bacteria such as Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes etc seems to be controlled by the application of such organic acids in poultry diets. This application of organic acids plays an important role in controlling zoonotic disease to the public without affecting the quality of meat of broilers. The antimicrobial residues in broilers causing harmful effects on human health after consuming poultry meat could be controlled by the inclusion of organic acids in poultry diets. This type of work has not been carried out in Nepal before this research. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the addition of various levels of organic acids a natural growth promoter on the performance of the broilers.

Current situation in Nepal

Many feed factories also use various probiotics in their feed. Farmers in milk production pocket areas are highly motivated and adopt such technology in many places in Nepal. Farmers seem to adapt these technologies to increase their meat production. In terai regions of Nepal Farmers are adopting these technologies for their broiler production. Nepali meat consumers and poultry farmers are also highly concerned with the effect of high doses of antibiotics and their harmful effects on the public so they are also choosing other options to reduce the high dose of antibiotics in poultry such as organic acid inclusion in poultry feed.

Conclusion

According to Dr. Husneid Azad trial, he concluded that Organic acids can be used in poultry diets as a growth promoter. It has resulted in better body parts and growth performance with reduced bird mortality. However, further study should be conducted to ascertain the optimum level of inclusion and duration of the experiment to get more benefit from broiler production.

The cost of antibiotics could be reduced by the addition of organic acids to poultry diets. The zoonotic disease from poultry to humans like salmonellosis etc seems to be controlled by the application of such organic acids in poultry diets. The antibiotic residues in poultry meat that affect human health seem to be controlled by the application of organic acids in poultry diets. The experiment revealed that the highest weight gain was observed in T2 (2.60 kg) followed by T3 (2.55 kg) where a combination of organic acids was formic acid 65% + propionic acid 35% and formic acid 65% + citric acid 35% respectively.

- Dr. Mohamad Husneid Azad; Veterinary Doctor