Role of acidifiers to control pathogenic microorganisms and to improve the performance of birds

Introduction

Acidifiers are combination of organic acids. Organic acid is a chemical compound from the class of fatty acids that have a pH below 7
Organic acids included in feeds in order to lower the pH of the feed, gut, & microbial cytoplasm thereby inhibiting the growth of pathogenic intestinal microflora.

Role of acidifiers to control pathogenic microorganisms and to improve the performance of birds. - Image 1

Role of Organic Acid

Acidifier effectively regulates pH of the intestine. They promote growth & health of chicken by:

Decreasing the gastric [stomach] pH:

Pathogenic bacteria [E.Coli, Salmonella, Streptococcus etc.] grow within the range of 6 to 8 pH. Their growth is inhibited when the pH falls below the range suitable for the growth.

In general, the more acidic the pH of the medium, the greater is the antibacterial activity. This is because acidic pH causes major damage to lipopolysaccharides of the outer membrane of gram negative bacteria. Acidic pH also inactivates essential enzymes at the cell surface of bacteria. At an alkaline pH, the organic acids of the acidifiers are present mostly in a dissociated form, whereas in the acidic pH they remain mostly un dissociated.

It in the undissociated form that they are able to enter into the bacteria, through cell membrane. This is because, by partitioning into membrane lipid bilayers, undissociated organic acids molecules interfere with the activity of membrane protein or enzymes. Thus, organic acid inhibit the growth of bacteria when concentration of the acid reaches a critical level.

Once inside the bacteria the more neutral environment within causes the organic acids to dissociate into H+ ions & anions. The acid anions disrupt and interfere with DNA and protein synthesis, causing bacterial death.

Role of acidifiers to control pathogenic microorganisms and to improve the performance of birds. - Image 2

How Acidifier increases the digestibility of feed?

After ingestion, the feed reaches the proventriculus of the poultry.

1. Pepsin, the proteolytic enzyme of the proventriculus, is activated from pepsinogen only at low pH [2-4] in other words, the low pH activates pepsinogen. This results in better digestibility of proteins and utilisation of amino acids.

2. Acidifiers decreases the gastric pH. A low gastric pH is also essential to control the bacterial population in the gut. Growth of harmful bacteria decreases in an acid environment, whereas beneficial lactobacilli species are more tolerant to the low pH values.

3. The low pH does not allow less fermentable substrates to pass through, and therefore prevents the fermentation that occurs in the lower intestine. It thus inhibits growth of hamful bacteria.

Benefits

1. Acidifiers regulate pH and microbial balance of the gut.

2. It promotes digestion by activating the digestive enzymes.

3. It favour mineral absorption by creating an ideal pH in the intestine.

4. It promotes palatability of feed.

5. It enhances nutrient utilization by birds.

6. Organic Acids in the feed reduce pathogenic microorganism and as a result there is a less stimulation of the birds immune system.

7. In poultry, Organic acids play important role in the birds growth. The acidic environment on the intestinal epithelial surface allows diffusion of the undissociated into the bacteria and enterocytes (intestinal epithelial cells) for their effect.

Field trial result in commercial broiler

Aim: To study the effect of acidifier in commercial broiler against the use of antibiotics

Location: Akrij Poultry, MIDC-Nashik

Product: ACIPLEX™ Optimized Acidification to Amplify Growth Performance

ACIPLEX™ is an acidifier for poultry feed, based on a powerful combination of synergistically acting organic acids.

Parameters of Performance Analysis: Weekly Feed Consumption, Avg. BWG, FCR and Feed Cost.

Role of acidifiers to control pathogenic microorganisms and to improve the performance of birds. - Image 4

Role of acidifiers to control pathogenic microorganisms and to improve the performance of birds. - Image 5

Conclusion:

Although the mortality in group fed ACIPLEX™ is slightly higher than the Antibiotic treated group, but there are overall improvement in Body Weight Gain & FCR.

Thus the effect of mortality is compensated with the improvement in BWG & FCR in ACIPLEX™ treated group.

Antibiotics decreases the Mortality, but it suppress the growth & FCR when added in Poultry Feed.

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Role of acidifiers to control pathogenic microorganisms and to improve the performance of birds