Dr. Rekha Bhatt, Product Manager
Mankind
Organic acids are naturally occurring compounds found in various feeds or produced during an animal’s metabolism. They are frequently utilized to acidify poultry feed & water, thus lowering the pH of both the feed/water and the gastrointestinal tract. This reduction in pH inhibits harmful bacterial growth while simultaneously promoting the digestion & absorption of nutrients. Studies have shown that the use of organic acids, such as citric, fumaric, lactic, butyric and formic acids in poultry diets can improve growth performance, enhance mucosal immunity, reduce pathogenic colonization, and decrease the production of harmful bacterial metabolites.
Additionally, feed acidifiers lower the microbial population in the gut, reducing nutrient competition between microbes and the host animal. This results in improved feed efficiency, enhanced growth, and better overall health in broilers (Dibner & Buttin, 2002). Moreover, acidifiers can prevent mold growth in feed, ensuring that the feed retains its nutritional value over time.
Organic acids in the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) category have functional groups like carboxylic, hydroxyl, or double bonds. SCFAs’ antimicrobial effect in the gut depends on molecular size, dissociation constant (pKa), gut pH, and the microorganism involved (Mroz et al., 2006). Lipophilic undissociated SCFAs can penetrate bacterial membranes, where they dissociate, releasing protons (H+) that inhibit ATP synthesis and disrupt metabolism (Mroz et al., 2006).
Accumulated acid anions further damage bacterial cell structures (Russell, 1992). However, some acid-tolerant, Gram-positive beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium can survive by neutralizing acid anions (Russell & Diez-Gonzalez, 1998). Organic acids thus promote a balanced gut environment, selectively inhibiting pathogens without harming beneficial microbes.
The nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine; hence, it is a crucial part of the digestive system (Lin et al., 1999). Improving the structural morphology of the gut increases the digestive and absorptive functions of the intestine by expanding the absorptive surface area (Choct, 2009; Yadav et al., 2022).
Hence, intestinal histology in general and the jejunum in particular are vital for intestinal function. The inhibition of intestinal bacteria from competing with the host for available nutrients and reducing possible toxic bacterial metabolites in the gut are beneficial effects of dietary acidification (Guo et al., 2022).
Factors such as the type and concentration of the acid, the blend used, the age and genetic background of the birds, and environmental conditions all influence the effectiveness of organic acid supplementation.
| MODE OF ACTION OF ORGANIC ACIDS |
Effect of acidapure in the form of liquid and powder supplementation and or its combination on growth performance, gut health, and digestibility of broiler chicken
Acidapure powder (containing acetic acid, formic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, butyric acid, and oxine copper),
Acidapure liquid (containing lactic acid, formic acid, citric acid, sodium citrate, butyric acid, oxine copper).
The *trial was conducted on the day old broiler chicks and reared up to 42 days of age. (Department of Veterinary Physiology, Nagpur Veterinary College, MAFSU, NAGPUR, INDIA.)
The birds offered with Acidapure (T2,T3&T4) expressed significantly higher final body weight compared to Control group on comparatively less feed consumption.
The pH of the duodenal content on day 42nd in all groups was ranged between 5.03 to 5.80 which is in the normal range of pH 5.0 – 6.0, however pH was slightly lower in the birds offered with Acidapure. The pH of the jejunal content on day 42nd in all groups was ranged between 6.52 – 6.90 which is in the normal range of 6.5-7.0, however pH was slightly lower in the birds offered with Acidapure. The pH of the iliac content on day 42nd in all groups was ranged between 6.65 to 7.52 which is not in the normal range of pH 7.0 – 7.5. The pH was slightly lower in the birds offered with Acidapure.
The birds supplemented with Acidapure (T2, T3 and T4) showed significantly increased villus height of both duodenum and jejunum on day 21st and 42nd as compared to control group (T1).
The result of microbial count on 42nd day of experiment show that the average bacterial load of caecal E. coli in broilers from all the treatment groups were significantly decreased as compared to the birds from control group.
Similarly, the Total Viable Count (TVC) in the caecal content also expressed same pattern.
The birds supplemented with acidapure (T2, T3 and T4) showed significantly better digestibility of feed as compared to control group (T1).
Conclusions :
1. The results of the present experiment show that the supplementation of acidapure either in drinking water or in the feed can be used as an additive to improve broiler chicken growth performance and overall health of broilers.
2. The better growth performance observed is due to improvement of intestinal lumen health which might have increased the nutrient absorption area in the gut.
Acidapure supplementation leads to significant improvements in growth metrics, such as average body weight and average daily gain, alongside enhancements in intestinal morphology.
Additionally, the supplementation effectively reduces total viable counts (TVC) and coliform bacteria, indicating a favourable shift in gut microbiota composition.