Abstract

Ingredients of animal origin are important for the animal feed industry because they contain significant amounts of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. However, the use of these raw materials is a problem due to pathogenic bacterial contamination, especially Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella spp. One way to control contamination is the addition of chemical products during ingredient production. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate a formaldehyde and organic acid-based product (SALMEX^®) for two periods of action after experimental challenge with C. perfringens in two poultry feed ingredients. Microbiological analyses to enumerate the pathogen were conducted using colony-forming units per mL (CFU/mL) after incubation on SPS agar at 37°C for 48 h in anaerobic jars using the GasPak^® system. The results show that there were significant differences among the dosage treatments and ingredients. With respect to the action time of the product, there were no significant differences observed between 24 h and 5 days, but there was a reduction in bacterial count with doses above 3 kg/t. This reduction was greater in the five-day SALMEX^® treatment when compared to the 24-hour period. Thus, we can conclude that a higher product dose and a longer incubation time leads to more efficient product action.

Key words: Animal health, microbiology, nutrition, poultry industry, pathogen.