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Butyric acid-based feed additives help protect broiler chickens from Salmonella Enteritidis infection

C. Fernández-Rubio^*, C. Ordóñez^*, J. Abad-González, A. Garcia-Gallego, M. Pilar Honrubia, J. Jose Mallo and R. Balaña-Fouce^*,1

^* Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología (INTOXCAL), Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; Departamento de Economia y Estadística, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; and Norel & Nature SA, c/Jesus Aprendiz 19, 28007 Madrid, Spain

¹ Corresponding author: rbalf{at}unileon.es

Sodium butyrate is a sodium salt of a volatile short-chain fatty acid (butyric acid) used to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis infection in birds. Three groups of fifty 1-d-old broilers each were fed the following diets: T0 = standard broiler diet (control); T1 = standard broiler diet supplemented with 0.92 g/kg of an additive with free sodium butyrate (Gustor XXI B92); and T2 = standard broiler diet supplemented with 0.92 g/kg of an additive with sodium butyrate partially protected with vegetable fats (Gustor XXI BP70). Twenty percent of the birds were orally infected with Salmonella Enteritidis at d 5 posthatching and fecal Salmonella shedding was assessed at d 6, 9, 13, 20, 27, 34, and 41 of the trial. At d 42, all birds were slaughtered and 20 of them dissected: crop, cecum, liver, and spleen were sampled for bacteriological analyses. Both butyrate-based additives showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) of Salmonella Enteritidis infection in birds from d 27 onward. However, the partially protected butyrate additive was more effective at the late phase of infection. Partially protected butyrate treatment successfully decreased infection not only in the crop and cecum but also in the liver. There were no differences in the spleen. These results suggest that sodium butyrate partially protected with vegetable fats offers a unique balance of free and protected active substances effective all along the gastrointestinal tract because it is slowly released during digestion.

Key Words: feed additive • Salmonella Enteriditis • butyrate-based additive