PHOTO: ANITOX
had demonstrated that Salmonella prevalence is highest at ingredient receiving, decreases after passing through the pellet mill, but then increases again by loadout. This same observation was recently published in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Salmonella prevalence was highest in the raw materials, less prevalent on the milling equipment, but again slightly higher in the finished feed. Most mills have maintenance and hygiene protocols aimed at preventing the introduction of Salmonella to feed production. However, many of these processes and requirements lead to repeated ingredient processing, reduced throughput and productivity, additional downtime and costs due to decontamination procedures, discounting or disposal of finished feed in addition to reputational and contractual damage.
How to make safe feed To protect your feed investment from Salmonella contamination it is important to understand the incoming microbial load, microbial behaviour throughout the feed production stage and the outgoing microbial load. While Salmonella is what producers aim to protect against, evaluating the greater microbial profile may serve as a better indication of safe feed. After all, Salmonella can be challenging to isolate from feed and feed ingredients so it shouldn’t be the only metric used to assess the challenge level, Enterobacteriaceae, Clostridia and total bacteria can be valuable indicators. Once you have evaluated the microbial challenge at several points throughout production it is important to evaluate options for microbial load reduction and Salmonella mitigation. •
How do we mitigate the incoming Salmonella prevalence and microbial load?
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How do we control the pathogens that make it into the feed production cycle?
How do we continue to protect the feed until the point of consumption?
In contrast to our ability to control Salmonella within live production, there are effective options for Salmonella control in feed. Feed sanitation involves the use of bactericidal compounds to mitigate microbial contamination and offer long-term feed pathogen control. Feed sanitisers offer long-lasting protection against feed recontamination and are applied at low inclusion rates. A study by Wales et al in 2013 found a formaldehyde-based feed sanitiser effective at reducing Salmonella contamination in feed and preventing recontamination. Feed sanitiser performance stood out again in a more recently published study by the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) which determined that a formaldehyde-free feed sanitiser controlled Salmonella more effectively at 1 kg/mT than organic acid blends applied at 6 kg/mT (Figure 1). Feed sanitisers are effective and protect against recontamination, ensuring clean feed moves throughout feed production and remains pathogen-free until the point of consumption. Not only does effective feed pathogen control safeguard feed safety, but it also helps live production strengthen biosecurity, improve animal performance and protect the entire food chain.
Producers ready to implement effective Salmonella control in feed and those wanting to learn more about feed sanitation can visit
www.anitox.com.
References are available on request. ▶ FEED SAFETY | APRIL 2022 13
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