Search Results (25)

Due to global increases in poultry meat and egg production, consumers request sustainable agricultural practices, requiring alternative solutions for future feeding. Global egg production increased by over 41% between 2000 and 2020, from 51 to 87 million tonnes, at an average increasing rate of 3%. Similarly, the production of poultry meat reached 145 million tonnes in 2023 and continues to increase, which amplifies the pressure on sustainable alternative feed solutions. Commercial poultry diets are typically based on a cereal (corn or wheat) as an energy source and a quality protein source, especially soybean meal (SBM), to provide essential amino acids. Soybean production is associated with deforesting and land use in several countries, sensitiveness to supply chains and price volatility. As a response to these challenges over the last decade, research and commercial innovation have intensively focused on alternative and novel feed resources that can be integrated into both broiler and layer diets. Some future candidate ingredients are insect meal, algae, agro-industrial by-products such as distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), brewery spent grains (BSG) and fermented feedstuffs (oilseed cakes/meals). Literature data showed that moderate inclusion of these alternative ingredients can be partly integrated in poultry diets, without compromising egg or meat quality. In some cases, studies showed improvements of productive performances and specific quality traits (yolk color, fatty acids and antioxidant compounds), offering potential to valorize waste streams, improve local circularity and provide functional ingredients for animals and humans. However, challenges still remain, especially in terms of nutrient variability, digestibility limitations, higher processing costs and still-evolving regulations which constrain mainstream adoption of some of these potential future alternatives. Full article

Because of the relevance of Salmonella spp. in poultry, in 2016, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply updated its regulation for the control and monitoring of Salmonella in the poultry meat production chain. We herein present the results of the official monitoring of sampling cycles of carcasses performed by the Brazilian official veterinary inspection service (SIF) and the Center for Epidemiology, Statistics, and Public Health of the Veterinary School of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Samples were collected in March–September 2017, during which 140 slaughterhouses slaughtered over three billion chickens. The establishments were classified according to the number of animals slaughtered per day, and cycles varied according to the size of the establishment. Sample weights were defined to increase the external validity of the data. Chicken carcasses were randomly sampled after chilling and dripping. A total of 1434 samples were analyzed in official laboratories using Vidas SLM and SPT systems, for positive samples were used the ISO 6579:2014. The estimated prevalence of Salmonella spp. in chicken carcasses was 17.88% (95% CI 14.34–22.05). Considering the representativeness of Brazilian chicken meat in the global market, constant evaluation and review of the program is necessary to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella. Full article

Background/Objectives: Salmonella is a major cause of foodborne illnesses, with multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains posing significant threats to public health worldwide. This study investigated the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Salmonella, focusing on extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Salmonella in retail poultry meat in Korea. Methods: A total of 300 poultry meat samples were collected nationwide from retail markets. Multi-locus sequence typing, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis was conducted against 28 representative ESBL-producing S. Infantis isolates to identify the genetic characteristics and phylogenetic relationship. Results: Salmonella was detected in 81.3% of raw poultry meat samples, with S. Infantis ST32 being the dominant serotype in chicken (53.0%) and S. Typhimurium ST19 predominant in duck (39.0%). MDR was identified in 58.2% of samples, with a significantly higher rate in chicken isolates than in duck isolates (p < 0.001). Notably, 75.3% of chicken MDR isolates were ESBL-producing S. Infantis carrying bla_CTX-M-65. WGS of 28 geographically and phenotypically representative ESBL-producing S. Infantis revealed five clonal clusters, suggesting the widespread dissemination of ESBL-producing S. Infantis across Korea’s poultry supply chain. All 28 ESBL-producing S. Infantis isolates contained a pESI-like megaplasmid, carrying multiple resistance and virulence genes, with sequences highly identical to plasmids reported in the United States, indicating potential international transmission. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the urgent need for continuous surveillance and responsible antibiotic use in livestock under a One Health framework. WGS can provide an effective tool for tracking AMR evolution and clonal spread within and across regions. Full article

The purpose of this study was to analyze the poultry chain in southern Italy to describe the characteristics of farms and their locations and to propose an optimized organizational model with a broader approach that considers not only economic and environmental factors, but also ethical ones, including animal welfare protection, particularly in the poultry food safety chain. To obtain these results, the geolocations of poultry facilities, identifying possible verticalizations in the supply chain, were used. Data were collected in the province of Foggia (Italy) and organized in a dataset in collaboration with the Prevention Department of the Local Health Authority. A geo-imputation procedure and centroid calculation allowed us to formulate an optimizing hypothesis regarding the geolocation of upstream and downstream facilities in the process of chicken breeding by identifying a possible verticalization in the supply chain. Our results highlight the importance of broadening the concept of industrial symbiosis in the management of poultry farming, not only from an environmental perspective, but also from a social perspective. In particular, concerning ethical aspects, protecting animal welfare today is an essential goal of the sector to ensure high quality and yield of poultry meat. The results represent the first step towards proposing an optimized organizational model that takes ethical and social aspects into consideration. The paper is intended to highlight how, in the poultry sector, an organizational scheme can also reconcile other aspects, such as safeguarding the welfare conditions of animals on farms and during transport to improve food safety. Full article

The war in Ukraine and the related disruptions in its supply chains shook global markets for agricultural and energy commodities, causing their prices to increase to unprecedented levels. At the same time, this situation highlighted the fact that Ukraine is an important global producer and exporter of certain agricultural products. The complete opening of the EU market to duty-free imports from Ukraine showed that Ukrainian products constitute competition for both EU and Polish food producers. This, in turn, caused further disruptions in the food supply chains within the EU. The aim of this article is to assess the competitive position of Polish and Ukrainian food producers in the EU market and the prospects for the evolution of their competitive advantages. The analysis was carried out using selected quantitative indicators of competitive position, namely Balassa’s Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA) and the Trade Coverage Index (TC). The calculations were made using statistical data from the World Bank WITS-Comtrade database. The research covered the period from 2018 to 2023, inclusive. The research shows that between 2018 and 2023, the share of products in Polish exports to the EU, in which both countries compete, increased to 37.5%; that is, both countries had comparative advantages in these products on this market. The current competition includes, among others, poultry meat, bakery products, wafers and cookies, chocolate, corn, fruit juices, frozen fruit, water and other non-alcoholic drinks, and wheat. At the same time, more than half of Polish exports consisted of products that may become the subject of such competition in the future (currently, only Poland has comparative advantages in the export of these products). These may include, among others, cigarettes, animal feed, fresh or chilled beef, other food products, smoked fish, canned meat, fish fillets, pork, canned fish, and liquid milk and cream. Therefore, Polish food producers face big challenges; the process of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and its potential integration with the single European market will strengthen the competitive position of Ukrainian food producers in the EU market. The current competitive strategy of Polish producers, based on cost and price advantages, may turn out to be ineffective under these conditions. Therefore, they must look for new sources of competitive advantage that will distinguish Polish products from the cheaper Ukrainian ones. Therefore, a strategy of competing on quality may prove effective. Full article

Poultry carcasses may be reservoirs for the zoonotic transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to humans and pose a major public health hazard. During the isolation of Salmonella from poultry and other foods, many of the presumptive typical Salmonella colonies on xylose lysine deoxycholate (XLD) agar were found to lack the invA gene, which is the specific target gene for Salmonella spp. Therefore, the current study aimed to estimate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of extensively drug-resistant invA-negative non-Salmonella isolates recovered from native Egyptian chicken carcasses as presumptive Salmonella colonies on XLD agar. The non-Salmonella isolates were detected in 84% (126/150) of the examined native Egyptian chicken carcasses and classified into five genera, with prevalence rates of 64% (96/150), 14% (21/150), 6.7% (10/150), 3.3% (5/150), and 1.3% (2/150) for Proteus, Citrobacter, Shigella, Pseudomonas, and Edwardsiella, respectively. One hundred and ninety-five invA-negative, non-verified presumptive Salmonella isolates were recovered and classified at the species level into Proteus mirabilis (132/195; 67.7%), Proteus vulgaris (11/195; 5.6%), Citrobacter freundii (26/195; 13.3%), Shigella flexneri (8/195; 4.1%), Shigella sonnei (6/195; 3.1%), Shigella dysenteriae (3/195; 1.5%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (6/195; 3.1%), and Edwardsiella tarda (3/195; 1.5%). All (195/195; 100%) of these isolates showed resistance against cefaclor and fosfomycin. Additionally, these isolates showed high resistance rates of 98%, 92.8%, 89.7%, 89.2%, 89.2%, 86.7%, 80%, 78.5%, 74.4%, and 73.9% against cephalothin, azithromycin, vancomycin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, cefepime, gentamicin, cefotaxime, and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Interestingly, all (195/195; 100%) of the identified isolates were resistant to at least five antibiotics and exhibited an average MAR (multiple antibiotic resistance) index of 0.783. Furthermore, 73.9% of the examined isolates were classified as extensively drug-resistant, with an MAR index equal to 0.830. The high prevalence of extensively drug-resistant foodborne Proteus, Citrobacter, Shigella, Pseudomonas, and Edwardsiella isolated from native chicken carcasses poses a great hazard to public health and necessitates more monitoring and concern about the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals. This study also recommends the strict implementation of GHP (good hygienic practices) and GMP (good manufacturing practices) in the chicken meat supply chain to protect consumer health. Full article

Heat stress (HS) is a significant concern in broiler chickens, which is vital for global meat supply in the dynamic field of poultry farming. The impact of heat stress on the ileum and its influence on the redox homeostatic genes in chickens remains unclear. We hypothesized that adding zinc to the feed of heat-stressed broilers would improve their resilience to heat stress. However, this study aimed to explore the effects of organic zinc supplementation under HS conditions on broiler chickens’ intestinal histology and regulation of HS index genes. In this study, 512 Xueshan chickens were divided into four groups: vehicle, HS, 60 mg/kg zinc, and HS + 60 mg/kg zinc groups. Findings revealed that zinc supply positively increased the VH and VH: CD in the ileum of the broilers compared to the HS group, while CD and VW decreased in Zn and HS+Zn supplemented broilers. Zn administration significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and decreased the enzymatic activities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to the HS group. In addition, Zn administration significantly increased relative ATP, complex I, III, and V enzyme activity compared to the HS group. Furthermore, the expression of acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4), lactate transporter 3 (LPCAT3), peroxiredoxin (PRX), and transferrin receptor (TFRC) in the protein levels was extremely downregulated in HS+Zn compared to the HS group. Zn supply significantly decreased the enrichment of RORγ, P300, and SRC1 at target loci of ACSL4, LPCAT3, and PRX compared to the HS group. The occupancies of histone active marks H3K9ac, H3K18ac, H3K27ac, H3K4me1, and H3K18bhb at the locus of ACSL4 and LPCAT3 were significantly decreased in HS+Zn compared to the HS group. Moreover, H3K9la and H3K18la at the locus of ACSL4 and LPCAT3 were significantly decreased in HS+Zn compared to the HS group. This study emphasizes that organic Zn is a potential strategy for modulating the oxidative genes ACSL4, LPCAT3, PRX, and TFRC in the ileum of chickens via nuclear receptor RORγ regulation and histone modifications. Full article

The quality of poultry meat offered to the consumer depends mainly on the level of hygiene during all stages of its production, storage time, and temperature. This study investigated the effect of refrigerated storage on the microbiological contamination, color, and pH of turkey thigh muscles stored at 1 °C over six days. Microbial growth, including total mesophilic aerobes, presumptive lactic acid bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae, significantly increased, impacting the meat’s sensory attributes and safety. On the 6th day of meat storage, the content of total mesophilic aerobes, presumptive lactic acid bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae was 1.82 × 10⁷ CFU/g, 1.00 × 10⁴ CFU/g, and 1.87 × 10⁵ CFU/g, respectively. The stability of color was assessed by quantifying the total heme pigments, comparing myoglobin, oxymyoglobin, and metmyoglobin concentrations, analyzing color parameters L*, a*, b*, and the sensory assessment of surface color, showing a decline in total heme pigments, three myoglobin forms, redness (a*) and lightness (L*). In contrast, yellowness (b*) increased. These changes were correlated with the growth of spoilage microorganisms that influenced the meat’s pigmentation and pH, with a notable rise in pH associated with microbial metabolization. Based on the conducted research, it was found that the maximum storage time of turkey thigh muscles at a temperature of 1 °C is 4 days. On the 4th day of storage, the total mesophilic aerobe content was 3.5 × 10⁵ CFU/g. This study underscores the critical need for maintaining controlled refrigeration conditions to mitigate spoilage, ensuring food safety, and preserving turkey meat’s sensory and nutritional qualities. There is a need for further research to improve turkey meat storage techniques under specific temperature conditions by studying the impact of using varying packaging materials (with different barrier properties) or the application of natural preservatives. Additionally, future studies could focus on evaluating the effectiveness of cold chain management practices to ensure the quality and safety of turkey products during storage. By addressing these research gaps, practitioners and researchers can contribute to developing more efficient and sustainable turkey meat supply chains, which may help mitigate food wastage by safeguarding the quality and safety of the meat. Full article

Background and objectives: Food balance sheets (FBSs) provide comprehensive annual information on a country’s food supply, reflecting possible trends in a population’s overall food consumption. However, FBSs essentially refer to agricultural products and primary commodities, rather than foods ready to be consumed. Therefore, FBSs have only limited value for assessing the nutritional adequacy of a country’s food supply. However, certain data transformations could substantially enhance the suitability of FBSs for public health purposes, considering human and planetary health alike. Methods: Schwinglhackl et al. (2019) [1] estimated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to the intake of food groups as well as respective theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs). These data are translated into respective food supply using ratios of FBS data and respective nationally representative food consumption. Poore and Nemecek (2018) [2] provide data on the environmental impact of 43 agricultural products along the complete supply chain, allowing the analysis of various sustainability parameters for specific products or the entire food supply. Results: The inadequate consumption of nuts or fruits has the highest contribution to food-related DALYs (approx. 20% each), followed by fish and soft drinks (approx. 15% each), and legumes, vegetables, meat, or dairy (approx. 8% each). The average consumption of red meat exceeded the respective TMREL by a factor of 2.6, whereas the consumption of most other food products reached the TMREL only by fraction, e.g., fish and legumes: 20%, respectively, nuts: 26%, and vegetables: 49%. Animal products make up more than 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the food sector (red meat: 28%, dairy: 30%, butter: 10%, poultry, fish, and eggs together: 8%). The situation is quite similar when considering freshwater use. Discussion: Despite serious methodological limitations of FBS data, they can provide a valuable basis for defining public health nutrition goals. Clearly, human and planetary health would both benefit from a drastic reduction in meat consumption and a sincere endeavor to replace animal products with plants. Full article

This study presents the developing process of the Śmiłowo Eco-Park, located in the Noteć valley region (Poland), is a part of the biggest Polish agri-food consortium, from its initial small waste management company to its final structure as an eco-industrial park using industrial symbiosis methods. The industrial symbiosis applied in the Eco-park promotes a business model which covers the whole life cycle of the products starting from the plant growing by animal feed preparation, livestock breeding, meat preparations, meat-bone meal production from animal waste, and the use of pig slurry as a fertilizer. The Eco-park model is presented in the form of a system of connected stream flows of materials and energy covering the full lifecycle of products, from cereal cultivation, through the production of industrial feed, and poultry and pig breeding for the production of meat products. The solutions used include the prevention of environmental pollution through the modernization of existing processes, implementation of new technologies, reduction of waste and its reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials and energy, the substitution of raw materials with waste, and thermal treatment of waste and its use as biofuel. This case study allows for analyses of the organizational and technical key strategic activities which enable waste, including hazardous waste, to be transformed into valuable materials and energy. These activities have modified the system of material and energy flows through the value chain to realize the goal of allowing profitable management of waste according to circular economy methods and also indicates methods of supporting modifications of supply chains in terms of implementation of the industrial symbiosis business model according to its relationship with sustainable development, cleaner production, and circular economy models. EIP Śmiłowo annually utilizes 300,000 t meat waste, produces 110,000 t meat bone meal biofuel, uses 120,000 t of pig manure as fertilizers, produces 460,000 GJ bioenergy, eliminates 92,000 t CO₂ emissions. Full article

Increased use of antibiotics in livestock is a public health concern, as it poses risks of antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant pathogens entering the food chains and infecting humans. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 216 poultry farms to study knowledge, attitudes and practices of poultry farmers on the use of antibiotics in urban and peri-urban areas of Ouagadougou. Results show that only 17.13% (37/216) of farmers attended training on poultry production. Majority of farmers—85.65% (185/216) were not knowledgeable about the rational use of antibiotics. When there was a disease outbreak, 31.98% (63/197) of farmers used veterinary drugs without a prescription and 22.34% (44/197) consulted a community animal health worker. It should also be noted that 79.19% (156/197) of farmers reported using chicken meat as per normal if the bird died during or right after treatment with an antibiotic. Knowledge of rational use of antibiotics was positively influenced by a good attitude adopted by the farmer during the illness of birds and negatively influenced by disease treatment success and high level of education of the farmer. Lack of knowledge about the rational use of antibiotics including their use without a prescription are serious risk factors for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Awareness of farmers and other veterinary drug supply chain actors such as drug stockists and animal health workers on best practices in antimicrobial use and promotion of good biosecurity on farms are important to reduce the misuse of antibiotics. Full article

Campylobacter is one of the most common bacterial pathogens of food safety concern. Campylobacter jejuni infects chickens by 2–3 weeks of age and colonized chickens carry a high C. jejuni load in their gut without developing clinical disease. Contamination of meat products by gut contents is difficult to prevent because of the high numbers of C. jejuni in the gut, and the large percentage of birds infected. Therefore, effective intervention strategies to limit human infections of C. jejuni should prioritize the control of pathogen transmission along the food supply chain. To this end, there have been ongoing efforts to develop innovative ways to control foodborne pathogens in poultry to meet the growing customers’ demand for poultry meat that is free of foodborne pathogens. In this review, we discuss various approaches that are being undertaken to reduce Campylobacter load in live chickens (pre-harvest) and in carcasses (post-harvest). We also provide some insights into optimization of these approaches, which could potentially help improve the pre- and post-harvest practices for better control of Campylobacter. Full article

The author has worked as a consultant with global commercial supply managers for over 20 years. The focus of this commentary will be practical application of The Five Domains Model in commercial systems. Commercial buyers of meat need simple easy-to-use guidelines. They have to use auditors that can be trained in a workshop that lasts for only a few days. Auditing of slaughter plants by major buyers has resulted in great improvements. Supply chain managers need clear guidance on conditions that would result in a failed audit. Animal based outcome measures that can be easily assessed should be emphasized in commercial systems. Some examples of these key animal welfare indicators are: percentage of animals stunned effectively with a single application of the stunner, percentage of lame animals, foot pad lesions on poultry, and body condition scoring. A farm that supplies a buyer must also comply with housing specifications. The farm either has the specified housing or does not have it. It will be removed from the approved supplier list if housing does not comply. These types of easy to assess indicators can be easily evaluated within the four domains of nutrition, environment, health and behavioral interactions. The Five Domains Framework can also be used in a program for continuous improvement of animal welfare. Full article

Campylobacteriosis, a foodborne illness, is one of the world′s leading causes of gastrointestinal illness. This study investigates the link between human campylobacteriosis and the consumption of potentially contaminated food with Campylobacter jejuni. Three hundred sixty samples were collected from humans, chicken cloaca, raw chicken meat, unpasteurized milk, and vegetables. The chickens were obtained from licensed and non-licensed slaughterhouses, and only the necks and wings were studied. Samples were enriched under microaerobic conditions then cultured on the modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar. Bacteria was identified by staining, biochemical testing, and molecular identification by the polymerase chain reaction for the virulence genes; hipO, asp, dnaJ, cadF, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC. The genomic homogeneity of C. jejuni between human and chicken isolates was assessed by the serological Penner test and the pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Campylobacter was not detected in the vegetables and pasteurized milk, though, only twenty isolates from chickens and clinical samples were presumed to be Campylobacter based on their morphology. The biochemical tests confirmed that five isolates were C. coli, and fifteen isolates were C. jejuni including two isolates from humans, and the remaining were from chickens. The colonization of C. jejuni in chickens was significantly lower in necks (6.66%) obtained from licensed slaughterhouses compared to those obtained from non-licensed slaughterhouses (33.3%). The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that all identified C. jejuni isolates were resistant to antibiotics, and the majority of isolates (53.5%) showed resistance against six antibiotics, though, all isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and aztreonam. The Penner test showed P:21 as the dominant serotype in isolates from humans, necks, and cloaca. The serohomology of C. jejuni from human isolates and chicken necks, wings, and cloaca was 71%, 36%, 78%, respectively. The PFGE analysis of the pattern for DNA fragmentation by the restriction enzyme Smal showed a complete genotypic homology of C. jejuni human isolates and chicken necks compared to partial homology with cloacal isolates. The study brings attention to the need for effective interventions to ensure best practices for safe poultry production for commercial food chain supply to limit infection with foodborne pathogens, including Campylobacter. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected people’s daily lives, including their dietary behaviors. Using a panel data set of 31 provinces from 2015 to 2020, this study employed two-way fixed effects (FE) models to examine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on dietary consumption among Chinese residents. The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic positively affected residents’ consumption of grain, eggs, dairy, and white meat (poultry and aquatic products), while it had a negative effect on individuals’ red meat consumption in both urban and rural areas. These results were robust to different measures of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the number of confirmed cases, suspect cases, and dead cases. Comparatively, the changes in food consumption induced by the COVID-19 pandemic were more prominent for Chinese residents who lived in rural areas than urban areas. In addition, compared to their counterparts, the dietary consequences of the pandemic were more pronounced for residents living in the eastern region and regions with a high old-age dependency ratio and low illiteracy rate. Furthermore, the estimation results of the quantile regression model for panel data suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic had relatively larger impacts on the dietary consumption of Chinese residents at lower quantiles of food consumption compared with those at higher quantiles. Overall, the results of this study suggested that Chinese residents had a healthier diet after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We discussed possible mechanisms, including health awareness, income, food supply and prices, and other behavioral changes during COVID-19 (e.g., physical activity and cooking). To further improve residents’ dietary behaviors and health, our study proposed relevant measures, such as increasing residents’ dietary knowledge, ensuring employment and income, and strengthening the food supply chain resilience during the pandemic. Full article