Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached through this project includes small and medium egg producers, extension educators, poultry associations, other stakeholders, the scientific community, students, and the poultry industry. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, graduate students were engaged in conducting egg safety trials using postbiotics. In addition to the wet lab experiments, the graduate student also performed statistical analysis on the data. Also, the student had the opportunity to present their research to producers at extension workshops and the larger poultry community at IPPE How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated via peer reviewed publications, conference presentations and extension workshops. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In continuation of the proposed research activities, tissue samples collected from the performance trials will be processed for immune and gene expression assays as outlined in the project. Further, additional studies are currently underway to develop different delivery mechanisms for the probiotic including emulsification and lyophilization
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
SalmonellaEnteritidis (SE) contaminated eggs are the leading cause of foodborne outbreaks. Egg contamination occurs from environmental sources and SE-colonized hens. Consumption of these contaminated eggs results in salmonellosis in humans. Hence, there is a need for effective post-harvest solutions to control SE on eggs. Here we evaluated the efficacy of two novel postbiotics extracted from probiotics,Lactobacillus rhamnosusNRRL-B-442 (LR) andLactobacillus paracaseiDUP 13076 (LP), as post-harvest wash treatments to reduce egg contamination. For this study, fresh table eggs were randomly assigned to treatments including control (water), MRS control (MRSC - water with 40% v/v MRS), 200ppm chlorine (industry control), water with 40% v/v LP postbiotic (LPP) and water with 40% v/v LR postbiotic (LRP). Inoculated eggs (SE ∼8 log CFU/egg) were either dip or electrospray (ES) washed using different treatments. Immediately following wash and at different times during 21-day refrigerated storage, outer surface, inner shell surface and internal contents of eggs were sampled to enumerate surviving SE populations. The ES application of LRP and LPP reduced SE populations on outer surface to below detection limits by day 7 of storage with <11% of internal contents testing SE positive. With dip wash, postbiotic treatment reduced SE populations by>5 log CFU/egg. Overall, postbiotic application by ES or dipping significantly reduced SE populations on eggs (P≤0.05) throughout the storage without impacting egg quality (P>0.05). Overall, postbiotics can serve as a safe, effective, and organic friendly approach to enhance post-harvest egg safety.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Reddyvari, R., Lu, S., Kosuri, P. and Amalaradjou, M.A., 2025. Incorporation of probiotics in post-harvest wash treatments reduces Salmonella contamination and improves egg safety. Poultry Science, 104(6), p.105146.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Reddyvari, R. and Amalaradjou, M.A., 2025. Postbiotic wash treatments: A novel post-harvest approach to reduce Salmonella and enhance egg safety. Food Control, p.111398.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
1. Ragini R, Kosuri P, Ren Y, Kanike E, Muttathukonam SH, Amalaradjou MA. 2025. Supplementation of novel probiotics improves layer performance while reducing egg-borne Salmonella transmission. 2025 PSA Annual Meeting, Raleigh, NC.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
9. Ragini R, Kosuri P, Ren Y, Kanike E, Muttathukonam SH, Amalaradjou MA. 2025. A farm-to-fork approach for controlling Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs using probiotics and postbiotics. International Production & Processing Expo 2025, Atlanta, GA.
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Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached through this project includes small and medium egg producers, extension educators, poultry associations, other stakeholders, the scientific community, students, and the poultry industry. In particular, we organized a poultry outreach seminar for producers focused on improving poultry egg safety using natural interventions. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, graduate students were engaged in conducting the performance trials including feeding and management of layers, daily egg collection, weighing and egg quality analysis. In addition to the wet lab experiments, the graduate student also performed statistical analysis on the data. Currently the student is processing tissue samples for histomorphometric analysis. Also, the student had the opportunity to present their research to producers at extension workshops and the larger poultry community at IPPE How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the study were shared with the producers and SAC via extension workshops, discussions and presentations at IPPE. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In continuation of the proposed research activities, tissue samples collected from the performance trials will be processed for histology and immune assays as outlined in the project. Further, additional studies are currently underway to evaluate probiotic application as a pre-harvest intervention to improve egg safety.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the current reporting period, performance trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of in-feed probiotics supplementation on layer growth, performance, health and egg quality. Two novel probiotics namely Lactobacillus rhamnosus NRRL-B-442 (LR) and Lactobacillus paracasei DUP 13076 (LP) recently identified to promote pullet growth were employed in this study. The experiment was set out as a completely randomized design. A total of 300 19-week-old Lohmann lite laying hens were randomly allocated into 4 treatments with 5 replicates of 15 birds each for 48 weeks of age. The experimental treatments included a corn-soybean meal-based diet without probiotics (Control) and the feed supplemented with 9 log CFU/kg of LP, LR, and a probiotic cocktail of LP and LR (PR). Data were analyzed using GraphPad (Version 9.3.1), and P<0.05 was considered significant. The results showed that the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly improved (P<0.05) in the LP group (2.94) when compared to control (3.22), LR (3.20), and PR (3.47). Specifically, the feed intake was significantly lower in the LP group (117g/bird) when compared to the control (128g/bird), LR (128g/bird) and PR (140g/bird). In terms of egg production, the cocktail and LP group significantly increased production by 5 and 3%, respectively, when compared to control. Further, we also observed higher cecal Lactobacilli counts and reduced E. coli counts in LP, LR and PR when compared to control. Overall, supplementing probiotics LP and LR in layer diets improved layer performance while modulating cecal microbial populations. Further, as part of the outreach component, poultry producers in PA were surveyed to identify production size and current management practices. Also, two extension workshops were organized at UConn to facilitate discussion on the project results and obtain feedback from small and medium producers in the region.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached through this project includes small and medium egg producers, extension educators, poultry associations,other stakeholders, the scientific community, students, and the poultry industry. In particular, we organized a poultry outreach seminar for producers focused on improving poultry production using natural interventions. Changes/Problems:We experienced significant delay in procuring pullets for the performance trials (Objective 1) due to COVID restrictions and the Avian Influenza outbreaks. Hence, to overcome the difficulty with obtaining pullets, we have modified our protocol to raise the hatchlings ourselves and start the treatments on week 14 as outlined in the project. Beyond this, the postponement of the performance trials is also expected to delay the start of the pre-harvest interventions trial. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, graduatestudents were engaged in conducting the performance trials including feeding and management of layers, daily egg collection, weighing and egg quality analysis. In addition to the wet lab experiments, the graduate student also performed statistical analysis on the data. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In continuation of the proposed research activities, we will continue with the performance trial to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic supplementation on layer growth, performance and egg quality. Additionally, tissue samples will be processed for further analysis as outlined in the project narrative. Further, we also expect to publish the results from the egg wash experiments in a peer-revised journal and present results from the performance trial at professional meetings.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Efforts in the current reporting period were focused on evaluating the effect of probiotic supplementation on layer performance. Briefly, Lohman Lite chicks were obtained from a commercial vendor and raised on floor pens with in-feed supplementation of probiotics starting from 15 weeks of age. Following the start of lay, eggs from each pen and treatment were collected once daily to record egg numbers and weight. In addition, every two weeks, all eggs obtained from each pen and treatment were subject to egg quality analysis. Further, individual bird weights were recorded once every two months and feed consumption was recorded every day on a per pen basis. This study is currently underway and expected to completed by the end of the year.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached through this project includes small and medium egg producers, extension educators, poultry associations, other stakeholders, the scientific community, students, and the poultry industry. Changes/Problems:We experienced significant delay in procuring pullets for the performance trials (Objective 1) due to COVID restrictions and the Avian Influenza outbreaks. Hence, we focused on Obj 3 in Year 1. Further, to overcome the difficulty with obtaining pullets, we have modified our protocol to raise the hatchlings ourselves and start the treatments on week 14 as outlined in the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, graduate and undergraduate students were engaged in conducting the egg trials, sample collection and microbial enumeration. In addition to the wet lab experiments, the graduate student also performed statistical analysis on the data. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the study have been disseminated to target audience and stakeholders through conference presentation and Co-PIs (extension educators). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In continuation of the proposed research activities, live bird trials will be set up to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic supplementation on layer growth, performance and egg quality. Additionally, tissue samples will be processed for further analysis as outlined in the project narrative.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) is a prevalent foodborne pathogen that is commonly transmitted through contaminated eggs. Once the egg is laid, SE can contaminate the eggs from various environmental sources including contaminated litter and fecal droppings. Therefore, decontamination of eggs is critical to food safety. Hence, we evaluated the efficacy of incorporating probiotics in wash water as an on-farm strategy to promote egg safety. We hypothesized that incorporation of probiotics in wash water will help reduce SE population on eggs. Further, since they occupy the same ecological niche as SE, probiotics can serve as a protective buffer against subsequent contamination and provide sustained antimicrobial effect. Freshly laid eggs (n= 45/trial) inoculated with a five-strain mix of SE (~8 log CFU/ml) were subjected to the different wash treatments including sterile water containing [no treatments (control), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR; 8 log CFU/ml), L. paracasei (LP) or Hafnia alvei (HA)] or chlorine (200 ppm). Eggs wash was performed either as a dip (32 or 42°C for 3 min) or spray application using a conventional air spray gun. Eggs were sampled for Salmonella and probiotic populations after wash and over 14 days of refrigerated storage. The experiments were set out as a completely randomized design and three independent trials were performed. Data were analyzed using GraphPad (Version 9.3.1)and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Immediately after probiotic spray application, ~ 6 and 5.4 log CFU/ml of SE was recovered from the control and treated eggs, respectively. Beyond this initial reduction, probiotic sprays exerted a sustained antimicrobial effect against SE populations on eggs during refrigerated storage. For instance, SE was reduced by > 3 log CFU/ml and to below detection limits by day 7 and 14 of storage, respectively, while ~ 4 log CFU/ml was still recovered from the control and chlorine treated samples. With dipping, at the end of the 3 min wash period at 42°, ~ 4 log CFU/ml of SE was recovered from the control and chlorine treated samples, with no further reduction observed during storage. On the other hand, washing with LR and LP reduced SE populations to below detection limits by day 7. Further, significant numbers of the probiotic were recovered from the eggs throughout storage. Overall, probiotic application by spraying or dipping significantly reduced SE populations on eggs (P<0.05). Therefore, incorporation of probiotics in wash water could potentially serve as a safe and organic-friendly antimicrobial strategy to promote egg safety.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Reddyvari R, Lu S, Kosuri PR, Amalaradjou MA. 2022. Incorporation of probiotics in wash water to helps control Salmonella Enteritidis on shell eggs. 2022 PSA Annual Meeting, July 10-15, 2022.
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