Formic Acid As an Antimicrobial for Poultry Production: A Review

Overview

Journal Front Vet Sci

Specialty Veterinary Medicine

Date 2020 Oct 22

PMID 33088825

Citations 25

Authors

Steven C Ricke

Dana K Dittoe

Kurt E Richardson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Organic acids continue to receive considerable attention as feed additives for animal production. Most of the emphasis to date has focused on food safety aspects, particularly on lowering the incidence of foodborne pathogens in poultry and other livestock. Several organic acids are currently either being examined or are already being implemented in commercial settings. Among the several organic acids that have been studied extensively, is formic acid. Formic acid has been added to poultry diets as a means to limit spp. and other foodborne pathogens both in the feed and potentially in the gastrointestinal tract once consumed. As more becomes known about the efficacy and impact formic acid has on both the host and foodborne pathogens, it is clear that the presence of formic acid can trigger certain pathways in spp. This response may become more complex when formic acid enters the gastrointestinal tract and interacts not only with spp. that has colonized the gastrointestinal tract but the indigenous microbial community as well. This review will cover current findings and prospects for further research on the poultry microbiome and feeds treated with formic acid.

Citing Articles

Metabolic diversity and responses of anteater clostridial isolates to chitin-based substrates.

Amin A, Modrackova N, Tejnecky V, Neuzil-Bunesova V Front Vet Sci. 2025; 12:1459378.

PMID: 40046417 PMC: 11879950. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1459378.

Biomolecule screen identifies several inhibitors of surface colonization.

Headrick J, Ohayon A, Elliott S, Schultz J, Mills E, Petersen E Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2025; 12():1467511.

PMID: 39830689 PMC: 11738630. DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1467511.

Optimizing Poultry Nutrition to Combat : Insights from the Literature.

Naeem M, Bourassa D Microorganisms. 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39770814 PMC: 11676424. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12122612.

Effect of protease supplementation on amino acid digestibility of soybean meal fed to growing-finishing pigs in two different ages.

Galli G, Levesque C, Cantarelli V, Chaves R, Silva C, Fascina V J Anim Sci. 2024; 102.

PMID: 39506561 PMC: 11630852. DOI: 10.1093/jas/skae345.

Dietary supplementation with a novel acidifier sodium diformate improves growth performance by increasing growth-related hormones levels and prevents serovar Pullorum infection in chickens.

Sun Y, Zhang X, Han W, Liao W, Huang J, Chen Y Front Vet Sci. 2024; 11:1433514.

PMID: 39100761 PMC: 11295659. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1433514.

References

Amado I, Vazquez J, Fucinos P, Mendez J, Pastrana L . Optimization of antimicrobial combined effect of organic acids and temperature on foodborne Salmonella and Escherichia coli in cattle feed by response surface methodology. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2013; 10(12):1030-6. DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2013.1559. View

Touchard A, Aili S, Goncalves Paterson Fox E, Escoubas P, Orivel J, Nicholson G . The Biochemical Toxin Arsenal from Ant Venoms. Toxins (Basel). 2016; 8(1). PMC: 4728552. DOI: 10.3390/toxins8010030. View

Line J, Hiett K, Guard-Bouldin J, Seal B . Differential carbon source utilization by Campylobacter jejuni 11168 in response to growth temperature variation. J Microbiol Methods. 2009; 80(2):198-202. DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2009.12.011. View

Cabezon E, de la Cruz F, Arechaga I . Conjugation Inhibitors and Their Potential Use to Prevent Dissemination of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Bacteria. Front Microbiol. 2017; 8:2329. PMC: 5723004. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02329. View

Kassem I, Candelero-Rueda R, Esseili K, Rajashekara G . Formate simultaneously reduces oxidase activity and enhances respiration in Campylobacter jejuni. Sci Rep. 2017; 7:40117. PMC: 5238407. DOI: 10.1038/srep40117. View

Al-Tarazi Y, Alshawabkeh K . Effect of dietary formic and propionic acids on salmonella pullorum shedding and mortality in layer chicks after experimental infection. J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health. 2003; 50(3):112-7. DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0450.2003.00644.x. View

Hsieh Y, Poole T, Runyon M, Hume M, Herrman T . Prevalence of Nontyphoidal Salmonella and Salmonella Strains with Conjugative Antimicrobial-Resistant Serovars Contaminating Animal Feed in Texas. J Food Prot. 2016; 79(2):194-204. DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-15-163. View

Veldman A, Vahl H, Borggreve G, Fuller D . A survey of the incidence of Salmonella species and Enterobacteriaceae in poultry feeds and feed components. Vet Rec. 1995; 136(7):169-72. DOI: 10.1136/vr.136.7.169. View

Feye K, Baxter M, Tellez-Isaias G, Kogut M, Ricke S . Influential factors on the composition of the conventionally raised broiler gastrointestinal microbiomes. Poult Sci. 2020; 99(2):653-659. PMC: 7587711. DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2019.12.013. View

10.

Hefetz A, Blum M . Biosynthesis and Accumulation of Formic Acid in the Poison Gland of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus. Science. 1978; 201(4354):454-5. DOI: 10.1126/science.201.4354.454. View

11.

Walia K, Arguello H, Lynch H, Leonard F, Grant J, Yearsley D . Effect of strategic administration of an encapsulated blend of formic acid, citric acid, and essential oils on Salmonella carriage, seroprevalence, and growth of finishing pigs. Prev Vet Med. 2017; 137(Pt A):28-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.12.007. View

12.

Beier R, Harvey R, Poole T, Hume M, Crippen T, Highfield L . Interactions of organic acids with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolated from community wastewater in Texas. J Appl Microbiol. 2018; 126(2):480-488. DOI: 10.1111/jam.14145. View

13.

Koyuncu S, Andersson M, Lofstrom C, Skandamis P, Gounadaki A, Zentek J . Organic acids for control of Salmonella in different feed materials. BMC Vet Res. 2013; 9:81. PMC: 3646707. DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-81. View

14.

He L, Wang C, Xing Y, Zhou W, Pian R, Yang F . Dynamics of proteolysis, protease activity and bacterial community of Neolamarckia cadamba leaves silage and the effects of formic acid and Lactobacillus farciminis. Bioresour Technol. 2019; 294:122127. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122127. View

15.

Grant R, Ferraretto L . Silage review: Silage feeding management: Silage characteristics and dairy cow feeding behavior. J Dairy Sci. 2018; 101(5):4111-4121. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2017-13729. View

16.

Forghani F, Den Bakker M, Liao J, Payton A, Futral A, Diez-Gonzalez F . and Enterohemorrhagic Serogroups O45, O121, O145 in Wheat Flour: Effects of Long-Term Storage and Thermal Treatments. Front Microbiol. 2019; 10:323. PMC: 6395439. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00323. View

17.

Borreani G, Tabacco E, Schmidt R, Holmes B, Muck R . Silage review: Factors affecting dry matter and quality losses in silages. J Dairy Sci. 2018; 101(5):3952-3979. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2017-13837. View

18.

Chapuisat M, Oppliger A, Magliano P, Christe P . Wood ants use resin to protect themselves against pathogens. Proc Biol Sci. 2007; 274(1621):2013-7. PMC: 2275180. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0531. View

19.

Bedford A, Gong J . Implications of butyrate and its derivatives for gut health and animal production. Anim Nutr. 2018; 4(2):151-159. PMC: 6104520. DOI: 10.1016/j.aninu.2017.08.010. View

20.

Polycarpo G, Andretta I, Kipper M, Cruz-Polycarpo V, Dadalt J, Rodrigues P . Meta-analytic study of organic acids as an alternative performance-enhancing feed additive to antibiotics for broiler chickens. Poult Sci. 2017; 96(10):3645-3653. PMC: 5850820. DOI: 10.3382/ps/pex178. View