Disinfection of Fertile Eggs of Free-Range Poultry with Essential Oils

Abstract

SUMMARY The effect of the disinfection of fertile eggs of free-range poultry with essential oils from Cymbopogon flexuosus and Lippia rotundifolia was evaluated. The treatments applied to the eggs were (v v-1): 1% essential oil from C. flexuosus (CF), 1% essential oil from L. rotundifolia(LR), 0.1% CF + LR, and 0.1% quaternary ammonia (QA) (positive control). The eggs were incubated for 21 days, the birds from hatched eggs were counted and weighed, and not hatched eggs were opened and examined macroscopically to determine egg fertility, and embryonic death time. The antimicrobial action of the essential oils was determined through quantitative analyses, considering aerobic mesophylls, filamentous fungi, yeasts, and total coliforms. Mortality was high in the treatments, especially in the treatment with essential oil from C. flexuosus. The highest hatchability was found in the treatment with QA. The treatments with singly or combined essential oils were more efficient in decreasing microbial count than QA. The essential oils from C. flexuosus and L. rotundifolia reduced the microbial load of fertile eggs of the free-range poultry evaluated.

Effects of Sanitizers on Microbiological Control of Hatching Eggshells and Poultry Health during Embryogenesis and Early Stages after Hatching in the Last Decade

“…According to this report, embryos exposed to these waves can develop abnormally. Low hatchability has also been described in hatching eggs sanitized with lemongrass and pedestrian tea essential oils [ 6 ]. Mousa-Balabel et al [ 61 ] noted that eggs sanitized with hydrogen peroxide recorded weak chicks and a high percentage of omphalitis, and eggs sanitized with TH4 recorded weak chicks with distorted beaks.…”

“…The beneficial and non-beneficial effects of sanitizers in hatching eggs result from synchrony (favorable) or non-synchrony (unfavorable) factors, such as concentration and application time [ 4 , 6 ]. As mentioned earlier, it is clear that sanitizers, when applied to hatching eggs under certain conditions, can generate a repertoire of adverse effects that affect embryonic development.…”