Bacteriophages as Potential Sustainable Alternatives to Antibiotics for Controlling Salmonella in the Poultry Value Chain.
Yamik DY, Vongkamjan K, Guyonnet V, Kitpipit W, Pelyuntha W
Food Safety
Every whole chicken or egg carton in your kitchen passed through a system where antibiotic-resistant Salmonella is a growing threat—and phage-based treatments are now approved as safe food applications that could quietly make that food safer without chemical residues.
Scientists reviewed dozens of studies on tiny viruses called bacteriophages that naturally hunt and destroy Salmonella bacteria in poultry farms, processing plants, and packaged meat. When used as a cocktail of multiple phage types, they cut Salmonella levels by more than 90% without harming beneficial bacteria or changing the taste and nutrition of the food. Several phage-based products have already received safety approval in the US, though researchers caution that bacteria can sometimes develop resistance to phages too.
Key Findings
Phage treatments achieved over 90% reduction in Salmonella in poultry farms and post-harvest meat compared to untreated controls.
Phage cocktails (mixtures of multiple phage strains) are more effective than single-phage preparations and can target antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serovars.
Several phage-based products have received GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) regulatory approval for food applications in the United States.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Bacteriophages—viruses that kill bacteria—can reduce Salmonella contamination in poultry by over 90%, offering a viable biological alternative to antibiotics across the entire farm-to-fork supply chain.
Abstract Preview
Salmonella remains one of the most critical zoonotic pathogens in the poultry sector, linked to animal disease, foodborne illness, and the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Poultry a...
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