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New technologies for more effective microbiological assays are being adopted by the food industry to intervene more rapidly in its production chain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the alternative methods of TEMPO ® CAM and real-time PCR (rtPCR) Biotecon ® in comparison with the ISO 10272-2:2017 reference method for Campylobacter spp. quantification in turkey meat, aiming to validate a quick and easily replicable method in these meat matrices. A total of 416 samples were analyzed over a one-year period. The TEMPO ® methodology showed inadequate performance with a significant difference ( p < 0.05) compared with the reference methodology; therefore, its use was not recommended for turkey meat matrices. However, the performance of the rtPCR Biotecon ® methodology showed adequate performance with no significant difference ( p > 0.05), and its use was recommended in turkey meat matrices. The study was limited to exclusive research in turkey meat matrices, and expansion of the research into other matrices is recommended to verify whether the behavior of alternative methodologies is similar. The findings of this study illustrate the necessity for a thorough and comprehensive evaluation during the implementation of alternative methodologies that may potentially supplant conventional approaches.

This study aimed to assess the impact of a commercial blend of functional oils, specifically cashew nutshell liquid and castor oil (FO), in two physical forms (solid: P; liquid: S), in comparison to a combination of virginiamycin and anticoccidials on the gut health of broilers challenged with coccidiosis. A total of 1760 1-day-old male chicks were randomly distributed in a study design with eight treatments. The treatments included: a control group (without additive), OFS&#95;0.75&#95;kg/t (FO spray), OFP&#95;1.0&#95;kg/t (FO powder), OFP&#95;1.5&#95;kg/t (FO liquid spray), Sal (anticoccidials), Sal&#95;Vir (virginiamycin and anticoccidials), Sal&#95;OFS&#95;0.5&#95; kg/t (anticoccidials plus FO spray), and Sal&#95;OFP&#95;1.0&#95;kg/t (anticoccidials plus FO powder). All birds were challenged with Eimeria spp. at 14 days. The physical form of FO did not affect performance and intestinal health parameters. At 42 days, broilers from the control and OFS&#95;0.75 treatments were the lightest, while those from the Sal&#95;Vir and Sal&#95;OFP&#95;1.0 treatments were the heaviest (P < 0.05). FO reduced the presence of Clostridium perfringens. The individual phytogenic additives did not prevent weight loss in birds challenged with Eimeria, but they mitigated the effects of the infection by modulating the intestinal microbiota. A synergistic effect was observed between the FO and anticoccidials, yielding satisfactory results in substituting virginiamycin., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)