HOT PEPPER OIL MAY PREVENT SALMONELLA Adding capsaicin, the spicy component of peppers, to the diet of neonatal broiler chicks appears to increase their resistance to Salmonella, according researchers at Virginia Tech. "If we can prove that feeding capsaicin to birds does reduce Salmonella in a commercial poultry-production situation, it would provide a non-antibiotic way of reducing food-borne pathogens," says Audrey McElroy. "Consumers want an antibiotic-free product, and this may provide the answer." She fed about 1,500 chickens, a low and high level of capsaicin or no capsaicin. The researchers found that both the low and the high level of capsaicin increased resistance to the Salmonella without adversely affecting feed consumption, weight gain, or the taste of the chicken when cooked. The poultry that McElroy tested seem to have no objections to the taste or sting of the capsaicin. She theorizes that chickens and other birds may have evolved so that their taste receptors adapted to allow them to eat the colorful pods. Thanks to ArcaMax Science News and UP Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.