Efficacy of acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate in inhibiting Aspergillus ochraceus and reducing ochratoxin A

The current study aimed to identify safe products that could serve as biological control agents against fungi responsible for the accumulation of ochratoxin A in poultry feed. Both acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate exhibited inhibitory effects against Aspergillus ochraceus on culture media and significantly reduced ochratoxin A levels. When incorporated into Potato Dextrose Agar medium, acetic acid completely inhibited the growth of A. ochraceus (100% reduction). A similar effect was observed with sodium bicarbonate, which also achieved 100% growth inhibition when applied at a 5% concentration. Furthermore, ochratoxin A levels were reduced by 65.7% and 43.6% after one month of treatment with 0.5% acetic acid and 1% sodium bicarbonate, respectively. By the second month, both treatments achieved complete (100%) reduction of ochratoxin A. These findings suggest that both compounds are effective and safe options for mitigating the harmful effects of A. ochraceus in poultry feed.