This publication is linked to the following EFSA Supporting Publications article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/sp.efsa.2021.EN-1996/full

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as a feed additive for all animal species. Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is intended for use as a technological additive (functional groups: emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener, gelling agent and binder) in premixtures and feedingstuffs for all animal species with no minimum and maximum content. A proper identification and characterisation of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as required for a feed additive is not available and the occurrence of potential toxic impurities cannot be assessed. The following conclusions apply only to sodium carboxymethyl cellulose meeting the food additive specifications. The FEEDAP Panel concluded that sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is considered safe for all animal species. The use of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in animal nutrition is of no concern for consumer safety. In the absence of data, the FEEDAP Panel was not in the position to conclude on the safety of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose for the user. The use of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as a feed additive is considered safe for the environment. The additive is considered to be efficacious in feedingstuffs for all animal species.

The objective of this study was to perform a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of microbial contamination of harvested colostrum on 39 Czech dairy farms. The study identified the proportion of colostrum samples that met the recommended goals for total plate count (TPC), total coliform count (TCC), and gram-negative noncoliform count (NCC), and evaluated the effect of the farm, breed, parity, season of the year, time of calving, and colostrum volume on these 3 microbiological parameters. Colostrum samples from cows (n = 1,241; 57.6% from Czech Fleckvieh, and 42.4% from Holstein breed) were collected on dairy farms between autumn of 2015 and spring of 2017. The samples were collected after the first milking directly from milking buckets. In 155 out of 1,241 colostrum samples (26 farms, 6 samples each, except 1 farm), the species of microorganisms obtained by culture were determined, and the findings were classified into 4 groups according to the probable source of contamination as follows: (1) normal inhabitants of bovine skin and mucosa, (2) fecal contaminants, (3) environmental contaminants, and (4) potential gram-positive mammary pathogens. Our results showed heavy microbial contamination of collected colostrum samples (TPC median = 408,000 cfu/mL; TCC median = 200 cfu/mL; NCC median = 80 cfu/mL). Only 28.4% of samples met the requirement for TPC (<100,000 cfu/mL), 88.2% for TCC (<10,000 cfu/mL), and 86.0% for NCC (<5,000 cfu/mL). Among the tested factors, we found that farm had a significant effect on all 3 microbiological parameters, volume of colostrum had an effect on TPC (the highest TPC in <3.0 L of colostrum), and season had an effect on TCC and NCC (higher TCC in summer than in autumn and winter; the highest NCC in summer and higher in autumn than in spring and winter). Our results showed that most microbes isolated from colostrum belonged to normal inhabitants of bovine skin and mucosa, fecal, or environmental contaminants (i.e., 82.6%, 81.9%, and 75.5% of colostrum samples, respectively). Potential gram-positive mammary pathogens were found in 13.5% of samples. Escherichia coli was isolated from 9.0% of colostrum samples, and Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus parauberis were each isolated from 5.2% of samples. Our study showed high microbial contamination of colostrum collected on dairy farms. Therefore, better hygiene and sanitation around colostrum harvest should be addressed by farmers.