Effects of hydrogen-rich hypochlorous acid water on broiler drinking water bacterial level, growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal environment

Pathogenic microbial contamination in broiler drinking water constitutes a critical factor in disease occurrence and transmission within large-scale farming operations. Effective drinking water quality management is essential for optimizing broiler health and production performance. Functional additives, such as hypochlorous acid water (HAW) and hydrogen-rich water (HRW), are often added to farm drinking systems. HAW inhibits bacterial growth, and HRW enhances antioxidant capacity in broilers. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of these two functional additives and evaluate their impacts on bacteria and biofilm in the drinking water system, broiler production performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal environment. A total of 480 broilers were randomly divided into four groups (n = 120 each) and raised for 42 days with distinct aqueous solutions: Group A (tap water), Group B (HAW, 0.3 mg/L), Group C (HRW, 1200 ppb), and Group D (combined HAW and HRW, hydrogen-rich hypochlorous acid water [HRHAW], 0.3 mg/L + 1200 ppb). The results indicated that the sterilization rate of planktonic bacteria in drinking water exceeded 99.90 % after the HRHAW intervention, and the biofilm biomass decreased by 62.85 %. Compared with controls, HRHAW showed no significant impact on the feed–gain ratio but significantly improved breast meat tenderness (39.15 %) and antioxidant capacity (SOD: 6.52 %–27.54 %; GSH-PX: 8.54 %–50.97 %). Intestinal health was enhanced through oxidative stress mitigation and antibacterial effects. In summary, HRHAW successfully integrates the antioxidant benefits of HRW with the antimicrobial efficacy of HAW, significantly reducing the bacterial content in drinking water and enhancing the antioxidant capacity of broilers, thereby positively influencing broiler health.