Organic acid

Exceptions to these solubility characteristics exist in the presence of other substituents that affect the polarity of the compound.

[citation needed] The conjugate bases of organic acids such as citrate and lactate are often used in biologically compatible buffer solutions.

Organic acids (C1–C7) are widely distributed in nature as normal constituents of plants or animal tissues.

Among those bacteria are Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., C. perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter species.

Organic acids added to feeds should be protected to avoid their dissociation in the crop and in the intestine (high pH segments) and reach far into the gastrointestinal tract, where the bulk of the bacteria population is located.

From the use of organic acids in poultry and pigs, one can expect an improvement in performance similar to or better than that of antibiotic growth promoters, without the public health concern, a preventive effect on the intestinal problems like necrotic enteritis in chickens and Escherichia coli infection in young pigs.

They showed a high antifungal potential against the decaying fungi tested (brown rotting fungi Coniophora puteana, Rhodonia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum; White rotting fungus Trametes versicolor) in Petri dish.

Additionally, in a more recent study, the ecotoxicity of several natural wood preservatives was compared, and the results indicated a very low toxicity of propionic acid.