Hydrogen Water Improves Chicken Health and Reduces Harmful Bacteria
- Authors
- Jian Li, Chang Liu, Chonglian Peng, Yang Wang, Baoming Li, Li Yang, Han Peng, Weichao Zheng
- Journal
- Poultry Science
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.psj.2025.106009
- Study Type
- Chicken
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Digestive System
TL;DR
Combining hydrogen-rich and hypochlorous acid water in broiler drinking systems reduced harmful bacteria and improved meat quality and gut health.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich hypochlorous acid water achieved over 99.9% sterilization of bacteria in drinking water and increased broiler antioxidant enzyme levels (SOD and GSH-PX) by 6.5% to 51% compared to untreated water.
Summary
Researchers tested a special drinking water treatment combining hypochlorous acid (a disinfectant) and hydrogen-rich water on 480 chickens over 42 days. The combined treatment killed over 99.9% of bacteria in the water, reduced bacterial buildup on pipes by 63%, improved meat tenderness, and boosted the chickens' natural antioxidant defenses (protective molecules that fight cellular damage). The treatment appeared to support intestinal health by reducing oxidative stress.
Practical Takeaway
This study demonstrates that combining hydrogen-rich water with hypochlorous acid may effectively reduce bacterial contamination in drinking water systems while supporting antioxidant defenses in poultry. However, this research was conducted only in chickens under controlled farm conditions; whether similar benefits would apply to hydrogen water for human consumption remains unknown and would require separate human studies.
Abstract
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.