The Microbial Community of Poultry Farm Waste and Its Role in Hydrogen Sulfide Production

The microbiota of chicken litter remains largely unexplored, despite its leading role in the formation of volatile odorants and unpleasant odors. One of the main components of the odor is hydrogen sulfide, which may be formed as a result of microbial sulfate reduction. The composition of the microbial community of poultry plant waste was investigated. Samples were collected at the Mezheninovskaya large poultry farm, 15 km from the city of Tomsk, Russia. The 16S rRNA gene profiling revealed sulfate-reducing Desulfovibrionaceae in the microbial community. Both their share in the community and sulfide production increased upon incubation of the waste in the medium with sulfate and lactate. The possible sulfate sources in the waste are gypsum and the feed additives introduced as sulfates, such as lysine sulfate.