**3.3 Organic acids**

Organic acids have being used to reduce many pathogenic and spoilage organisms by lowering the gut pH. Some of the organic acids used are formic, lactic, citric, propionic and phosphoric acids. They have the ability of lowering the pH at which the activity of proteases and beneficial bacteria is optimized and the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria is minimized by a direct antibacterial effect destroying their cell membranes.
