Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms, including Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species and yeasts that may beneficially affect the host upon ingestion by improving the balance of the intestinal microflora of animals.Introduction
The concept of probiotics and the use of these products as feed additives has been developing since the late 1970's but has become more popular in animal feed particularly poultry and aquaculture after the ban of in-feed antibiotics on January 1st 2006.
The concept of probiotics and the use of these products as feed additives has been developing since the late 1970's but has become more popular in animal feed particularly poultry and aquaculture after the ban of in-feed antibiotics on January 1st 2006.
Even though the new feed regulation 1831/2003 makes it more difficult for companies to put their products on the market, the probiotic business is growing rapidly.
The reported benefits of feeding live organisms include decreased occurrence and duration of diarrhoea, immunostimulation, pathogen resistance and maintenance of mucosal integrity.
How probiotics are able to exert so many positive effects is still not fully understood and may be a combination of many factors where the most widely accepted mode of action is that of competitive exclusion.
While the benefits of probiotics are generally accepted, there are still many questions concerning their mechanisms. This has always been a difficult topic of research because of the huge of variability of the different trials, not only concerning the subject animals and their environment, but also involving different preparations of the probiotics themselves.
Applications in poultry diets
Probiotics have potential to produce beneficial effects in poultry via
modifications of the microbial population within the digestive tract. Read more >
Applications in pig diets
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can make a significant contribution to a number of aspects of pig production.
Read more >
Probiotics in aquaculture
Probiotics may provide an alternative way to reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture and simultaneously may avoid the development of antibiotics resistant bacteria. Read more >
Application in cow diets
Although ruminants are particularly well adapted for feed digestion, owing to their ruminal microflora, at times, biochemical conditions prevailing in the rumen can prevent optimum feed utilization. Read more >
Live yeast products
A popular group of probiotics are the live yeast products, based on
Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Read more >
Synbiotics
Synbiotics refer to combination nutritional supplements comprised of
probiotics and prebiotics. Read more >
Techniques
Supplementing livestock with probiotics can be very beneficial, but how do
you know whether these live bacteria reach the digestive tract alive?
Read more >
External links
The European Probiotic Association (EPA), originally established in 1999, is
an association of the companies involved in the production and registration of
probiotics, for sale primarily inside the European Union.
Read more >
