Probiotics are microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast that can be added to the feed with the purpose of regulating the intestinal flora. The efficacy has been shown in many trials. However, the interest in finding new strains and better strains is still growing. Here we summarize some new data.

Ars scientists Mullaney and Ullah at the southern regional research centre (SRRC) have rebuilt the enzyme phytase to make it more effective, especially in the unique environment where it needs to perform, like cold temperatures or extreme acidity. If livestock and poultry could retain more of the phosphorus in their plant based feed by using this newly shaped enzyme, less would be excreted. This means less potential nutrient waste and pollution. By Erin k.

Research continues to show increasing benefits of feeding yeast culture products to beef and dairy cattle, swine, poultry and horses, as well as fish and shrimp. As the restrictions on antibiotics get tighter, producers are looking for ways to manage animal health and resistance through yeast products. Which yeasts are on the market, and what effect does pelleting have on these products?

Between November 2005 and January 2006, over 700 nutritionists from 12 countries across Europe, including EU and noneu countries, participated in a telephone survey, assessing their attitudes to the implementation of the new EU regulations and the AGP ban. This was one of the largest attitudinal survey of its type. Feed mix examines the findings.

Enzymes are vital for life and the use of these natural catalysts to speed up biochemical reactions in animals is an ongoing area of research. Some of the recent studies in poultry and pigs are listed here.

Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) are ideal for attracting and attaching pathogenic bacteria. Laboratory testing, however, showed that different forms of MOS showed enormous differences in efficacy. Kyle Newman explains how the efficacy can be quantified by using the recently developed aggregation rate coefficient.

The inclusion of raw fibre in sow diets has many positive effects. An extensive trial in Germany investigate the effects of adding a new natural lignocellulose raw fibre concentrate to the diet one the fertility parameters in breeding sows.

The literature strongly points towards the fact that antibiotics can have amino acid saving properties. So it seems that animals fed without antibiotics need more amino acids in the diet for optimal growth and performance. Trials at Schothorst feed research investigated whether the AGP ban really has an effect on the amino acid requirements.

The anti-microbial activity of organic acids is thought to be the main reason for the positive responses in nursery and finisher pigs. The increasing interest in the use of organic acids made companies search for acids that are easier to handle than conventional organic acids while still maintaining the biological effectiveness within the pig.

Adding undigestible sugars such as inulin and oligofructose has been shown to be very beneficial in human diets. Animals can also profit from this authentic ingredient and over the years more evidence has been gained on using inulin as a prebiotic in animal diets. Feed Mix went to Beglium to visit one of the major inulin producers to find out more.