Nutritionists and producers should consider the differences between fermented yeast culture and viable yeast products when deciding which product to feed to dairy cattle. The fundamental differences between them can affect performance and efficacy of the products.

Various parts of the yeast cell have been demonstrated to have beneficial effects in livestock performance. Now a unique processing method that yields the cell wall and contents can be linked to specific pathogen control measures.

Consumer whims make it difficult for companies to create long-term strategies. But certain trends in consumerism can be identified. One certain: antibiotics are out. Alternatives flood the market. For Lallemand it is yeasts and bacteria that they are building their future on.

After a four-year study, Dr Veronique Julliand of l'ENESAD (National School of Higher Agronomy Studies) in Dijon has proven the benefits of live yeast for the health and digestive function of horses.

For a better understanding of the mode of action of live years, new models have been developed that use thermodynamic calculation to explain ph stabilisation in the rumen.

The idea of taking into account parameters such as the costs and benefits of a natural biological activator (live yeast) in formulation models is fairly new and sounds an exciting concept; as more research centres and companies follow suit, a new generation of models and formulation tools is emerging.

Supplementing acidotic diets with the live yeast SC 47 strengthens the rumen’s reducing power by improving its O2 scavenging ability. This new concept presented by Jean-Philippe Marden and Corine Bayourthe, applies thermodynamic laws to finally allow better understanding live yeast’s mode of action in ruminants and clarifies the optimal conditions for its use.

Ruminal acidosis can be prevented by controlling the ph in the rumen of cows. Meal frequency appears to be an important factor in regulating rumen ph. A recent study showed that supplementation of live yeast significantly increases the frequency of feed consumption and therefore helps in preventing acidosis.

If you feed probiotic bacteria continuously, clearly there is no need to feed it as well. However, when a specific strain of enterococcus is fed with a pre-biotic specially chosen to feed the indigenous microflora- the result is a truly synergistic effect for claves and piglets.

Making a combined culture of bacterial species for use as a probiotic may improve animal performance more than a single species alone. However, understanding of inhibition and synergy is required to make an effective combination.