Upcoming changes in today's swine sector, such as the mandatory reduced use of zinc oxide, have led to a renewed interest in alternative feed additives to support optimal swine production. Probiotics offer a good tool to do so, as part of a larger toolbox to manage gut health.
Probiotics are viable microorganisms which confer health benefits to the host on the condition they are supplemented in adequate amounts (FAO, 2016). These benefits are achieved via a multi-factorial mode of action, often including:
While silver bullets do not exist, probiotics play an important function in gut health, and it is essential to pick the right probiotic for the challenge at hand. Due to the abundance of option in today's probiotic market, it has become more difficult than ever to make this choice.
Considering the following three questions can help to simplify the process of probiotic choice:
When looking at probiotics as a product category, it is imperative to understand that probiotic bacteria differ. Some target improved feed digestion, while others are more effective at eliminating pathogens (as shown in the illustration above). When choosing a probiotic, it is essential to keep the intended benefit in mind.
Strains differ and thus matter. Strains are identified with a number (i.e., Clostridium butyricum FERM BP-2789), indicating which strain is included in the product. As strains differ, they do not necessarily have the same (level of) benefits, even though they carry the same general name. In practical terms, this means that the technical information of each product should always be assessed on a strain-level.
There are great differences in stability among probiotic products, most noticeably between spore formers and non-spore formers.
A spore is a metabolically inactive form of the vegetative bacterial cell, formed when the environmental conditions are unfavourable to the survival of the bacteria (as shown in the illustration to the right). As a result, the spore is extremely durable and stable. This brings a distinct advantage in terms of stability, both during feed processing and within the animal itself.
For example, in its spore form, the probiotic can pass through the more hostile environment in the initial stages of the gastrointestinal tract without loss of viability. Once the spore reaches the correct location in the gut, the spore yields active vegetative cells, ready to exert their beneficial effects.
Based on these three questions, it is clear that a unique, well-documented and spore-forming probiotic is the product of choice. Huvepharma's Miya-Gold® (Clostridium butyricum) fits this description because:
As an obligate anaerobe and spore-forming bacterium, Miya-Gold® reaches and becomes active in the hindgut of the animal. This location is important for two major reasons:
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