Improved feed efficiency is the current drive of today’s livestock enterprise and this may be actualized using feed supplementation. The use of natural growth promoting products in livestock feed is on the increase because of the ban on the antibiotics in feed by the European Union (EU). The use of antibiotics in animal feed has been reported to increase antimicrobial resistance and this has made animal nutritionist search for natural alternatives to antibiotics.
Yeast, one of such natural alternatives in animal production, has received great attention in the last couple of decades. Research has shown that about 2500 yeast species exist in nature of which Saccharomyces cerevisiae is prominent.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the principal yeast utilized in biotechnology worldwide, due largely to its unique physiology and associated key roles in many food fermentations and other industrial processes
Yeast culture (YC) is an important widelyused product type of yeast preparation and is defined as a product containing yeast and various metabolites of yeast fermentation (Shen et al., 2009).
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) fermentation product is a widelyused YC. SC is known as baker’s yeast. It is one of the most widely commercialized yeast species, and it has been suggested to be the best source of protein, vitamins, amino acids, and important trace minerals (Paryad and Mahmoudi 2008. Özsoy andYalçin 2011; Adebiyi et al., 2012).
Glucans are the primary polysaccharide component in SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE, and are a highly insoluble part of the support structure of the cell wall. The inner layer of yeast cell walls consists of insoluble §-g1ucan (30-35%), the middle layer is soluble §- glucan (20-22%), and the external layer consists of glycoprotein (30%). The structure of glucans consist of §-1,3 glucans with §-1.6 branch linkages, and both endo and exo §-1,3 glucanases are produced during yeast autolysis. §-glucans are becoming very popular in the animal feed industry because of their potential beneficial effects on animal health and growth performance.
Mannans are considered to be the second most important component of yeast cell walls, and are linked by o-1,6 bonds in a branch structure, with side chains consisting of mannose units linked to the backbone with o-1,2 bonds .Phosphorus is connected to mannans, and the amount varies from 0.04 to 4.4%. Mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) serve as prebiotics, or sources of nutrients for select microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, that can lead to providing a probiotic effect
Yeast and yeast cell wall derivatives appear to have some ability to bind mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, T-2 toxin, and zearalenone) and minimize their adverse effects on animal health and performance.
Conclusion
The appropriate functioning of the immune system is required for good health status, performance and welfare of high producing poultry.
Yeast Fraction supplementation modulated the gut environment and enhanced gut barrier function via the fortification of the beneficial members of the intestinal micro biota. The increase in Lactobacillus in the intestine may explain the improved digestibility and growth performance.
By Deep Chand Vashishtha -MSc. , MBA
NSM- Bioncia International Pvt Ltd