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January 28, 2019

Multiple benefits and applications of yeast and yeast derivatives for pet nutrition: A practical guide for nutritionists

by Francesca Susca, PhD, Lallemand Animal Nutrition

From a palatability enhancer to a source of nutrients and functional ingredients, yeast and yeast derivative products are versatile and natural ingredients to keep in mind when formulating food for pets.


Yeast has been utilised as far back as ancient Egypt to leaven bread and ferment wine. Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains the most used organism in the food industry, and today it is used for the annual production of 60 million tons of beer and 30 million tons of wine!
 


Its exceptional fermentative and nutritional properties make yeast a valuable source of ingredients for pet nutrition too. But not all yeast nor yeast products are equivalent. After reviewing the multiple benefits and applications of yeast and yeast derivative products, this article aims to classify these products according to their composition, nutritional value, biological activities, and regulatory status, as well as their production process.

All about yeast
Animals have been fed various forms of yeast and yeast derivatives products for more than 100 years. The use of yeasts as a feed material or feed additive, in both poly and monogastric animals to help maintain health and well-being, has grown over the past 20 years, following the search for natural feed additive alternatives and growing scientific documentation of probiotics and yeast derivatives in both human and animal nutrition.

Yeasts are unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms of the fungi family. The yeast cell wall is made of glucans, glycoproteins, mannans and chitin. The intracellular chemical components of yeast cells include among others: amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, salts, nucleic acids and enzymes. The combination of these compounds make yeasts useful nutraceuticals for human nutrition but also attractive as nutritional supplements in animal feed.

There are about 60 different genera of yeasts, which are comprised of about 500 different species. Only a few of these species are used commercially, and Saccharomyces is one of them. Based on DNA homology, four distinct species of Saccharomyces have been identified. All of them are of industrial importance, but thanks to its exceptional fermentative capacities and nutritional properties, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the predominant microorganism used in food, beverage and baking.

It is also the main yeast used in feed production processes. Within the specie, there are thousands of different strains, each with a unique genetic makeup, leading to different outcomes in terms of metabolisms and activities. For example, there are hundreds of different strains of S. cerevisiae that can be used in winemaking, leading to different wine characteristics and aromatic profiles.

It is the same in animal nutrition: specific strains have demonstrated to be beneficial for ruminants, others for monogastrics animals, and it is also possible to combine specific strains to achieve a certain benefit.

Read the full article on Milling and Grain magazine, HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


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