Year after year, different challenges arise that the animal production sector must face in order to maintain its productivity and profitability rates. Consumer demand and regulatory changes are leading production towards a more sustainable model, promoting companies with better management and biosecurity measures, lower use of antibiotics, and better animal welfare. At the same time, unexpected situations such as price increases or even a lack of raw materials for food production, rising costs of basic supplies, and emerging pathologies that reduce productivity and increase production costs must be dealt with.
In the face of this complicated management scenario, it is necessary to use tools that have demonstrated efficacy in maximizing any investment, whether at the facility, management, or nutrition level. The use of probiotics in animal production is not a recent or innovative strategy, but their application in food is now, more than ever, an excellent strategy for minimizing health and productivity costs. Toyocerin®, used in animal production since the 1970s, is a probiotic based on Bacillus toyonensis with an extensive scientific basis that demonstrates its effectiveness in different species and phases, with positive results both in terms of health and productivity, making it a very interesting product to be part of any antibiotic-free or reduced-use production strategy, but also in operations with some health or production challenges in the pig, poultry, or smaller species sectors.
Toyocerin’s® action is based on the modulation of the microbiota and the maintenance of the intestine in the best possible conditions so that it can properly perform its functions of digesting food, as well as synthesizing vitamins and absorbing nutrients, essential to maintain the productivity of the animals. At the same time, the inhibition of pathogenic bacteria and the widely observed effect on the immune response make the use of Toyocerin® an important tool for animal health support.
MODE OF ACTION
A | Microbiota bioregulation.
Bacillus toyonensis promotes the biodiversity of the microbiota and the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, as well as other genera (Prevotella, Ruminicoccus, etc.) Inhibition of the growth of pathogenic bacteria, in addition, Bacillus toyonensis intervenes in bacterial communication (Quorum sensing).
B | Stimulation of the immune response and promotion of the non-specific immune response, such as increased Goblet cell expression. Promotion of the specific immune response against field pathogens, as well as in response to vaccine strains.
C | Better food utilization and productivity due to a larger surface area for nutrient absorption thanks to the development and maintenance of the intestinal epithelium structure. Promotion of animal enzymatic activity and enzymatic activity of B. toyonensis.
Regarding the effect of Toyocerin® on microbiota balance, its ability to improve biodiversity and stability throughout the animal’s life has been demonstrated on multiple occasions, and is related to a lower presence of intestinal pathologies and better productivity performance. According to the recent trial carried out at Naresuan University in weaned piglets, fecal microbiota metagenomics showed that piglets that consumed Toyocerin® had a higher proportion of bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, and Prevotella, among others, which are capable of breaking down complex carbohydrates and thus giving the animal a source of energy that would otherwise be wasted. These findings occurred at the same time that the animals showed better conversion rates and a lower incidence of diarrhea.
CONCLUSION
The results of Toyocerin®, verified year after year to demonstrate its efficacy despite changes in genetics, management, and nutrition that animals may experience, show that its use is a good tool to address the complex economic and health challenges faced by the animal production sector.