7 November 2013 Research possibilities and commercial potential for animal probiotics

Lincoln University’s Senior Lecturer in Food Microbiology, Dr Malik A. Hussain, gave a brief survey of just some aspects concerning the animal probiotics industry at the second annual workshop on the use of probiotics in animal production.

The workshop was held on 6 November at Lincoln University and sponsored by BioBrew Ltd; a New Zealand company which manufactures probiotic products specifically for the agricultural sector.

Dr Hussain noted that, although most of the literature concerning probiotics has historically related to human health and consumption, there is an increasing body of work focusing on specific animal use. This increased focus, however, necessitates a clear thinking when it comes to product development.

“Although it’s been said that probiotics will be the medicine of the 21st century, it’s important that we get the science right. We need to be clear about how and when to use probiotics, as well as what the benefits are that we ultimately seek,” says Dr Hussain.

Broadly speaking, probiotics can be seen as live microorganisms that, when administered in the right dose and under the right conditions, exert a positive influence on the host.

The science of probiotics can be complex. The microorganisms must be able to survive passage through the digestive system as well as attach to the intestine and colonise. Once in place they need to be able to maintain their viability through, among other things, utilising nutrients and substrates found in the host. There are also practical challenges with keeping the microorganisms alive in a convenient form to ensure both a stable shelf-life and ease of consumption.

From a scientific perspective there is still plenty of research scope and potential. Currently, however, probiotics are used mainly in ruminants. That is, a mammal that digests plant-based food by initially softening it in the stomach through bacterial actions and then chewing regurgitated semi-digested food matter.

Uses include increasing milk yield in dairy cattle, feed efficiency and weight gain (such as in beef cattle).

From a commercial perspective probiotics is big business with some estimates putting the industry value at over $19 billion and growing.

According to Dr Hussain, there are still many challenges facing the probiotic industry: “There is quite a bit of misinformation out there, which can result in confusion for those looking to use probiotics. Furthermore, there needs to be more robust scientific evidence with respect to some research being carried out. Currently there is fairly limited third-party assessment regarding some claims by some manufacturers.

“On the whole, however, there is enormous potential for the industry with some good products available on the market now,” he said.

Lincoln University has been conducting ongoing research in animal probiotics in collaboration with BioBrew Ltd. More specifically, the research has focused on product development and the designing of a quality assurance system to manufacture probiotic products. 

Dean for the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at the University of Tasmania, Professor Margaret Britz was the keynote speaker at the workshop.

Professor Britz is a microbiologist and industrial biotechnologist with over 35 years’ experience in a range of fields within microbiology. Her particular emphasis has been in biodiscovery, such as finding and applying useful microbes in the production of fermented foods, food and feed additives, biofuel production from agricultural waste, and evaluating risks posed by bacteria in food production systems.