Probiotic specialist Chr Hansen, now part of biosolutions specialist Novonesis alongside Novozymes, is now focusing on bringing its technology and knowledge on the use of good bacteria to the European ruminant market.
In today’s Industry Perspectives piece, we talk to Dr. Bruno Ieda Cappellozza, Global Technical Product Manager, Ruminants, and Dr. Oscar Queiroz, Senior Global Portfolio Manager, Ruminants, about the company’s views of the dairy and beef sectors and the potential impact of Novonesis solutions to beef and dairy producers.
Novonesis’ ruminant business in APAC and LATAM is growing year-on-year, and it has a leading presence in North America. Leveraging this success, the team is working on bringing its ruminant solutions to Europe.
“Our DFM [direct fed microbial] offering is well aligned with the goal of helping dairy farmers to optimise profitability while being more sustainable,” says Dr. Queiroz.
The success of probiotics is highly dependent on the selection of the microbial strains and how they act within the animal to support its health. “New microbial combinations are also proven to be resilient enough to allow its use in any feed application, facilitating the adoption of this technology by feed companies and farmers,” says Dr. Ieda Cappellozza.
[Feedinfo] You are well known as a company which specialises in probiotics for the swine and poultry sectors and have published several Feedinfo Industry Perspectives articles on this. However, there may be ruminant specialists who are less aware of what you offer – can you tell us more about your business and the scale of your involvement in the ruminant sector, specifically dairying?
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[Oscar Queiroz] When it comes to the European region, our ruminant offering has yet to be well known, and we are working to change this scenario soon. In fact, due to our strong presence in relevant areas such as North America and our growing presence in APAC and LATAM markets, our ruminant probiotic business keeps growing year after year. This allows us to touch millions of heads of cattle with our solutions every year so they can benefit from the power of good bacteria. |
Dr. Oscar Queiroz |
We truly believe that we can better the world with biology, so we designed our probiotic offering to support the gut health and performance of beef and dairy cattle, from all ages and production stages. Our probiotics, also known as direct-fed microbials (DFM), can help farmers become more sustainable and profitable. Countries across the world are already benefiting from the use of our solutions, and we want the same for the European market, where farmers are experiencing pressure on production margins and on how they produce.
[Feedinfo] Probiotics are increasingly popular, and there are many different strains of beneficial bacteria being sold under that term. Does it matter which strain people choose to use as a feed additive for their dairy cattle, and if so, what should they choose and why?
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Dr. Bruno Ieda Cappellozza |
[Bruno Ieda Cappellozza] Strains matter and that is true for all DFM! We should not forget that inside the probiotic group, yeast is also included, however, when we talk about probiotics, we refer to the good bacteria and the main strains that deliver our promise. Different strains may bring different supportive mechanisms to the host, in this case, dairy cows. While probiotic strains should, in general, support the health of the animal, they can do it in different ways and positively respond to different challenges. |
Strains also can behave differently during feed processing, and some can be more suitable than others to survive in harsh feed applications. This is highly relevant when we are considering supplying them via feed pellets or mineral blocks where high temperatures are applied, and premixes.
The best way to choose a DFM is to base your choice on your needs. For instance, one could be interested in supporting digestive function in dairy cows, while another dairy farmer could be focused on improving rumen fermentation. Both goals can be achieved with microbes, but specific strains need to be selected for those jobs. That is why it is so important that dairy producers and nutritionists make their choices based on their goals, but always supported by reliable scientific data because, like we say, strain matters.
[Feedinfo] In cattle, there is often a strong focus on rumen health, but should producers be thinking of both the rumen and the intestines, and why? What benefits would that bring, and how can they obtain those benefits consistently in what is a complex environment, particularly when diets can change frequently through stage of lactation or cost considerations?
[Bruno Ieda Cappellozza] There is a significant gain in considering rumen and intestinal health simultaneously. As a dairy or beef producer, you do not need to compromise in your decisions. We must remember that nutrient digestibility and absorption happen in both places. Health and performance are maximised when probiotics support the entire gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
Literature shows that beneficial bacteria can help reduce occurrences of digestive problems and thereby also treatment costs over a period of time. New probiotic formulations are looking at combining and using very resilient bacterial strains to give consistent results regardless of how complex the diet is or how harsh the feed processing can be.
The use of specific bacterial combinations also allows for a broader range of modes of action within the same product, which may also translate into more consistent results. As nutritionists, we need to get familiar with these innovative technologies and learn to be critical with the information provided so we can implement them for the benefit of our farmers.
[Feedinfo] The ruminant sector is under growing pressure to improve its sustainability and environmental credentials. What role do probiotics have to play in this? And what level of improvement or gain do they give from an environmental perspective?
[Oscar Queiroz] That is a great question. DFM can play a significant role in sustainability at a low investment with a high return. Sustainability is important, but it should not come at an extra cost for farmers. When we think about sustainable dairy farming, animal welfare and better resource utilisation are two points worth highlighting.
As we mentioned before, DFM support cows' gastrointestinal and overall health, which means that they are seen as an investment in animal welfare. It is not unusual to see treatment costs drop 30% in university studies and commercial trials.
Regarding resource utilisation, there is no better example than feed, which is the single biggest influencing factor on milk production cost and one of the biggest factors affecting carbon footprint at the farm level. Everyone can agree that healthier animals tend to utilise nutrients better and convert them into milk more efficiently. Furthermore, nutritionists can include in dairy cow diets specific bacterial strains able to influence digestibility directly, ensuring consistent positive results in feed efficiency (+3%).
[Feedinfo] As a specialist in microbial science and an innovative business, what new developments can the dairy sector expect to see from you over the next few years?
[Oscar Queiroz] Novonesis is a company that aims to bring biosolutions to the day-to-day challenges in our lives.
Because of our reach in the different industries, we have a unique position to access different stakeholders in the dairy value chain. This goes from dairy farmers all the way to dairy processors and final consumers. This enables us to bring and look for solutions that will meet the needs of all of them, keeping in mind our focus on sustainable solutions in a profitable way.
Our DFM offering is well aligned with the goal of helping dairy farmers to address their daily challenges while optimising profitability in a sustainable way. We help the professionals of the industry either through supporting animal health or/and improving feed utilisation.
Published in association with Novonesis