With research showing that gut health can influence everything from feed efficiency to disease resistance in birds, the concept has become increasingly popular in poultry production, especially as law makers and consumers push for more antibiotic-free birds making it onto plates.
For Chr. Hansen, the role that a robust, balanced gut microbiome can play here cannot be underestimated and the company is banking on this as an essential part of its sales growth strategy in the EMEA region. Through its range of probiotic products and gut health-monitoring solutions, it believes it can help poultry producers meet the growing demand for natural and sustainable animal protein.
In this Industry Perspectives, we sit down with the company’s new Head of Sales for Monogastrics – EMEA, Simon Le Moulec, to discuss the trends that Chr. Hansen has identified in the region and how it plans to take advantage of them to grow sales. We also check in with the Senior Technical Sales Manager – EMEA, Guilherme Borchardt, for more on the science powering the strategic importance of the microbiome for the company and how it can help producers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa tackle the viral and bacterial health challenges their flocks are facing.
[Feedinfo] Mr. Le Moulec, as the new Head of Sales for Monogastrics EMEA, can you talk to us about some of the current trends in poultry probiotics that Chr. Hansen has identified in the region.
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[Simon Le Moulec] Probiotic development in the poultry industry in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) has been gaining traction in recent years. The region has seen increased demand for antibiotic-free and natural poultry products, which has led to a focus on probiotics as a method of prevention. There has been significant investment in the research and development of probiotics specifically designed for the poultry industry in the region. As a result, many companies are now offering probiotics for different stages of poultry production, from broilers to layer birds, which are tailored to the region’s specific needs. This trend is likely to continue as consumers become more conscious of their food choices and seek healthier and more sustainable options. |
[Feedinfo] What are some of the major challenges that poultry producers in the region are facing while choosing a probiotic for their operation?
[Simon Le Moulec] Despite the increasing interest in probiotics in EMEA, several challenges should be considered. Firstly, there is a lack of standardisation in probiotic products, which makes it difficult to compare different products and assess their effectiveness. Secondly, regulatory hurdles can be a barrier to market entry for new probiotic products; therefore, access to that product can be an issue. Lastly, there is a need for more research on the efficacy of probiotics in different production systems and under different environmental conditions to optimise their use in the poultry industry.
[Feedinfo] So how is Chr. Hansen specifically planning to help producers to overcome these challenges? And how does this differentiate it from its competitors?
[Simon Le Moulec] Chr. Hansen is a leading company in both probiotic development for the poultry industry and microbiome research, and we are successful in these areas for several reasons. Firstly, the company is strongly committed to research and development, which has led to the creation of innovative and effective probiotic solutions. Secondly, Chr. Hansen deeply understands the microbiome and its role in animal health, which allows us to tailor our products to the specific needs of different animals and environments. Thirdly, we have a global network of experts collaborating to identify new opportunities for probiotic development and microbiome research. Finally, we strongly focus on sustainability, ensuring our products are environmentally friendly and socially responsible. Overall, Chr. Hansen's expertise in both probiotic development and microbiome research makes us a leader in the industry.
Therefore, we can partner with poultry producers to bring their poultry operations to the next level.
We can bring solutions tailored to their current needs and look deeper into the microbiome to reveal the hidden part of the puzzle for the best farm management.
Ultimately our objective is to provide customers with solutions that will help them address current challenges in food and feed production.
[Feedinfo] Mr. Borchardt, can you talk to us a bit more about the strategic importance of the microbiome to Chr. Hansen’s vision for the EMEA region? How important is this concept to the company’s growth story there?
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[Guilherme Borchardt] The microbiome is a term describing the collection of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, inside humans and animals. It plays a key role in the operation of the human and animal body. At Chr. Hansen, we believe in the power of good bacteria. We rely on the power of good bacteria. A deep understanding of the gut microbiome is key. The reason for this is simple: probiotics act on the gut microbiota by improving diversity, changing the composition, or acting directly on key pathogens. In the EMEA region, we are working together with the poultry industry to increase awareness of how important gut microbiota is to the health and performance of production birds. |
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[Feedinfo] Now, Chr. Hansen has often referred to the microbiome as “the forgotten organ.” How well do you think the concept is understood across the EMEA region? Where are you seeing opportunities for improving industry knowledge, and what is the strategy to do so?
[Guilherme Borchardt] I prefer to say that the microbiome WAS a forgotten organ. In the last decade, especially in more recent years, a huge amount of data was published on the gut microbiota and its role in the health and performance of production birds, and even on their behaviour and welfare. Every day we are learning more and more about the relationship between microbiome composition robustness and the growth of animals, and their resistance to pathogens.
The EMEA poultry industry, which is a major focus for us, is gradually absorbing all of this knowledge, and Chr. Hansen is entirely focussed on sharing its vast expertise in this area with them.
[Feedinfo] What the outbreak of H5N1 in Europe (and the US) has shown us is that modern poultry production systems remain very vulnerable to critical health challenges. Talk to us about the conversations, Chr. Hansen is having around this issue with its customers, and the role robust gut microbiota can play in poultry resilience.
[Guilherme Borchardt] All animals have a powerful system to control potentially harmful microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi and viruses. This mechanism is called the “pathogen colonisation resistance mechanism.” And it is made of three main pillars: 1) the immune system, both innate and adaptative, 2) the capturing of the feed substrate from the intestinal lumen and 3) the direct inhibition of pathogens’ growth in the gut microbiota. More recently, a strong link between the three pillars and the gut microbiota composition was proven. The conclusion here is that to reach maximum efficacy in this system; we need to focus on creating a strong, robust gut microbiota.
Avian Flu is, unfortunately, a reality that is knocking on our door. However, strong biosecurity measures are still the best way to lower the risk of an outbreak, along with alerting authorities and neighbouring farms when one does occur.
It has been shown that a well-developed and robust gut microbiota can play a role in regulating host responses to various pathogens, viruses included, making it faster and more efficient.
More recently, it was demonstrated that a dysbiotic (unbalanced) microbiota resulted in a higher shedding of avian flu viruses, showing that gut microbiota status could play a role in Avian Flu outbreaks.
Currently, several countries, including the EU members, are discussing the possible authorisation of Avian Flu vaccines for specific situations. As we have mentioned, the immune system’s efficacy (both innate and adaptative) depends on gut microbiota composition. Therefore, a healthy and robust gut microbiota could potentially improve the vaccine’s efficacy and the efficacy of a vaccinal programme.
[Feedinfo] Apart from viral challenges, poultry producers are also up against bacteria like Salmonella sp, E. coli, E. cecorum, and Clostridia, which can impact their operations. So how can the gut microbiota be employed here as part of a control programme? And how effective is this as a strategy in controlling these pathogens?
[Guilherme Borchardt] All pathogens that are out of control will impact an operation. Some of these, like Clostridium or E. cecorum, amongst others, form part of the normal microbiota in the gut of birds.
So how can they cause a disease outbreak? One of the main reasons is probably an imbalance in the gut microbiota, also known as dysbiosis.
To help the industry quickly determine the status of the gut microbiota, Chr. Hansen has developed iRIS. This novel management system offers producers a complete combination of analysis, assessment, and advice. First, we sequence the microbiota. Then, using our database containing performance data from hundreds of samples, along with machine learning, we can distil a farm’s microbiome health into a value associated with productivity that we call the “Robustness Index”. This score is easy and practical to interpret and can help our clients quickly identify dysbiosis in their flocks and deploy the right programme for them to control it. In addition, the Robustness Index can be used to adjust farm management and feeding strategy by delivering valuable information on flock health and productivity.
Using data points to back up decision making, can help customers act faster, avoiding economic losses and unnecessary stress.
[Feedinfo] Considering the challenges and opportunities we’ve discussed today in the EMEA region, what new research or developments can we look forward to from Chr. Hansen in the region over the coming months/years?
[Guilherme Borchardt] Chr. Hansen is always looking for solutions to improve the health, performance, and welfare of animals sustainably. Recently, we demonstrated that some of our probiotic strains can change the behaviour of birds through the impact on the “gut-brain-axis.” The birds fed with Chr. Hansen probiotic GALLIPRO® Fit were less stressed. Why is it so critical for the poultry industry? Stress is always present in intensive animal production and is a risk factor for diseases. Making birds more resilient to stress could be impactful when it comes to their health and welfare. This could also go a long way with consumers and impact how they perceive poultry production.
Finally, we saw that the increased welfare of the birds is translated to animal performance with a significant benefit in key parameters such as body weight, FCR, and mortality.
To summarise: A robust microbiome keeps an animal healthy and performing. Probiotics are the tool to help make this happen.
There is an unmeasured and massive power in learning more about the microbiome. At Chr. Hansen, we will continue investigating it and push to pioneer the science. And although we have very sophisticated state-of-the-art tools to decode the microbiome, we are just scratching the surface.
Published in association with Chr. Hansen
