28 April 2020- The question of in vivo activity is one which faces every firm in the animal nutrition sector. For some, it's a question of a solution which gets visible results, but through a mechanism we struggle to understand. For others, it's a question of squaring the results we think we should be seeing based on in vitro trials with those we are seeing when we actually apply the solution. But one way or another, when a concept leaves the petri dish and goes into the messy, complex world of an animal's gut, it is often entering something of a black box; once in, we only have a few limited tools we can use to peer into the box and understand what is happening.
It was, therefore, with great pride that the partnership of animal nutrition expert Adisseo and biological solutions expert Novozymes announced a development that could help illuminate what is happening to their joint probiotic Alterion once it enters the poultry digestive system. Literally illuminate; the two companies revealed that they were using fluorescence to track whether the probiotic spores—a stable, robust form able to survive transportation, feed processing conditions, and contact with different additives—were germinating into the active form which multiplies and produces useful metabolites for gut health. Fresh off their press conference in early March about this technology, Adisseo’s Global Scientific Manager for Health by Nutrition Damien Prévéraud and Novozymes Applied Research Science Manager Karoline Sidelmann Brinch shared with Feedinfo the details of why they see this as a breakthrough for in vivo research.
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Karoline Sidelmann Brinch |
[Feedinfo News Service] Why is it important to know the degree of germination of a probiotic? What were some of the challenges in demonstrating this? [Karoline Sidelmann Brinch] In order to prove its effect, it is vital to know if a Bacillus probiotic can germinate inside birds, due to the dual lifecycle of these bacteria. The spores found in the product are inactive and only start to produce active metabolites when they germinate and grow. This process is responsible for the beneficial effects seen in poultry. |
[Feedinfo News Service] Has visualization using fluorescence in this way been used to demonstrate the germination of any other probiotic in the past (or in any species other than birds)?
[Karoline Sidelmann Brinch] Fluorescent markers have been used for several years, but this is the first time a dual reporter fluorescence system has tracked spores and metabolically active bacteria. And this is the first time this method has been applied to the visualisation of a specific probiotic product inside the gut of birds.
[Feedinfo News Service] Can it be used for other probiotics in the future, or is its use limited to probiotics that share certain similarities with Alterion (for example, only Bacillus type probiotics)?
[Karoline Sidelmann Brinch] In principle a similar system could be developed for other Bacillus strains. For non-spore-forming probiotics, like lactic acid bacteria, the method isn’t applicable as they don’t have a dual lifecycle.
[Feedinfo News Service] How long has Adisseo/Novozymes been pursuing this line of research?
[Karoline Sidelmann Brinch] It took us two years to develop this fluorescence system, a project that involved many of our key competencies. With this development we’ve gone one step further in understanding Alterion®’s mode of action, providing concrete answers to our customers regarding what occurs with our probiotic in animals.
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[Feedinfo News Service] How did this research extend our understanding of Alterion? Were you surprised to see how much of the probiotic was germinating? |
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Moreover, in the global R&D program set up between Adisseo and Novozymes, in vivo germination has been explored using two complementary approaches: firstly, visualization of vegetative cells and secondly secretion of active metabolites. Despite the inherent variability in animal studies, we observed consistently significant differences in parameters linked to germination, relative to non-supplemented control.
Alterion® also provides consistent results in terms of performance when tested under different conditions: varying in terms of feed composition, standard vs challenge models, broiler strains and environmental variations (litter quality, etc…).
[Feedinfo News Service] What can we expect next from the Adisseo/Novozymes joint partnership? What do you think is the most interesting white space in our understanding of this probiotic?
[Karoline and Damien] The partnership remains committed to supporting our customers with scientific knowledge, along with services to help them get the most out of Alterion® by improving the performance and health of their poultry flocks.
Understanding the mode of action including the germination has been a key focus of our research since the launch of Alterion® We will continue to further explore how the large range of metabolites scientifically support the efficacy data we have published and increase overall animal resilience.
Published in association with Adisseo
