Actisaf Sc 47 - what is it and how does it work?
What is Actisaf?
•
is a live yeast of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
•Yeast are single cell organisms which are classified as fungi.
•The most common use of live yeast is in the making of bread.
•Yeast ferments carbohydrates to produce
carbon dioxide and it is this process
that is so useful - by respiring
oxygen, and producing carbon
dioxide it causes the bread to
rise.
•It is this same property of yeast - the consumption of oxygen - that
makes it so useful when feeding ruminants such as dairy cows and
beef animals.
•Actisaf is produced by Lesaffre, the world’s largest manufacturer of
yeast. Around 40% of the world’s yeast is made by Lesaffre!
is produced by
a fermentation process in the
production plant in Lille.
An Actisaf yeast
prill is a bit like
a Malteser - the
unique drying
process results in a
layer of dead cells
around the edge
of the prill (like
the chocolate on
the Malteser!) that
protect the live yeast
cells within. This
ensures that
it is stable.
What are ruminants?
•A ruminant is an animal with four compartments to its stomach the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum.
•The ruminant digests plant-based food by breaking it down through
microbial and mechanical action in the first stomach compartment,
the rumen and the second compartment, the reticulum, before
regurgitating the semi-digested food (the cud) and chewing it again.
•The process of chewing the cud to further
break down plant matter and mix it with
saliva is called ‘ruminating’. Food then
passes on through the omasum and into
the abomasum (or true stomach) and
onwards to the intestines.
The ruminant animal
has four stomach
compartments
- the rumen,
reticulum, omasum
and abomasum.
Anaerobic microbes
in the rumen break
down the feed
ingested
•The rumen is a large fermentation chamber full of
bacteria and has a capacity of around 120 litres - about
the size of a wheelie bin! Around 16% of the rumen is
oxygen
•It is estimated to contain tens of billions of bacteria,
protozoa and fungi and it is these rumen organisms that digest
cellulose (plant fibre) found in forages such as grass or straw,
releasing the nutrients to the animal for absorption later on in the
digestive tract.
•Rumen bacteria involved in the digestion of fibre require anaerobic
(low oxygen) conditions in order to function effectively.
•Therefore, the less oxygen there is in the rumen, the more these
bacteria will multiply and grow - increasing the rumen’s capacity to
digest fibre
How does Actisaf work?
•The rumen is continually challenged by oxygen
•Oxygen, while it is there, is toxic to the bacteria in the rumen
•Act
i is a live yeast that uses up oxygen, enhancing the rumen
environment.
•Actisaf also stabilises the pH of the rumen
•Actisaf stimulates:
- lactate utilising bacteria resulting in increased rumen pH
- fibrolytic bacteria resulting in increased fibre digestion
•This limits the growth of lactate producing bacteria
•Actisaf also converts lactate to proprionate,
increasing milk yield and lean meat production
AA Amino Acid
VFA Volatile Fatty Acid
BCP Bypass Crude Protein
Actisaf Sc 47 scavenges oxygen from the rumen,
encouraging the growth of anaerobic bacteria
and discouraging the growth of lactic acidproducing bacteria, thereby stabilising rumen pH
Not to scale
Acidosis...
•Ideally the rumen pH needs to be kept to
the optimal range of 6.5 to 7.0.
•This pH range is where the fibredegrading bacteria thrive, releasing
volatile fatty acids used by the animal for
maintenance and production.
•But rumen function is acidogenic and some diet conditions can
cause pH to fall outside this range - which can result in clinical
acidosis or subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) occurring
•Acidosis has a significant effect on health and production.
•At a pH of 6.4 the rumen bacteria digest about 55% of the fibre
where as at a pH of 5.6 this falls to around 35%
Acidosis...
pH
Changes in rumen pH after feeding
6.8
6.6
6.4
Actisaf 5g
6.2
6.0
Actisaf 0.5g
5.8
5.6
Feeding
Control
5.4
5.2
-1h
0h +1h +2h +3h +4h +5h +6h +7h +8h
Time
•Rumen pH drops
after feeding.
Actisaf Sc 47
stabilises rumen
pH, thereby
avoiding the
negative impact
of low pH on the
rumen microbes
and associated
negative health
consequences.
•
stabilises rumen pH and prevents the development of a
condition known as SARA.
•SARA has a significant impact on health, production and live weight
gain:
Reduce
rumen
motility
Reduced
DMI
SARA negatively affects...
Production
• Drop in milk yield (2-3l)
• Reduced butterfat %
• Reduced live weight gain
Health
• Ketosis
• Displaced abomasum
• Mastitis
• Laminitis
NEB
(Negative Energy
Balance)
What are the benefits of including Actisaf in your feed?
is heat stable under normal compounding conditions
and can be incorporated into compound feed in the mill, or can
be added on farm as part of a total mixed ration (TMR). By helping
stabilise rumen pH and encouraging the growth of fibre digesting
bacteria, independent trials have shown that
can:
Feeding Actisaf to dairy cows can:
•Increase milk yield by up to 3 litres/day
•Increase Dry Matter Intakes
•Improve milk solids
•Reduce the risk of acidosis and cud balls
•Reduce lameness
•Improve fertility
Feeding Actisaf to beef animals can:
•Improve growth rates by up to 9 per cent
•Increase Dry Matter Intakes
•Improve Feed Conversion Rate
•Improve carcass classification
•Reduce the risk of acidosis and cud ball
•Reduce lameness
Feeding Actisaf to ewes can:
•Increase milk yield by up to 20 per cent
•Earlier and higher milk yield peaks, sustained
for longer
•Increase Dry Matter Intakes
•Reduce the risk of acidosis and cud balls
Local contact:
Warehouse:
LFA Celtic Limited
Unit 3 Avondale Business Park
Mill Road
Ballyclare
Antrim. BT39 9AU
Tel: 00 44 28 9334 3900
Fax: 00 44 28 9334 2132
Find out more at:
www.yeastsolutions.co.uk
Head Office:
Universal House
Shannon
Co.Clare
Ireland
Tel: 00 353 61 703 444
Fax: 00 353 61 703 440