Application of yeast extract in animal field

      The core application of yeast extract (YE) in the animal field is to utilize its easily absorbable water-soluble nutrients (free amino acids, small peptides, flavor nucleotides, B vitamins, etc.) and physiological regulatory functions, rather than relying on intact cells or activity like yeast powder. It has become a "green and efficient" additive in modern aquaculture, widely used in livestock, aquatic products, ruminants and other scenarios, with the goal of improving animal health, production performance and product quality.

1、 The core advantage of animal yeast extract: why is it better than ordinary additives?

      Compared with chemically synthesized additives (such as amino acid monomers, vitamin preparations) or other natural raw materials (such as soybean meal, fish meal), the core competitiveness of yeast extract lies in:

      Nutrients are "complete and easy to absorb": containing 18 free amino acids (no need for animal digestion and decomposition, directly absorbed), small peptides (small molecules, intestinal absorption rate is 10 times that of protein), B vitamins (natural complex state, high bioavailability), and no difficult to digest components such as cell walls, reducing the burden on animal intestines.

      Multi functional and synergistic: not only providing nutrition, but also regulating gut microbiota, enhancing immunity, and improving palatability - a single ingredient achieves the triple effect of "nutrition+health+seasoning", reducing the overlapping use of multiple additives.

      Safe "residue free": sourced from natural yeast, free from prohibited ingredients such as antibiotics and hormones, in compliance with "green farming" policies (such as EU and China's restrictions on the use of antibiotics in farming), to avoid the risk of drug residue in animal products.

2、 Core application scenarios and functions: segmented by animal category

      The physiological characteristics of different animals (such as digestive system and growth needs) are different, and the application focus of yeast extract is also different, as follows:

1. Livestock and poultry farming (mainly pigs, chickens, and ducks): solving the pain points of "weaning stress", "slow growth", and "low immunity"

      Livestock and poultry are the main application areas of yeast extract, especially for the "high stress, high demand" stage (such as piglet weaning and chick rearing period).

2. Aquaculture (mainly fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish): Addressing pain points such as poor palatability, low survival rate, and slow growth

      The digestive system of aquatic animals, especially crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, is more fragile and relies on "smell+taste" to judge the palatability of feed. The "freshness" and "easy absorption of nutrients" of yeast extract perfectly meet their needs.

Core Function 1: Strong attraction to food and increased feeding rate

      Glutamic acid (umami) and flavor producing nucleotides (IMP+GMP) in yeast extract are natural "food attractants" that can stimulate the olfactory and gustatory nerves of aquatic animals, especially targeting:

      Open mouth fry (such as shrimp fry and fish fry): insensitive to ordinary feed, adding 0.5% -1% yeast extract can increase feeding rate by more than 20%, avoiding "starvation without food";

      High temperature/onset period: Aquatic animals are prone to anorexia. Adding yeast extract can maintain normal feed intake and reduce weight loss.

Core Function 2: Protect the intestines and improve survival rate

      Aquatic animals live in water bodies and their intestines are susceptible to invasion by pathogenic bacteria such as Vibrio. Yeast extracts can:

      By repairing intestinal mucosa with small peptides and nucleotides, a "protective barrier" is formed to reduce the attachment of pathogens (such as in the case of South American white shrimp, which can reduce the incidence of vibriosis by 30%);

      Provide "nutrient substrates" for beneficial bacteria in the gut (such as Bacillus), balance the gut microbiota, and avoid "enteritis" caused by deteriorating water quality.

Core Function 3: Promote growth and improve meat quality

      Free amino acids directly participate in muscle protein synthesis, which can increase the daily weight gain of aquatic animals (such as grass carp and sea bass) by 10% -25%, and reduce the feed factor (the amount of feed required per 1kg of meat) by 8% -12%; Meanwhile, amino acids can reduce fat deposition in muscles, making fish meat firmer and more flavorful (such as improving the elasticity of shrimp meat).

3. Ruminant animal breeding (mainly cattle, sheep, and dairy cows): solving the pain points of "weak rumen function" and "low milk/meat production efficiency"

      Ruminant animals rely on rumen microorganisms to digest fiber, and the role of yeast extract focuses on "regulating rumen microbiota" and "supplementing rumen nutrition".

Beef cattle/sheep:

      The small peptides and B vitamins in yeast extract can promote the proliferation of fiber degrading bacteria (such as succinic acid producing filamentous bacteria) in the rumen, increase the digestibility of crude fiber (corn stover, silage) by 15% -20%, indirectly increase daily weight gain (beef cattle can increase by 10% -15%), and shorten the fattening cycle.

Reduce harmful fermentation in the rumen (such as reducing methane production), lower the risk of rumen bloating and acidosis.

cow:

      Breastfeeding cows require a large amount of energy and protein, and the free amino acids (especially branched chain amino acids) extracted from yeast can be directly absorbed without the need for rumen degradation (to avoid waste caused by microbial decomposition), increasing milk production by 5% -10%;

      Supplementing with B vitamins (such as B6 and B12) can improve milk quality, increase milk protein content by 0.1% -0.2% (milk protein is the core indicator of milk pricing), and reduce the production of "low protein milk".

3、 Precautions for use: Ensure effectiveness and safety

      Control the dosage of additives to avoid waste

      The amount of yeast extract added to feed is usually 0.2% -2% (adjusted according to animal category and stage):

      Piglets and aquatic seedlings: 1% -2% (high demand stage);

      Egg laying hens and beef cattle: 0.5% -1% (regular stage);

      Excessive addition can increase feed costs and may lead to metabolic burden on animals, such as excessive excretion of amino acids.

Choose the appropriate product type

Animal yeast extracts are divided into "powder type" and "paste type":

      Powder type: easy to mix, suitable for mixed feed and premix (such as full price feed for piglets);

      Pasty type: with a stronger umami flavor, suitable for seafood attractants and beef licking bricks (applied directly or mixed).

      It is necessary to choose "feed grade" products (rather than food grade) to ensure compliance with the "Safety Use Regulations for Feed Additives" (such as meeting heavy metal and microbial indicators).

Pay attention to storage conditions

      Powder type needs to be sealed and moisture-proof (to avoid moisture absorption and agglomeration, which may affect the uniformity of mixing); The paste type should be stored at room temperature and away from light, and should be used up as soon as possible after opening to avoid microbial contamination and deterioration.

4、 Summary: The core value of animal yeast extract

      For breeders, yeast extract is a dual solution of "cost reduction and efficiency improvement+green safety" - it not only reduces costs by improving animal growth efficiency and reducing disease losses, but also meets consumers' demand for "antibiotic free and safe animal products". It is an important natural raw material to replace antibiotics and chemical attractants, and is also one of the mainstream additives in the future aquaculture industry.