Cow feed additive yeast cell wall

      In the production of cattle, yeast cell wall, with its unique functions of core components β - glucan and mannan (as well as mannan oligosaccharides MOS), can specifically solve the core pain points of rumen health imbalance, immune weakness, stress sensitivity, and production performance fluctuations in ruminant animals (cattle), especially suitable for the needs of calves, fattening cattle, lactating cattle and other different stages. It has become a key additive in modern cattle farming (especially large-scale, antibiotic free breeding) that is "safe, efficient, and green". The mechanism of action, stage effects, and application suggestions are as follows:

1、 The core mechanism of yeast cell wall in cattle breeding (adapted to the physiological characteristics of ruminants)

      As ruminants, the rumen of cows is the core of nutrient digestion and health regulation. The efficacy of yeast cell walls needs to balance the two dimensions of "rumen microecological balance+immune activation", which is significantly different from monogastric animals (such as chickens):

β - glucan: enhances immunity+alleviates stress

      The immune activation of cattle depends on peripheral blood macrophages, rumen epithelial immune cells, and mucosal immune system: β - glucan can activate signaling pathways such as NF - κ B by binding to Dectin-1 receptors on the surface of immune cells, promoting the release of interleukins (IL-4, IL-10) and interferons (IFN - γ), significantly enhancing the non-specific immunity of the body (such as increasing macrophage phagocytic activity by 40% -60%); At the same time, β - glucan can reduce cortisol levels under stress conditions (such as weaning calves, postpartum lactating cows, and transport stress) by 25% -30%, reducing the decrease in feed intake and immune suppression caused by stress.

Mannan (MOS): Optimizing rumen microbiota and inhibiting pathogenic bacteria

      Rumen microbiota regulation: MOS can serve as a carbon source for beneficial bacteria in the rumen, such as fiber degrading bacteria and propionic acid producing bacteria, promoting their proliferation (increasing the number of fiber degrading bacteria by 30% -50%) and enhancing the degradation rate of crude fibers (such as silage and straw) by 8% -12%; Simultaneously inhibiting the excessive proliferation of lactic acid producing bacteria (such as streptococcus) in the rumen, stabilizing the pH value of the rumen (maintaining a suitable range of 6.2-6.8), and reducing the risk of rumen acidosis.

      Competitive inhibition of pathogenic bacteria: The structure of MOS is highly matched with the pili (F18, K88 types) on the surface of pathogenic bacteria (such as pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens) in the intestinal and rumen of cattle, which can "occupy" and bind to pathogenic bacteria, preventing them from adhering to the rumen epithelium or intestinal mucosa (reducing the adhesion rate of pathogenic bacteria by 50% -70%), and reducing problems such as diarrhea and gastritis.

2、 Specific application effects on different types/stages of cattle

      In the production of cattle, there are significant differences in the core goals of different stages (calves, fattening cows, lactating cows), and the application of yeast cell walls needs to be accurately matched with requirements, with clear experimental data supporting the effectiveness:

1. Calves: reduce diarrhea rate+promote rumen development+increase survival rate

      Calves (0-6 months old) with underdeveloped rumen and weak immunity are susceptible to weaning stress and pathogen infections, making them a high-risk stage for breeding losses

      Breastfeeding period (0-2 months old): The dosage of additives is 0.1% -0.15% (based on the dry weight of milk powder or concentrate), which can reduce the diarrhea rate of calves from 30% -40% to 10% -15% (especially reducing yellow and white dysentery caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli), and increase the survival rate by 8% -12%; Meanwhile, MOS can promote a 20% -25% increase in rumen nipple length and a 15% -20% increase in rumen wall thickness in calves, accelerating rumen maturation.

      Weaning transition period (2-3 months of age): During this stage, calves switch from liquid feed to solid feed. Adding 0.1% yeast cell wall can reduce the decrease in feed intake caused by weaning stress (accelerate the recovery rate of feed intake by 2-3 days), avoid "weaning fat loss", and increase daily weight gain by 15% -20% after weaning (from a daily weight gain of 0.6kg to 0.7-0.72kg).

2. Fattening cattle: improving feed conversion rate+accelerating weight gain+reducing metabolic diseases

      The core goal of fattening cattle (from 6 months of age to slaughter) is to "reduce costs and increase efficiency", which requires solving problems such as low feed digestibility, rumen acidosis, and hoof disease:

      In the early stage of fattening (6-12 months old): the amount of additives is 0.05% -0.08%, which can improve the digestion rate of concentrate (such as corn and soybean meal) by 10% -12%, increase the degradation rate of crude fiber by 8% -10%, and increase daily weight gain by 10% -15% (such as Simmental cattle increasing daily weight gain from 1.2kg to 1.32-1.38kg).

      In the later stage of fattening (from 12 months of age to slaughter): the amount of additives is 0.03% -0.05%, which can reduce the feed to meat ratio by 0.1-0.15 (reducing feed consumption by 0.1-0.15 kg per 1 kg of weight gain) and shorten the slaughter time by 7-10 days; At the same time, the stabilizing effect of MOS on rumen pH can reduce the incidence of rumen acidosis from 15% -20% to below 5%, thereby reducing hoof leaf inflammation caused by acidosis (reducing the incidence of hoof disease by 60% -70%).

3. Lactating cows: increase milk production+improve milk quality+reduce postpartum diseases

      The core needs of lactating cows (especially from postpartum to peak lactation stage) are "maintaining production performance+reducing metabolic risks":

      Postpartum recovery period (1-4 weeks after calving): 0.08% -0.1% of the additive can promote the recovery of rumen function of lactating cattle (the rate of rumen emptying after calving is 15% -20% faster), reduce ketosis caused by insufficient postpartum food intake (the incidence rate is reduced from 8% -12% to 3% -5%), and mastitis (the incidence rate is reduced by 40% -50%).

      Peak lactation period (5-20 weeks postpartum): Adding 0.05% -0.08% of additives can prolong the duration of peak lactation by 3-4 weeks and increase daily milk production by 2% -3kg (such as Holstein cows increasing from 30kg/day to 32-33kg/day); Simultaneously improving milk quality: the milk protein rate increased by 0.1-0.2 percentage points (from 3.1% to 3.2% -3.3%), the milk fat rate increased by 0.15-0.2 percentage points (from 3.6% to 3.75% -3.8%), and the somatic cell count decreased by 20% -30% (improving milk hygiene indicators).

      Late lactation period (21 weeks postpartum to dry milk period): Additive dosage of 0.03% -0.05% can slow down the rate of milk production decline (from 0.8kg to 0.5kg per week), while also storing nutrients for the dry milk period and reducing the risk of perinatal diseases.

3、 Practical application suggestions (suitable for ruminant animal breeding scenarios)

Accurately control the dosage of additives to avoid abnormal rumen fermentation

      The amount of yeast cell wall added to cattle feed needs to be strictly adapted to the rumen capacity and digestion characteristics: excessive addition (such as fattening cattle>0.1%, lactating cattle>0.12%) can cause MOS to ferment excessively in the rumen, producing a large amount of gas and causing rumen bloating in cattle (manifested as increased abdominal circumference and sudden drop in feed intake); Suggestions for fine-tuning based on breed (such as beef cattle: Simmental, Charolais; dairy cows: Holstein, Juanshan), feed type (fully mixed diet TMR, silage feed mainly/concentrate feed mainly), with a conventional range of 0.03% -0.15% (based on dry feed weight).

Synergistic use with other additives to amplify the effect

The combination of yeast cell wall and commonly used additives in ruminants can produce a synergistic effect:

      MOS stabilizes rumen pH and enhances the inhibitory effect of rumen hormones on methane producing bacteria, further reducing feed to meat ratio (an additional decrease of 0.05-0.08) and methane emissions (in compliance with environmental requirements), in conjunction with rumen regulators such as rumen hormones and monensins.

      Compared to probiotics such as brewing yeast and lactic acid bacteria, MOS provides a carbon source for probiotics, promoting their colonization in the rumen (increasing the number of probiotics by 2-3 times), further optimizing the balance of rumen microbiota.

      Adding 0.02% -0.03% yeast cell wall during silage production can increase the lactate content of silage (by 15% -20%), reduce the ammonia nitrogen content (by 25% -30%), and improve the palatability and shelf life of silage.

Choose high activity products suitable for ruminant animals

The cell wall of bovine yeast needs to meet the dual requirements of "rumen stability+high purity":

      Purity standards: β - glucan content ≥ 20%, mannan content ≥ 30% (below this standard, the effect significantly decreases).

      Rumen stability: High quality products need to undergo "coating treatment" to avoid premature degradation in the rumen (the degradation rate of uncoated products in the rumen can reach over 60%, and the utilization rate of active ingredients is low). It is recommended to choose products labeled as "rumen specific" and with third-party rumen degradation rate testing reports (effective ingredient rumen pass rate ≥ 70%).

Key applications during critical periods, avoiding special stages

      From 1 week before weaning to 2 weeks after weaning in calves, from 1 week after lactation to peak lactation in lactating cows, and before and after the conversion/transportation of fattening cows, it is necessary to focus on adding (the dosage can be temporarily increased to 0.1% -0.12%) to strengthen stress resistance.

      Dry milk cows (especially 2 weeks before delivery) can reduce the dosage appropriately (0.03%) to avoid excessive stimulation of the rumen; During the onset of the disease in cattle (such as acute rumen bloating and severe diarrhea), it is necessary to temporarily suspend the addition and wait for the symptoms to subside before resuming.

4、 Application advantage: The "core value of antibiotic free substitution" in ruminant animal breeding

      Against the backdrop of the current "restriction and prohibition of antibiotics" policy (China prohibits the use of antibiotics as growth promoters for ruminants) and consumers' increasing safety requirements for beef and milk, yeast cell walls have irreplaceable advantages over traditional additives

      No resistance and residual risk: The mechanism of action is "physical occupation+microbial ecological regulation", which does not generate selection pressure on pathogenic bacteria and will not lead to drug-resistant bacteria; And natural polysaccharides can be completely degraded in the rumen and intestines, with no drug residues (in compliance with food safety standards such as GB 2762 and GB 31650).

      Balancing short-term benefits and long-term health: Not only can it improve "short-term production indicators" such as milk production and daily weight gain, but it can also extend the breeding cycle of cows by improving rumen development (calves), repairing postpartum rumen function (lactating cows), and prolonging the breeding cycle (such as lactating cows can produce 1-2 more births), thereby enhancing long-term returns.

      Suitable for large-scale breeding scenarios: can be directly added to TMR feed and precision feed without changing the existing feeding process, suitable for the mechanized feeding needs of 10000 head pastures and 1000 head dairy farms.

      In summary, yeast cell wall has become a "green additive" that adapts to the physiological characteristics of ruminants and solves the core pain points of cattle farming, especially playing a key role in the healthy cultivation of calves, cost reduction and efficiency improvement of fattening cattle, and quality and stability improvement of lactating cattle. It is an important technical support for modern antibiotic free cattle farming models.