Yeast extract - improves the digestion rate of cows, meat cows, and sheep

      The effect of yeast extract on the growth performance of ruminant animals (such as beef cattle, cows, sheep, calves, etc.) is mainly achieved by optimizing the rumen microenvironment, improving nutrient digestion and utilization efficiency, and enhancing the metabolic status of the body. Ultimately, it is reflected in key indicators such as feed intake, digestion rate, weight gain/production efficiency, and health level. The following will be elaborated from specific dimensions, combined with the mechanism of action and actual aquaculture effects:

1、 Improving feed intake: providing a 'nutritional foundation' for growth

      The feed intake of ruminants is influenced by rumen fullness, chyme emptying rate, and taste preferences. Yeast extract can promote feeding in two ways:

      Accelerating rumen chyme emptying: Yeast extract provides "quick acting nutrients" such as amino acids and nucleotides to rumen microorganisms (especially fiber degrading bacteria), promoting microbial proliferation and metabolism, accelerating the degradation rate of crude fibers (such as straw and silage), reducing the retention time of chyme in the rumen, and alleviating the inhibition of "rumen fullness" on feeding. Especially when feeding low-quality roughage (such as dry hard straw and aged straw), feed intake can be increased by 5% -12%.

      Improving feed palatability: Yeast extract contains natural flavor substances (such as glutamic acid, 5 '- flavor nucleotides), which can mask the adverse flavors of antibiotics, minerals, and other additives in feed. At the same time, it enhances the "fermentation aroma" of silage and whole value feed, stimulates the taste and smell of ruminants, and increases feeding willingness - the effect is more significant for populations with low feeding enthusiasm such as weaned calves and stressed sheep, and can reduce growth arrest caused by insufficient feeding.

2、 Improving nutrient digestion rate: making 'the nutrients you eat more useful'

      The nutrient absorption of ruminants relies on the fermentation and transformation of rumen microorganisms. Yeast extract regulates the rumen microbiota and fermentation environment, focusing on improving the digestion and utilization efficiency of fiber, protein, and energy. This is the core link to improve growth performance:

Significant improvement in fiber digestibility:

      Yeast extract can promote a 2-3 fold increase in the number of fiber degrading bacteria (such as Helicobacter pylori and succinic acid producing filamentous bacteria) in the rumen, and activate their secretion of cellulase and hemicellulase activities; At the same time, yeast cell wall components (such as oligosaccharides) can adsorb harmful substances (such as ammonia nitrogen and endotoxins) that inhibit fiber decomposition in the rumen, maintaining a stable rumen pH of 6.0-6.8 (the optimal pH for fiber degrading bacteria). Ultimately, the degradation rate of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acidic detergent fiber (ADF) can be increased by 8% -15%, indicating that ruminants can obtain more energy from roughage (such as volatile fatty acid VFA).

Protein utilization is more efficient:

      The amino acids in yeast extract can "divert" the excessive degradation of feed protein by rumen microorganisms (reducing ammonia nitrogen production), while providing raw materials for the synthesis of "microbial protein (MCP)" by microorganisms - MCP is the main source of protein absorption in the small intestine of ruminants (accounting for 60% -70%). Research has shown that adding yeast extract can increase rumen microbial protein production by 10% -18%, reduce protein waste, and improve the utilization of "rumen protein" in feed, providing more abundant amino acids for muscle growth (beef cattle) and milk protein synthesis (dairy cows).

Optimization of energy conversion efficiency:

      The volatile fatty acids (VFA) produced by rumen fermentation, mainly acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, are the main energy source for ruminants. Yeast extract can inhibit the activity of methane producing bacteria in the rumen (reducing methane emissions and energy loss), while promoting the production of propionic acid (which is the main precursor for glucose synthesis in the liver and has a higher energy supply efficiency than acetic acid). The data shows that adding propionic acid can increase the proportion by 12% -20%, reduce methane emissions by 8% -12%, and indirectly improve the conversion efficiency of feed energy.

3、 Promoting growth, weight gain, and feed conversion efficiency: reducing breeding costs

      For fattening ruminant animals such as beef cattle and sheep, the core indicators of growth performance are average daily weight gain (ADG) and feed to gain ratio (FCR, which is the required amount of feed per 1kg of weight gain). Yeast extract significantly improves these two indicators through the dual effects of "increasing feed intake+improving digestion":

Average Daily Weight Gain (ADG) Increase:

      Due to increased feed intake and more comprehensive nutrient absorption, the ADG of fattening cattle can be increased by 10% -15% (e.g. from 0.8kg/d to 0.9-0.92kg/d), and the ADG of meat sheep can be increased by 8% -12%; For young ruminant animals such as calves and lambs, yeast extract can promote the development of rumen epithelium (butyric acid provides energy for rumen epithelium), accelerate the transition from breastfeeding to solid feed, reduce the "growth arrest period" caused by weaning stress, and increase ADG by 15% -20% after weaning.

Improvement in feed to meat ratio (FCR):

      The improvement of nutritional digestibility means that 'less feed can produce more weight gain'. The feed to meat ratio of fattening cattle can be optimized from 5.5:1 to 5.0:1-5.2:1, which means that for every 1kg increase in weight, 0.3-0.5kg of feed consumption can be reduced; The feed to meat ratio of sheep can be optimized from 4.8:1 to 4.3:1-4.5:1, significantly reducing feed costs and improving the economic benefits of aquaculture.

4、 Improving lactation performance: for productive ruminant animals such as cows and goats

      For lactating ruminants, "growth performance" is more reflected in milk production and quality. Yeast extract directly improves lactation efficiency by ensuring energy and protein supply:

Increased milk production:

      The rumen fermentation optimized by yeast extract (with more propionic acid for energy and more microbial protein for amino acids) can meet the high-energy and high protein requirements of dairy cows during lactation. Research has shown that adding yeast extract to dairy cow diets can increase daily milk production by 1.5-2.5kg (from 25kg/d to 26.5-27.5kg/d), and prolong the peak lactation period by 2-3 weeks, reducing the problem of "rapid decline in milk production in the late lactation period".

Milk quality optimization:

      Reasonable regulation of the ratio of acetic acid and butyric acid in the rumen (yeast extract can maintain the stability of acetic acid/propionic acid ratio), providing sufficient precursors for milk fat synthesis (acetic acid is the main raw material for milk fat synthesis), can increase milk fat percentage by 0.1-0.3 percentage points (from 3.5% to 3.6% -3.8%); At the same time, an increase in microbial protein supply can increase the milk protein rate by 0.05-0.15 percentage points (from 3.0% to 3.05% -3.15%), reducing the output of "low-quality milk".

5、 Enhancing Health Level: Indirectly Ensuring Stable Growth Performance

      The growth performance of ruminants is easily affected by diseases such as rumen acidosis, diarrhea, and rumen bloating. Yeast extract can stabilize the rumen environment, enhance the body's immunity, and reduce disease inhibition on growth

Preventing rumen acidosis:

      Yeast extract can promote the proliferation of "lactic acid utilizing bacteria" (such as Bacteroides) in the rumen, accelerate lactate decomposition, avoid a sudden drop in rumen pH (below 5.5), and reduce the occurrence of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) - SARA can lead to a decrease in feed intake and milk production in dairy cows, causing diarrhea and hoof disease in fattening cows. Adding yeast extract can reduce the incidence of SARA by 30% -40%.

Enhance the body's immunity:

      Polysaccharides (such as β - glucan) and nucleotides in yeast extract can activate the immune system of ruminants (promoting macrophage activity and increasing antibody levels), especially during stress periods (such as weaning, repotting, and high temperature), which can reduce immune decline caused by stress, lower the incidence of respiratory and digestive diseases, and ensure uninterrupted growth performance.

Summary: The core value of yeast extract on the growth performance of ruminants

      Yeast extract does not directly "promote growth", but provides guarantees for the growth and lactation of ruminants from the "source" through the logical chain of "optimizing rumen function → enhancing nutrient utilization → improving health status". Its effectiveness is influenced by animal species (beef cattle/cows/lambs), dietary structure (roughage ratio), and dosage (usually 0.1% -0.3% of dry matter in the diet). In practical applications, it needs to be adjusted in conjunction with breeding objectives (fattening/lactation) to maximize its effect on improving growth performance.