Actisaf Sc 47 - what is it and how does it work?

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 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.2 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.4 5.2 Changes in rumen ph after feeding Feeding -1h 0h +1h +2h +3h +4h +5h +6h +7h Actisaf 5g Actisaf 0.5g Control +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 NEB (Negative Energy Balance) SARA negatively affects... Production Drop in milk yield (2-3l) Reduced butterfat % Reduced live weight gain Health Ketosis Displaced abomasum Mastitis Laminitis

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