Developing nutrition sub-models that account for live yeast fiber effect

With skyrocketing feed prices, tools that can help maintain the profit margin on a farm are critically important. Our ruminant R&D team recently gathered new data to quantify the effects of ruminant live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 (LEVUCELL SC) on NDF degradation in a large range of forage samples in vivo.

This unique dataset is a precious asset for our partners willing to get closer to precision feeding thanks to the development of nutritional sub-models. Such models allow nutritionists to fully integrate the ‘fiber effect’ of the rumen-specific live yeast within formulation softwares. So far several firms have already adopted this tool in their day-to-day formulation.

It is a valuable tool for nutritionists to precisely adjust rations to maximize income over feed costs (IOFC). This tool offers the flexibility to change raw materials, switch to a new source of non-edible human food, or use low-quality forages to formulate in a more sustainable way either at iso costs or to maintain production.

“With this tool, the nutritionist is able to predict the effect on animal performance of each specific diet condition (in terms of both composition and ingredient quality). In other words, tell us what your diet composition and ingredient (forage for instance) quality is, the program will tell you what is the response when using Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 yeast. This will allow to really use this rumen specific live yeast as a tool to answer the farm manager’s production objective, and, even more important, in terms of farm profitability. Should I make more milk or should I adjust my diet composition to increase my IOFC ? This is really a game changer at a time of high price volatility conditions. A software supplier once told me that, with our rumen specific live yeast, we are not only qualifying its effect, but we are able to quantify it, which makes a huge difference and requires important and continuous R&D investments”, explains Aurélien Piron, Technical Manager – Ruminant, at Lallemand Animal Nutrition, who led the project.