ATLANTA — Bio-based ingredients are all the rage as pet parents seek more functional nutritional products to support their pets' vocalizations. Known for their ability to support human gut health, biotics are proliferating in the pet food industry with claims to benefit pet microbiomes.
Dr. Kelly Swanson, director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, delves into biotics and reveals potential benefits and applications for pet foods in a presentation at the American Feed Industry Association's 2024 Pet Food Conference. I made it. pet nutrition.
According to Swanson, gastrointestinal (GI) health can be defined by several factors, including proper digestion and absorption of nutrients, a stable and resilient microbiome, and a functional immune system. Typical indicators of gastrointestinal health range from your pet's stool quality and immune markers to their response to health problems.
According to Swanson, the microbes in your gut play an important role not only in your gut health, but also in your pet's overall health. These microorganisms support gut immunity, energy, metabolism, resistance to pathogens, and more. However, the industry's understanding of the pet microbiome and gut health is still in its infancy. As Swanson demonstrated, the view of cat and dog microbiomes continues to evolve as additional microbial strains and genes are discovered.
Many dietary strategies have emerged to support gastrointestinal health in pets, the most common being the use of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics.
The International Society for Probiotic and Prebiotic Science (ISAPP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the science behind these biotics, has devised clear definitions for each. According to ISAPP, biologics must demonstrate clear health benefits, which can be focused on the intestine or elsewhere.
probiotics
According to ISAPP, probiotics are “live microorganisms that confer health benefits to the host when administered in appropriate amounts.”
Common taxa of probiotics include: lactic acid bacteria, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus and Enterococcus. These probiotics are available in a variety of formats such as dry powder, gel, liquid, and even in your pet's meals, treats, or toppings that provide health benefits.
By producing mild to moderate changes in your pet's gut microbiome, probiotics can provide a number of benefits for your pet, from reducing diarrhea to managing chronic inflammatory bowel disease, according to Swanson. . According to Swanson, these particular biological substances are currently the most studied and show some of the best health evidence.
prebiotics
According to ISAPP, prebiotics are “substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms to confer health benefits.” Prebiotic substances include phenolics and phytochemicals, oligosaccharides, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
As for benefits, prebiotics primarily help improve your pet's stool quality, but they also provide protection against pathogens. According to Swanson, the use of these specific biotics often results in moderate to large-scale changes to the microbiome, showing more visible effects on a pet's health.
synbiotics
A fairly new term for the biological world in the pet industry is synbiotics. According to ISAPP, a synbiotic is “a mixture of live microorganisms and substrates that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms to provide a health benefit.” This mixture may include probiotics and prebiotics or other live microorganisms.
According to Swanson, synbiotics can be complementary or synergistic. Complementary synbiotics consist of a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics, each of which works independently to provide one or more health benefits. Synergistic synbiotics are mixtures of substrates and live microorganisms that work together to provide specific health benefits.
postbiotics
According to ISAPP, postbiotics are “preparations of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confer a health benefit to the host.” The important thing to note here is that postbiotics are intentionally inactivated or killed. It can be any microorganism that provides a health benefit, but it must be intentionally killed. Within this definition, Swanson clarified that vaccines, metabolites of microorganisms, and metabolites produced by the gut microbiome are not considered postbiotics.
Postbiotics offer numerous benefits, including maintaining stool quality, modifying gut flora, reducing stool odor, increasing antioxidant capacity, and supporting the immune system. Although these biotechnologies are relatively new to the pet field, they are gaining attention due to their benefits and stability.
Like yeast, many postbiotics have already been approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), Swanson said. Compared to prebiotics and probiotics, they are much more shelf-stable and can withstand harsh processing. And it boasts high palatability. However, despite its great advantages and stability, little research has been conducted on postbiotics.
The future of biotics
As research into pet microbiomes and gut health continues, so too will research into bioengineering. Swanson said he expects the discovery of new microbes in the gut and advanced cultivation of biotics to accelerate the field. Machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are also expected to support the future of living organisms, as they may help automate the cultivation of more living things.
Additionally, Swanson said he anticipates that as the popularity of biotics continues, more new sources, mixtures and delivery formats will need to be explored to meet demand. As more personalized pet nutrition products come to market, precise dosing and personalization will also become important factors. These may focus not only on specific diets and microbiomes, but also on species-specific bioengineering.
While the field of biotics in pets may be in its infancy, Swanson emphasized the need for expanded research on new biotic strains and proper dosing to ensure benefits and safety.
Read more coverage of 2024 Pet Food Conference.
