What are Oligosaccharides from Cell Walls from Yeast?

by Dr. Ron Rompala

The digestive tract is considered a war-zone in the battle between animals and diseases. It is the one component that separates the animal from the environment.

The wall of the digestive tract is lined with cells from the immune system. These cells act as an army along the front lines making sure that nothing harmful, like pathogenic bacteria, gets into the animal. The immune system of the animal recognizes the desirable microbes as not posing a threat.

Undesirable microbes in the digestive tract are always looking for the opportunity to establish colonies in the digestive tract. Plentiful colonies of desirable microbes and a healthy immune system keep the undesirable microbial colonies from becoming established. However, certain conditions will give the undesirable microbes the opportunity to become established in the digestive tract. Disturbances in the desirable microbial colonies can occur due to:

• Significant change in the ingredients of the diet
• Change in feed intake
• Change in the pattern of eating (number of meals)

In addition, challenges to the health of the immune system can allow for undesirable microbes to grow for example:

• Stress
• Ingestion of a large amount of undesirable microbes by the animal
• Contact with infected animals

What are the consequences of having the undesirable microbes in the digestive tract? Undesirable microbes can cause minor problems that include discomfort, flatulence and loose stools to very severe diarrhea, inflammation of the tissues and even death. There are a number of different types of undesirable microbes with certain E. coli, Clostridia and Salmonella strains perhaps being the most notorious.

Can animal owners feed anything to help maintain the desirable microbes and a healthy immune system in the digestive tract? Yes they can. Some ingredients promote the growth of desirable microbes while at the same time inhibit the growth of undesirable microbial colonies. The presence of desirable microbes in the feed may help jump-start the establishment of colonies in the digestive tract or inhibit the development of undesirable microbes. Probioics is a common term used to describe these ingredients.

More and more, animal owners are becoming less willing to use feed containing antibiotics. The use of probiotic ingredients in feeds is becoming more in demand. One probiotic ingredient, Biomoss, is made of oligosaccharides from yeast cell walls. Blue Seal Feeds uses Biomoss in addition to Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococus faecium. So think of the probiotic used by Blue Seal as a super-charged Biomoss.

Probiotics can be an effective tool for maintaining a healthy digestive tract. There are other things that should be considered to keep a desirable microbial population in the digestive tract:

• Proper Nutrition: The immune system and tissues of the digestive tract have a heavy demand for nutrients.
• Clean Drinking Water: Valuable nutrient.
• Adapt to New Feeds: Microbes in the digestive tract do not like surprises.
• Avoid Fluctuations in Feed Intake: A steady flow of feed into the digestive tract is preferred by microbes.
• Control Parasites: Microbes do not like competition.
• Minimize Stress: Detrimental to all aspects of nutrition and metabolism.
• Keep Contaminants Out Of Feed: Molds and mycotoxins can be detrimental to desirable microbes as well as the tissues.

© June, 2001. Blue Seal Feeds, Inc.

© Blue Seal Feeds – June, 2001