US Feed Additives Making Headway in Chinese Markets

Written by: Lacie Dotterweich   |   October 12, 2022

Trade, China, Ingredients

As we previously reported, the American Feed Industry Association has been working to promote U.S. feed additives in the Chinese market. Over the past few months, with use of funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Market Access Program (MAP), the AFIA has been working with a communications/media firm in China to distribute informational articles on ag-media websites and social media platforms.

This opportunity further supports the export of U.S. feed additives and answers the Chinese animal production industry’s call for animal nutrition expertise. The articles allow us to broadly instruct foreign end-users and importers on the viability, safety, quality, sustainability and variety of U.S. feed additives and highlight the AFIA as a leading feed additive expert.

We are pleased to share that these efforts have proven to be fruitful! As a result of the articles published thus far, we have been contacted by a major Chinese dairy producer interested in learning more about U.S. products.

The second article posted in Chinese media is from Dr. Lu Ping, Cargill Nongwei Company, and AFIA member Diamond V, on alternatives to growth-promoting antibiotics. The English translation can be found below.

AFIA Column | Alternatives to Growth-Promoting Antibiotics: Postbiotics and Animal Health 

Author: Dr. Lu Ping Source: American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) 

For a long time, the application of growth-promoting antibiotics in animal husbandry has achieved good results, but in some cases continuous low-level feeding of antibiotics has caused bacterial resistance and drug residues in animal products. China banned the use of growth-promoting antibiotics in feed on July 1, 2020. After the total ban on growth-promoting antibiotics in feed, it was observed in actual production that the health status of animals deteriorated, and the feed conversion rate and production efficiency decreased. Therefore, the industry urgently needs alternative technologies and products for growth-promoting antibiotics. 

New scientific evidence points out that the metabolites or bacterial components of probiotics are the key factors in promoting the health of livestock and poultry . The health-promoting function of probiotics is based on the bacteria itself and its metabolites or lysates. These factors are officially named postbiotics by the International Probiotics Organization . The selected postbiotics have enhanced immunity and are better than the original live bacteria, even after being processed by high temperature or gastrointestinal digestive juices. In order to ensure the stability of postbiotic products, its production should adopt a highly controlled fermentation process and the most advanced production facilities. After fermentation, the fermentation strains are inactivated by heat treatment, and the products are not filtered or separated, including all fermentation metabolites. and cells. Numerous studies have shown that epibiotics can support gut and immune health. 

Epigenetics and Gut Health 

The function of epibiotics in intestinal health is reflected in: 

1. Maintain good intestinal morphology, improve villus height, reduce crypt depth, and promote nutrient digestion and absorption; 

2. Reduce abnormal fermentation in hindgut, promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, inhibit harmful bacteria, and improve intestinal health; 

3. Enhance the tight binding of the intestine under stress, reduce intestinal leakage, reduce the damage of bacterial toxins to the intestine, and reduce the incidence of diseases under stress.

Epigenetics and Immune Health 

Postbiotics have a two-way regulatory effect on immune health that enhances disease resistance and accelerates recovery. On the one hand, it regulates the body's innate and adaptive immune responses and enhances the resistance of animals to diseases . The regulation of innate immunity includes enhancing the activity of NK cells, increasing the phagocytic capacity of phagocytes and complement levels; while the regulation of adaptive immunity is exerted by increasing the level of sIgA and the level of antibody titers and T cell activity after vaccination effect. On the other hand, yeast culture can reduce the level of inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ in the blood, reduce systemic inflammation, and the antioxidant components contained in it can also reduce the oxidative stress generated by the immune response, speed up the recovery of the body, and achieve a balanced immune health effect. 

The growth-promoting mechanism of growth-promoting antibiotics is to directly act on the intestinal flora, reduce the competition of intestinal flora for nutrients; reduce opportunistic pathogens and subclinical infections, protect animal health, promote growth, and improve feed efficiency. Postbiotics is a very effective alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics by organically cooperating with the entire animal body through its hundreds of active metabolic components, supporting animal immunity and intestinal health, and improving production efficiency.