EU: Bacillus strain gets green light for use in complete swine production chain

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The probiotic, Calsporin, has been approved by the European Commission for the use in feed for pigs for fattening.

The registration entered into force on August 20.

“The product was not registered for fattening pigs before. Having this new registration, Calsporin is now allowed to be used in all swine diets from sows to suckling and weaned piglets as well as fattening pigs.

“Complete registration for all avian species (broilers, laying hens, turkeys and minor avian species), whole pig production and some pet/ ornamental species is quite unique for EU registered probiotics,” Heidi Heyvaert, international marketing manager, Orffa, told us.

The probiotic is manufactured in Japan by Asahi Calpis Wellnes, and is being sold and marketed in Europe by Orffa.

Production impact

In terms of results based on the registration dossier of the Bacillus strain in fattening pigs, the company said the growth performance of the fattening pigs improves by the addition of 15 ppm Calsporin in the diet.

A meta-analyses based on four registration studies indicated the product increases live weight at slaughter (+ 2,6%), raises daily gain (+ 3,8%) and improves feed conversion ratio (-3,6%), while the carcass characteristics and meat quality often reveal higher lean meat percentages, said the company.

Calsporin contains viable spores of Bacillus subtilis C-3102 - 1.0 x 1010 cfu/gram highly concentrated, according to company data.

The natural shield of the spores is said to support the Bacillus strain to survive high temperatures during feed processing.

The low inclusion ratio of 15 ppm makes the probiotic an attractive feed component to secure intestinal health of fattening pigs, claimed the company.

Calsporin supports the development of a healthy microflora in the intestinal tract by shifting the microbial colonization in favor of mainly Lactobacillus spp, ensuring the proportion of opportunistic bacteria such as Coliforms, Salmonella and Clostridium spp. will be reduced, it added.