Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. It is perhaps the most useful yeast owing to its use since ancient times in baking and brewing. It is the microorganism behind the most common type of fermentation. S. cerevisiae cells are round to ovoid, 5–10 micrometres in diameter.

Description:

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. It is perhaps the most useful yeast owing to its use since ancient times in baking and brewing. It is the microorganism behind the most common type of fermentation. S. cerevisiae cells are round to ovoid, 5–10 micrometres in diameter.

Properties:

S. cerevisiae is a digestibility enhancer and gut flora stabiliser. It favourably alters the intestinal microflora balance, encourage feed and supplement utilization, and support a healthy immune system. It enhances the digestibility of the diet by improving fibers digestibility, not only to improve feed efficiency, but also to leave little substrate for (bad) pathogens in the intestine, bolstering (good) pathogenic bacterial growth in the intestine. If the fibre is making a greater contribution to the horse’s requirements then less concentrates should be required which is ideal for any horses that are prone to digestive upsets or over-excitable behaviour. Research suggests that adding live yeast to the feed when starch was fed helped to counteract some of the negative effects that usually occur in the hind gut in response to starchy meals. It does support the inclusion of yeast in performance horse rations. When given to lactating mares, the resulting improvement in fibre digestion is reflected in changes to milk quality, to the benefit of suckling foals which show improved growth compared to foals suckling mares given feed without supplementation. Moreover, yeasts are a rich source of water-soluble vitamins and of phosphorus.

Possible uses:

Live yeast should be recommended for its positive effects on digestive balance. In case of dietary changes, S. cerevisiae supplemented horses could adapt more readily than those not receiving the supplement. It is an interesting aid for older horses with difficulties to eat and digest, for growing horses with high nutrient requirement, for training and competition horses that need an optimal utilization of their diet. S. cerevisiae supplementation can also be used for horses with intestinal disorders (chronic inflammation, colic tendency). It has also been suggested that S. cerevisiae can have beneficial affect to reduce laminitis occurrence, because yeast could regulate caecal pH, enhance digestive stability and protect from endotoxic pathogens proliferation involved in laminitis.