Microbials, Botanicals and Joint Supplements
Microbials
This category includes ingredients that are intended to improve the digestion of feedstuffs. This may include live microbial cultures (probiotics), substances that feed microbes (prebiotics) and digestive enzymes derived from microbial fermentation.
Definitions of terms or ingredients per AAFCO 2017 Official Publication, pages 344 - 508
Culture = Nutrient medium inoculated with specific microorganism which may be in a live or dormant condition.
Fermented, Fermenting = (Process) Acted upon by yeasts, molds, or bacteria in a controlled aerobic or anaerobic process in the manufacture of such products as alcohols, acids, vitamins of the B-complex group, or antibiotics.
36.6 Dried ______ Fermentation Extract is the dried product resulting from extracting and precipitating by means of non-aqueous solvents or other suitable means, the water soluble materials from a fermentation conducted for maximum production of enzymes using a non-pathogenic strain of the microorganism ______ in accordance with good manufacturing practices.
36.7 Dried ______ Fermentation Solubles is the dried material resulting from drying the water soluble materials after separation of suspended solids from a fermentation conducted for maximum production of enzymes using a non-pathogenic strain of the microorganism ______ in accordance with good manufacturing practices.
36.11 Dried ______ Fermentation Product is the product derived by culturing ______ on appropriate nutrient media for the production of one or more of the following: enzymes, fermentation substances, or other microbial metabolites, and dried in accordance with approved methods and good manufacturing practices. Protein, amino acid, fat, fiber, cell count, enzyme activity or nutrient metabolite level shall be guaranteed where applicable.
The definitions of Fermentation Extract, Solubles and Product, above, seem quite similar. At least they did to me. My understanding of the difference between the three is in the intended content and the means of acquiring that content. Extracts and Solubles contain enzymes derived from the fermenting microorganism and Product contains the water-soluble materials from the fermentation broth, which may have more than just enzymes. Extracts and Solubles differ in the method of isolating the enzymes; in Extraction a solvent is used to bind and separate the enzymes, whereas in Solubles the broth is filtered.
Common Ingredients
Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried
Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product Liquid
Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product, Dried
Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dehydrated
Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dehydrated
Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Solubles
Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens Fermentation Solubles
Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried
Bacillus Lichenformis Fermentation Product, Dried
Bacillus Lichenformis Fermentation Solubles
Bacteria
Bacillus Subtilus Fermentation Extract, Dried
Bacteria
Bacillus Subtilus Fermentation Solubles
Bacteria
Bacillus Subtilus Fermentation Product, Dried
Bacteria
Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dried
Bacteria
Bifidobacterium Thermophilium Fermentation Product, Dried
Bacteria
Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Dried, Fermentation Product
Chicory Root (Prebiotic, oligosaccharide)
Dried Chicory Pulp (Prebiotic, oligosaccharide)
Condensed Grain Fermentation Solubles
Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried
Enterococcus Faecium
Fructo-Oligosaccharides (Prebiotic)
Lactobacillus, Dried
Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried
Lactobacillus Acidophilus
Bacteria
Lactobacillus Brevis
Lactobacillus Plantarum
Lactobacillus Plantarum Fementation Product
Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried
Lactobacillus Casei
Mannan Oligosaccharides (Prebiotic)
Pediococcus Acidilacticii
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Hydrolized Yeast Product
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Yeast Extract, Dried
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Dry, Active
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Yeast Culture
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Saccharomyces C. Boulardii 1079
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae 1077
Schizosaccharomyces Pombe Fermentation Product, Dried
Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried
Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Solubles
Trichoderma Reesei Extract, Dried
Yeast Culture (Live culture)
Yeast, Active, Dry (Live culture)
Yeast, Brewers, Dried (Live culture)
Yeast, Fermentation Solubles, Dried
Prebiotics and Probiotics, Effective for Horses?
While Nutrena claims to have heat-treated strains of bacteria that can survive the pelleting process, and thus serve as effective probiotic organisms (1), numerous other sources including Purina (2) provide opinions that there isn’t enough peer-reviewed studies to determine which microorganisms, at what dosage, will survive the digestion process to colonize the equine hindgut and provide a health benefit (3)(4).
Nutrenaworld. (2017, November 9). Prebiotics & Probiotics for Horses . Retrieved from https://www.nutrenaworld.com/blog/prebiotics-and-probiotics-for-horses>
Purina Animal Nutrition. (2017, November 9). Purina Animal Nutrition has a strong commitment to research that explores feed additives such as prebiotics, probiotics, “gut soothers” and the like. Retrieved from https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/education/detail/improving-gut-health-with-equine-feed-additives
NRC. (2009). Nutrient Requirements of Horses. (6th Ed.) National Academy Press, Washington D.C.
Schoster, A., Weese, J.S., Guardabassi, L. (2014). Probiotic Use in Horses – What is the Evidence for Their Clinical Efficacy? Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine , 28, 1640-1652
Botanicals
If an ingredient is presented as preventing or curing a disease, or altering body structure, function or performance, it would be considered a drug. As such it would fall under Food and Drug Administration regulatory oversight (1). That would necessitate extensive, and expensive, studies and feed trials to establish safety and efficacy. Botanicals are, explicitly, flavorings or coloring additives as presented in AAFCO ingredient definition which clearly does not place such ingredients in the drug category. However, the internet is ripe with claims of medicinal uses for herbs and herbal extracts, which informs a consumer perception that these have medicinal (drug) properties. The NRC cautions that there is some risk of botanical having adverse effects and interactions with administered drugs (1). Indeed, garlic, a flavoring, has been shown to cause oxidative damage to red blood cells in multiple species including horses (1).
Botanical Ingredients I have Encountered with AAFCO # and Use Category
Aloe Vera Concentrate - 87.5 Aloe vera gel concentrate - flavoring
Boswellia Serrata Extract (Indian frankincense) - ?
Curcumin (Turmeric) - 582.10 Spices and Other Natural Seasonings and Flavorings, 87.155 – color additive
Harpagophytum Procumbens (Devil Claw) - ?
Thyme - 582.10 Spices and Other Natural Seasonings and Flavorings
Yucca Schidigera Extract - T87.29 - flavoring and urine odor control
NRC. (2009). Nutrient Requirements of Horses. (6th Ed.) National Academy Press, Washington D.C.
AAFCO. (2017). 2017 Official Publication. Association of American Feed Control Officials, Champaign, IL. USA
Joint Supplements (Neutraceuticals)
The term, “neutraceutical” is the combination of “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” (1). The term is not well defined and can cover a range of products (1) (2). Neutraceuticals have no regulatory definition; the industry is self-regulating (1). A substance that treats or prevents a disease process would be classified as a drug by the Food and Drug Administration, and consequently be subject to regulation that would require extensive, and expensive, research studies to prove dosage, efficacy and safety. Joint supplements allude to beneficial effects on joint inflammation, pain and damage, but maintain a status of a supplement which does not fall under FDA regulation.
Effectiveness
Hard to say. There doesn’t seem to be clear evidence of these neutriceuticals, as a supplement on their own, having preventative effect or treatment effect on joint pain, inflammation and osteoarthritis (1) (2) (3) (4) (5). As an additive to a pelleted horse feed, I would be even more skeptical given that the amount of these supplements isn’t necessarily indicated on the label. You don’t know how much is being administered. Several articles on the effectiveness of joint supplements did have some good guidance; work with your veterinarian to properly diagnose and treat joint issues, or address concerns over joint health (1) (3).
At this stage, I think joint supplements in feeds are more a marketing tool to horse owners than a therapeutic tool.
Joint Supplement Ingredients
Avacado/Soy Unsaponifiables ASU - Avacado and soybean oil residues that don’t become soap when treated with lye. Thought to have anti-inflammatory effects.
Cetyl Myristoleate Complex - A type fatty acid (3)
Chondroitin Sulfate - Horses naturally produce this
Glucosamine Hydrochloride - Horses naturally produce glucosamine
Glucosamine Sulfate - Horses naturally produce glucosamine
Hyaluronic Acid - Horses naturally produce hyaluronic acid
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)
Corp-Minamiji, C. (2015, February 18). What About Joint Supplements? . Retrieved from: www.americanfarriers.com/articles/282-what-about-joint-supplements
Mendell, C. (2007, July 29). Oral Joint Supplements: Do They Work? Thehorse.com. Retrieved from:https://thehorse.com/124636/oral-joint-supplements-do-they-work/
Larson, E. (2016, July 20). Joint Supplements and Equine Osteoarthritis. Thehorse.com. Retrieved from: https://thehorse.com/18175/joint-supplements-and-equine-osteoarthritis
NRC. (2009). Nutrient Requirements of Horses . (6th Ed.) National Academy Press, Washington D.C.
Frape, D. (2010). Equine Nutrition and Feeding. (4th Ed.) Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex U.K.