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It is undeniable that the quality of nutrition our animals receive plays a major role in their health and wellbeing. While our furry and fleecy friends may not understand this, we as owners and caregivers can.

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We all know that nutrition is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and this is especially true for our beloved horses. One of the most interesting components of any animal’s diet is fibres.  There are different fibres that are beneficial for horses and there are those that are not. Dietary fibres are carbohydrates that are converted to sugars, and this can cause a lot of problems for horses. On the other hand, there are some dietary fibres or prebiotics that are great for horses. This same principle applies to other animals and pets, while some fibres are toxic to dogs, others are great for dogs but not so effective for horses, so what is good for one species might not necessarily be good for another.

Focusing on the dietary fibre is a key part to their wellbeing. Dietary fibres or prebiotics are carbohydrates that are not digestible by the body but cansupport the digestive system by providing a source of nourishment for the beneficial bacteria within the gut. This helps to encourage healthy digestion,making it easier for your horse to absorb nutrients from their food.

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Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are not a live organism, they are a substrate.Prebiotics are a specialised type of dietary fibre, although not all dietary fibre is prebiotic. These dietary fibres are not digested in the same way as regular dietary fibre, but instead are fermented by the gastrointestinal microbiota. The fermentation of these dietary fibres/prebiotics leads to acidification of the colonic contents and the formation of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which play an important role in improving the gut barrier integrity and function, and modulation of glucose and lipid metabolism as well as the inflammatory response and immune system.

So, what exactly are probiotics, and how do they work?

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Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms in the gut.They do this by competing with harmful bacteria, producing substances that fight off infection, and helping to break down food for better absorption.

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Probiotic shave been used for centuries dating back thousands of years with ancient cultures for their health benefits and the science behind their use has continued to evolve over time. There are many different types of probiotics,each with a slightly different role to play in the digestive system. Today,their use is even more widespread, with many people around the world are now turning to probiotics to help restore equilibrium for themselves and their animals.

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Synbiotics are an exciting new concept in the field of nutrition that has been gaining a lot of traction in recent years. Synbiotics are mixtures of prebiotics (non-digestible fibres that help these bacteria grow) and probiotics (helpful gut bacteria).

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The term synbiotic is derived from the Latin 'syn', meaning united or combined and biotic, referring to bacteria. The concept was introduced in research in 1995, which identified two different types of synbiotics: complementary and synergic.

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Complementary synbiotics contain both prebiotics and probiotics, that together confers one or more health benefits but do not require co-dependent functions. Independently they support overall positive impact on health. In contrast, synergic synbiotics contain a substrate that is selectively utilised by co-administered micro-organism (s).Typically, a certain prebiotic is chosen to complement the specific probiotics,in such a way that they work together synergistically. Recently the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics accepted both concepts.

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The new horizon for synbiotics is the additions of postbiotics and or parabiotics. To summarize, ‘Parabiotics’(dead/inactive cells of probiotics with health benefits) and ‘postbiotics’ (healthful metabolites of probiotics) are the evolving concepts in the functional biotics arena.

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The discovery and development of innovative synbiotics is time and cost intensive and research considers key elements within multiple factors for each combination.

One of the biggest challenges is dealing with living organisms and the food they love and the metabolites they produce from a postbiotic perspective and then discovering how to protect the integrity and the efficacy of those very minute microbe-ingredients through commercial manufacturing and provide the scientific evidence that when people buy that food for their horses or buy that food for their dog or beloved animal that they are going to get that benefit right through to the colon.

This takes dedicated hard work and many years of research and scientific analysis to select the right organisms, the right formulation, validate the science, torture test through whole manufacturing processes to confirm that when consumers purchase that food for their horse or dog or beloved animal,they will get the benefit right through to their colon.

Bio-az scientists are at the forefront of the field of synbiotics. Their mission is designing scientifically validated synbiotics that put the goodness of nature’s living intelligence in processed foods to help promote health and wellbeing.

Finding the best solution for each animal species ensures the ideal combination of synbiotics is tailored to their unique needs.  The Bio-az team of experts and highly experienced scientists focus on identifying the critical markers within the development process to discover the best pairing of prebiotic, probiotic, postbiotic or parabiotic and their specific mechanism of action to ensure success. Synbiotics involve a delicate balance and it’s crucial to get the ratios right. Combining these intricate and complementary elements can bring about a range of positive outcomes, from improved gut health, to enhanced immune system responses, to improved digestion and better nutrition absorption.

Bio-az is committed to providing the highest quality of care and results for consumers sothey can be confident that their beloved horses and animals are receiving the best.

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References:

Manoj Kumar Yadav, Indu Kumari, Bijender Singh, Krishna Kant Sharma,Santosh Kumar Tiwari. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: Safe options fornext-generation therapeutics. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 106,505-521 (11 January 2022.

Jakub Zolkiewicz, Aleksandra Marzec, Marek Ruszczynski, Wojciech Feleszko.  .Postbiotics – A Step BeyondPre- and Probiotics. Doi: 10.3390/nu12082189