How to relieve animal stress? What should we do in animal emergency?

How to relieve animal stress? What should we do in animal emergency? What are the specific effects of yeast culture in alleviating animal stress?

      The role of yeast culture (YC) in alleviating animal stress stems from the comprehensive regulation of animal physiological states by its multiple components (live yeast, metabolites, cell wall components, etc.), especially in improving intestinal homeostasis, regulating the neuroendocrine immune network, optimizing energy metabolism, and other aspects. The specific mechanism of action and manifestation are as follows:

1、 Stabilize intestinal microbiota and reduce stress-induced intestinal injury

      Stress (such as high temperature, transportation, weaning, and high density) can lead to disruption of animal gut microbiota (proliferation of harmful bacteria, reduction of beneficial bacteria), decreased intestinal barrier function (increased mucosal permeability), and subsequently cause problems such as diarrhea and nutrient absorption disorders.
Yeast cultures alleviate this process by:

      Inhibition of harmful bacterial colonization: Mannooligosaccharides (MOS) in yeast cell walls can competitively bind to the adhesion sites of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella, preventing them from adhering to the intestinal mucosa and reducing the risk of intestinal infection;

      Promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria: Metabolites in YC (such as organic acids, short chain fatty acids, oligosaccharides) provide nutrition for beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, maintain microbial balance, and reduce the incidence of stress-induced diarrhea;

      Enhancing intestinal barrier: Yeast metabolites (such as amino acids and vitamins) can promote the proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells and the expression of tight junction proteins (such as occludin), reducing stress-induced intestinal mucosal damage and "intestinal leakage".

      Example: Adding YC during weaning stress in piglets can reduce diarrhea rates by 20% -30% and increase the number of intestinal lactic acid bacteria by 15% -20%.

2、 Regulating the neuroendocrine system and reducing stress hormone levels

      Under stress, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis) in animals is activated, leading to a large secretion of cortisol (stress hormone), which in turn suppresses appetite, consumes body energy, and reduces immunity.

Yeast cultures can regulate HPA axis activity through the following pathways:

      Inhibition of excessive secretion of cortisol: Certain active peptides and B vitamins (such as niacin) in YC can participate in the synthesis of neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine), alleviate excessive activation of the HPA axis, and reduce cortisol release;

      Relieve energy metabolism disorders: During stress, animal energy consumption increases, and yeast cell metabolites (such as ATP and pyruvic acid) contained in YC can directly participate in energy metabolism, supplementing the energy gap under stress and reducing the body's "energy overload".

      Example: Adding YC to broiler feed under high temperature stress in summer can reduce serum cortisol levels by 10% -15% and increase feed intake recovery rate by more than 10%.

3、 Enhance immune function and improve stress resistance

      Stress can significantly suppress animal immune function (such as decreased immune cell activity and reduced antibody production), making them susceptible to pathogen infections. Yeast cultures enhance stress resistance by activating immune mechanisms:

      Activate non-specific immunity: β - glucan in yeast cell walls can stimulate the phagocytic activity of macrophages and neutrophils, enhancing their ability to clear pathogens;

      Promoting mucosal immunity: YC can stimulate the intestinal mucosal immune system (such as lymphocytes in the intestinal mucosal lamina propria) to secrete immunoglobulin (such as IgA), strengthen the first line of defense in the intestine, and reduce the risk of intestinal infection after stress;

      Regulating cytokine balance: Excessive release of pro-inflammatory factors (such as TNF - α, IL-6) during stress can exacerbate inflammatory responses, while short chain fatty acids (such as butyric acid) in YC can inhibit the synthesis of pro-inflammatory factors and maintain immune homeostasis.

      Example: After adding YC to beef cattle under transport stress, the phagocytic rate of macrophages in peripheral blood increased by 25% -30%, and the respiratory infection rate decreased by about 15%.

4、 Improve production performance and alleviate growth inhibition caused by stress

      The most direct consequences of stress are a decrease in animal feed intake, a decrease in feed conversion rate, and growth retardation (such as a decrease in daily weight gain for piglets and a decrease in slaughter weight for broiler chickens). Yeast cultures alleviate this problem by indirectly improving digestion and metabolism:

      Increasing feed intake: YC's fermentation products (such as organic acids and flavor compounds) can improve feed palatability, alleviate gastrointestinal motility disorders caused by stress, and promote appetite recovery;

      Improving nutrient utilization: Enzymes such as amylase and protease in YC can assist in breaking down carbohydrates and proteins in feed, reducing the impact of insufficient secretion of digestive enzymes during stress and improving feed conversion rate.

      Example: Adding 0.5% -1% YC to piglets under weaning stress can increase daily weight gain by 8% -12% and reduce feed to gain ratio by 5% -8%.

summarize

       The core mechanism by which yeast cultures alleviate animal stress is "multi-target synergy": by stabilizing gut microbiota, regulating stress hormones, enhancing immune function, and improving nutrient utilization, the negative effects of stress on animals are physiologically reduced. Its effect has been validated in ruminant animals (cattle, sheep), monogastric animals (pigs, poultry), and aquatic animals, especially suitable for common stress scenarios such as weaning, transportation, high temperature, and high density. In practical applications, adjustments should be made based on animal species, stress type, and dosage (usually 0.1% -2%) to achieve optimal results.