PARIS, FRANCE and COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – January 25, 2016 – Adisseo and Novozymes, two global leaders in the animal nutrition and feed additive industry, today announced the launch of their probiotic for poultry, Alterion, on the U.S. market as well as in a number of countries in the Middle East and South East Asia.
Alterion has been developed from a unique strain of Bacillus subtilis, a naturally-occurring bacterium found in soil. Added to feed, it allows farmers to better control gut health of their animals, it limits development of unwanted bacteria in the animal’s digestive tract, and it optimizes feed conversion by 2 to 2.5 percent, meaning less feed consumed to raise an animal.
The launch is the result of an extensive collaborative program. Novozymes used its expertise in biotechnology to perform in-vitro testing and is responsible for development and production of Alterion. Adisseo, an expert in animal sciences, performed in-vivo testing and manages marketing and sales.
“Global trials have validated the performance and mode of action of Alterion and trial customers are very excited about the results,” says Jean-Marc Dublanc, CEO of Adisseo. “This confirms that the product is ready for market and it will be gradually rolled out on a global scale. We are convinced that it will be a valuable tool for customers looking for a sustainable and economical solution to meet regulatory challenges and consumer-driven curbs on use of antibiotic growth promoters.”
“The combined scientific expertise of our companies has made it possible to develop this consistently high-performing probiotic which improves both gut health and feed conversion and as such, can help reduce antibiotic usage in poultry,” says Helle Warrer Poulsen, Vice President of Animal Health & Nutrition at Novozymes. “There is a clear move towards more sustainable animal farming methods. Alterion can help the industry on this journey.”
For decades, antibiotics have been widely used in animal production to help livestock grow. Now more and more countries are restricting use of antibiotics for growth promotion as part of strategies to prevent development of resistance to antibiotic treatments in humans.
Probiotics are naturally occurring live microbes that stabilize the gut flora of poultry, pigs and other animals when ingested. They can improve animal health, growth rate and feed utilization, thereby saving resources and improving sustainability of the animal farming industry.
Adisseo and Novozymes estimate the probiotics market at EUR 200-300 million and 8-10 percent annual growth. The partners strive to become key players in probiotics for animals and accelerate the expansion of this fast-growing market.