Aspergillus oryzae (AO) is a multi-cellular filamentous fungus, largely used to ferment rice and soybeans in East Asia. Its genome contains dormant metabolic pathways that are activated when the organism is under certain stressors.
This results in the production of unique metabolites that can improve animal health and gut health. While many strains of Aspergillus produce toxins, AO has lost the capacity to produce toxins through genetic mutations, making it a safe organism to work with. Feeding a postbiotic derived from it can improve layer performance and egg quality, as well as reduce mortality. “Feeding postbiotics will help satisfy the global industry’s growing consumption of eggs and egg products,” Dr César Ocasio, BioZyme Business Development and Innovation Manager, said at the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).
According to Ocasio, the AO-derived postbiotic called AO-Biotics EQE is the first that has been developed specifically for layers and has been shown to increase the number of saleable eggs and egg mass, while allowing producers to keep their layers in production for longer periods of time. In BioZyme’s studies, layers from 15 to 43 weeks of age fed 50 grams of postbiotic per ton showed a 39% fewer incidence of shell-less eggs and 26% fewer mortalities, compared to layers fed a control diet. Improvements were also observed in egg mass, shell thickness and feed conversion ratio.
