New meta-analysis from Alltech shows improvements in hen performance, egg quality and environmental impact of egg production

Alltech has released data from a new meta-analysis, published in Poultry Science, that demonstrates that dietary supplementation with Bio-Mos^® at 1.0 kilogram per ton improved the production performance of laying hens and reduced their carbon footprint, therefore enhancing the sustainability credentials of egg production. Additionally, the results of feeding Bio-Mos included increased hen day production (by 1.76%), a decreased feed efficiency rate (by 26.64 grams of feed per kilogram of eggs produced). Enhanced protein output was also observed, as the egg mass increased by 0.95 grams per day per hen and produced an overall better-quality egg, as the eggshell thickness increased by 0.05 millimeters. Overall, the study shows that profitability increased from feeding Bio-Mos to laying hens.

“A strong focus on optimizing the gut health of birds is crucial to enable egg producers to navigate the increasing production challenges threatening their birds' productivity and bottom line,” said Dr. Saheed Salami, research fellow at Alltech. “This meta-analysis has confirmed that Bio-Mos is an effective nutritional solution for improving gut health and egg production efficiency while contributing positively to the sustainability performance of egg production.”

Feed and total emission intensities were used as metrics for quantifying the environmental performance of feeding Bio-Mos. The simulated lifecycle assessment revealed that supplementing Bio-Mos decreased the feed and total emission intensities of egg production by -1.3% and -1.5%, respectively. The environmental benefits associated with the study are equivalent to a reduction of 890 tons of CO₂-equivalent for 62 weeks of egg production from a flock of one million birds. This carbon emission savings is equivalent to 583 fewer cars on the road, 1,035 intercontinental return flights and 600 houses’ use of electricity. 

The sustainability benefits of Bio-Mos, as illustrated by the meta-analysis, include:

• Improved animal production efficiency and increased edible protein output
• Reduced food loss 
• Improved welfare through improvements in gut health
• Reduced arable land use and other agricultural inputs for feed crop production 
• Increased profitability and economic livelihood for animal producers
• Reduced carbon footprint of egg production

“Sustainability is growing in importance, and in my mind, it is the new non-negotiable, in just the same way that food safety and welfare are non-negotiable,” said Dr. Jules Taylor-Pickard, global director of gut health management at Alltech. “This novel meta-analysis demonstrates that sustainability can improve productivity in a profitable manner — helping to ensure a better outlook for future generations.” 

Bio-Mos is a unique product derived from a select strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast using a proprietary process developed by Alltech and is incorporated into birds’ diets to support their overall performance. Effective during all phases of growth, Bio-Mos is designed to feed the gastrointestinal tract, thereby maximizing performance and profitability. It has had a market presence for more than 20 years and is supported by over 734 trials and 114 peer-reviewed publications. These meta-analysis studies reaffirm that feeding Bio-Mos offers unique production performance, economic and environmental benefits to laying hen productions while positively impacting the food supply chain and supporting a Planet of Plenty^®.