More About Yeast

The exchanges between probiotics: yeast & bacteria

Active dry live yeast and bacteria are grouped into a category called “probiotics.” However, the differences between the two are plenty.

Live yeast have a nucleus (of the Eukaryote kingdom) while bacteria do not (of the Prokaryote kingdom). Yeast typically has a thicker cell wall than bacteria, and ferment only sugars and starches while bacteria have a thin cell wall and ferment various types of compounds.  Yeast passes through the GI tract, while bacteria grows and colonizes in it.

One exchange between these two living “probotics” occurs as result of oxygen regulation. Many bacteria are strict anaerobes and need specific oxygen levels to thrive. Yeast are facultative anaerobes, which means they scavenge for oxygen in its environment. This process ultimately makes the conditions favorable for beneficial bacteria to colonize.

This concept is very important in the rumen of a cow. With a better environment for strict anaerobic rumen bacteria to live in, an overall enhancement of ruminal fermentation occurs.

Yeast and bacteria each do their part in bolstering rumen immunity, too. For example, live yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisae 1079 destroys certain endotoxins produced by pathogenic bacteria, and also acts as a binding site for pathogenic bacteria, prohibiting them from colonizing within the small intestine. The strain Sc 1079 also has shown to increase villi length to increase absorptive areas of the small intestine.

Certain bacteria – for example, lactate producing bacteria – create undesirable conditions for pathogen colonization by producing lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins. Beneficial bacteria improve immune response by reducing pathogen concentration.

Click Here to Learn More About How Active-Dry Yeast can Help Prevent Laminitis Through Rumen Fermentation Stabilization