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Excential Butycoat

Target release Butyrate

Butyrate is known to be an important energy source for intestinal epithelial cells and has multiple beneficial effects on vital intestinal function. Butyrate is naturally produced in digestive tract of animals. For optimal support, additionally butyrate can be added to the diet. However, unprotected butyrate will be directly absorbed in the first part of the digestive tract before reaching the large intestine. Excential Butycoat is Micro-encapsulation of butyrate, which results in the targeted release of butyrate over the whole digestive tract thereby increasing the mode of action to scope of activities at various gut levels as well as effectiveness per unit active ingredient. Just as importantly, correct coating reduces the typical unpleasant smell of butyrate.

Beneficial effect on animal health

Butyrate is considered the most important SCFA for intestinal epithelial cells. Especially the cells in the colon take up butyrate where it is used for the production of energy and the maintenance of colonic homeostasis. Numerous studies indicate the importance of butyrate for the provision of energy to epithelial cells, sodium and water absorption (anti-diarrheal agent), influence on epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation, villi development and in improving gut defense systems. The article ‘Multifarious effects of butyrate on intestinal function’ reviews the multiple beneficial effects of butyrate on intestinal function and animal health. This article can be downloaded below.

Antimicrobial effect and barrier function

Butyrate has antimicrobial potency and strengths the barrier functions of the gut. Research show that low doses of butyrate can down regulate the expression of invasion genes in Salmonella and E. Coli, thereby reducing the ability of the bacteria to attach to host cells of the intestinal epithelium, which prevents that they become invasive and virulent. Recent studies also reveal a novel role of butyrate in the host defense system by increasing the antimicrobial activity of host immune cells to release anti-microbial defense peptides. These host defense peptides posses’ broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities against bacteria, protozoa, enveloped viruses and fungi. Typically log values of pathogens as Salmonella, E.Coli, Clostridium perfringens and others are lowered, as well as their invasiveness. Thereby making Excential Butycoat a very usefull component in antibiotic free diets.

Targeted release of butyrate over the digestive tract

The type of coating influences the release of butyrate over the digestive tract. Proper coating should not be decomposed in the stomach but gradually released in the presence of fat degrading enzymes. By the use of a dissolution test the release rate of sodium butyrate is tested and analyzed by simulating the same conditions of the stomach and intestinal tract. This test shows that in case Excential Butycoat, all butyrate is passing the stomach and is gradually released in the intestinal fluid.

Elimination of smell

In addition to targeted release of SCFA over the digestive tract, coating reduces the typical unpleasant smell of butyrate. Although preferred by some animal species, most people do not appreciate the smell of butyrate. This makes it very difficult to handle butyrate in production facilities and acceptance by the persons who provide the feed to the animals. Wageningen University (The Netherlands) tested the effect of extrusion on odor properties of Excential Butycoat in a commercial dog food formulation. During the extrusion process and after packaging of the kibbles, there was no clear difference observed in smell between the control diets and petfood with the coated butyrate.