Animal health starts in the QSB-Research Center

At AHV, we do everything we can to keep animals healthy and provide extra support during periods of recovery. In order to ensure that our practices and products reflect this as close as possible, we want to continuously improve our products with the latest insights. In the R&D department we continue to improve every day and look for new answers to the question of how we can support health and well-being of animals worldwide by natural products.  

Thanks to our own research, we have discovered plant extracts with a positive effect on animal health. In order to improve the quality of our products and to obtain more insights into the safe and effective concentration range of different ingredients and plant extracts, AHV has its own laboratory; the QSB-Research Center. Within the Research Center our scientists work in a multidisciplinary context on product development and product quality. Being able to carry out all investigations in-house, we are fast and agile to react adequately to new ideas and make more innovations in line with customer demands.

AHV’s vision for multiple animal segments

Animal Health Vision (AHV) started in 2014 with a portfolio for dairy farming. By performing different in vitro experiments in line with field studies on specific extracts in our products, we are extending the currently available portfolio to other animal species. In 2024, AHV has developed or targeted the portfolio for the following animal segments:

• Cattle: dairy, beef and calves;
• Swine: sow and piglets;
• Aquaculture: salmon, tilapia;
• Goats, sheep and lambs ;
• Poultry: broilers, laying hens, turkeys – under development.

AHV’s vision is to create a product portfolio that supports animal health and well-being. AHV’s products consist of feed additives and complementary animal feed for individual and group treatment, where we work exclusively with natural ingredients.

The effect of our plant extracts substantiated

The research into the effect of our extracts, in combination with literature research, has continued to develop. This allows us to gain more knowledge not only about the working mechanism, but also the quality and safety of our products. The QSB-Research Center consists of three main labs:

• The Microbiological Lab: research into the anti-biofilm effect and effect on antibiotic resistant micro-organisms
• The Cell Culture Lab: research on the field of cell biology with a main focus on immune system, gastrointestinal tract, and risk assessment
• The Chemical Analytical Lab: analysing and quantifying the plant extracts and measuring product quality

These three departments work closely together and are an important part of the product development procedure. Research strategy is defined based on definite steps like preparation and extraction of certain extracts, in vitro analysis and formulation of final recipe, and in vivo trials as well as on farm evaluations. After accomplishment of all mentioned steps for a targeted extract (ingredient), we can get more information about potency, effectiveness and possible mode of action under certain conditions. By taking into account all obtained information, we design and improve the final product formulations to be launched in the market. This strategy results in better assessment and innovation in animal health and production.

The Microbiological Lab

Various AHV products influence biofilm formation by prevention and eradication. In the Microbiological Lab, new plant extracts are continuously screened for their effectiveness against biofilm. During biofilm formation, bacterial populations communicate with each other through quorum sensing (QS). Therefore, QS and the inhibition thereof is one of the important points of interests in the R&D department of AHV.

AHV’s QSA (Quorum Sensing Antagonist) Technology consists of plant extracts that interfere with the QS process. These extracts interfere with molecules emitted by the bacteria and not with the bacteria itself, preventing resistance from building up. It is well known that antibiotic resistance is of major concern due to different factors such as overuse and misuse. This has resulted in significant challenges for public health like ineffective medications, difficulty in diseases treatment and so on. By using natural ingredients with no induction of resistance in bacterial species we achieve a better functioning immune system.

We have extensively investigated this resistance development in the lab, in which bacteria show no resistance build up to our extracts*. The effectiveness of the extracts is not influenced whether a bacteria is resistant to antibiotics or not.

The Cell Culture Lab 

With the cell culture lab, we are gaining more insight into the effective concentration range finding and creating more detailed information about the immunomodulatory effects of different test substances under precise conditions before doing field studies. Obtained results give a better overview about the efficacy of test ingredients under different treatment strategies like various time of exposure, combination therapy and so on.

By continuously screening for new plant extracts in the cell culture lab, we understand the effect on the immune response and different target areas such as intestinal epithelium. All this information helps us to design new product portfolios and try to improve the currently available products. Because in AHV we are trying to help our customers by having healthier animals, therefore data from cell culture lab help us to design new formulations and combination under specific circumstances like facing with inflammation and infection and helping the whole body to have a better performance against different challenges.

By knowing the potency of specific plant extract we can think of immune modulation in a way of acting as pro- and anti-inflammatory ingredient with clearer target of application. The data provides the opportunity to replace one ingredient with another one with the same mode of action in final product.  

What does the extract do to the body and the body to the extract?

The cell culture laboratory offers the possibility to carry out experiments from different angles in different experimental setups. We can look at the effect of a specific extract, but also at combinations of different components.

In the cell culture lab, cells of various origins are grown, such as (intestinal) epithelial cells, immune cells,  liver cells,  etc. This allows us to culture cells from different animal species to have a better understanding on specific targets. The cells are kept under optimum conditions of temperature, pH, and humidity. In vitro cell culture systems have different advantages like:

• Very well controlled environment (precise control of concentration, and all the important factors that could be of interest);
• Higher reproducibility;
• Less complexity (the whole organism can make more complex response than single cell type);
• High throughput screening;
• Better accessibility ;
• More compatible with ethical considerations (since it can reduce the number of animal trials and help to improve the design of animal trials).

In this way, we monitor what can happen in the different organs when an extract is introduced. Therefore, we can obtain more information about cell biology reactions and cell responses.

Additionally, by using in vitro experiments, it is possible to gain more information about the fate of the molecule inside the body when facing biological barriers like the intestinal epithelial barrier. This information is crucial for the design of the final product to have better efficacy and less complexity.

The versatility of the experimental designs in the laboratory offers AHV the opportunity to test its own hypotheses. This is a big advantage and works quickly and effectively. As an example, the immune system is a very complex and sensitive system, which makes it even more important that we have a complete overview of the effect of our extracts. Our Cell Culture Lab allows us to have a better understanding about the potential interactions between test compounds and the body (including cells from the body).

The Chemical Analytical Laboratory

The main objective of the Chemical Analytical Lab is to support the product development by measuring quality, shelf life and stability of both raw materials and final products. In addition, the lab supports the overall research and development. The Chemical Analytical Lab investigates which compounds are formed and how stable the product remains. It’s important to know if the extract can withstand anything it encounters along the way. Think of the combination of ingredients in the final product, but also of feed or water that it can come into contact with. The product must be of high quality and stable at all times.

In this lab we obtain more information about the chemical composition of the products, among other things. We can divide this into two categories: a qualitative and a quantitative analysis. Qualitative analyses look at ‘What is it?’, a fast screening of several compounds and their metabolites. In the quantitative analysis, it is determined ‘How much is present?’. This allows us to determine the quantity of the active compounds from the plant extracts and the possibly formed metabolites or degradation products. With this information, product formulations can be adjusted and improved.

Customer needs

In addition to research on plant extracts, we can also further test existing products or address customer questions. Within the Chemistry Lab, we work with many different types of matrices. This includes raw materials, end products, animal feed, urine, blood plasma and milk. It is possible to monitor the entire life cycle of an extract and to track it over time. The quality of the products is guaranteed by going through a number of validation steps.

Conclusion

By having our own production line and an extensive laboratory in-house, we distinguish ourselves a with higher capacity to address and help respond to customer needs. We work faster, more effectively and more efficiently. We remain committed daily to developing the best products to support animal health and help farmers to have better performance against various animal health and well-being related challenges.

*Information available upon request