Live yeast
Live yeast is often confused with brewer’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast, however, is a “dead yeast”, also known as inactive yeast. It consists of inactivated yeast cells and is fed primarily for its nutrient content. Live yeast, on the other hand, consists of living yeast cells of the strain saccharomyces cerevisiae and is fed as a probiotic. This means the yeasts temporarily settle in the gut and positively influence microbial activity there. They multiply and can displace harmful microbes. Furthermore, their metabolic activity supports a healthy gut biome, they significantly improve fibre digestion, and they help stabilise the pH value in the colon.
However, caution is required! Commercially available baker’s yeast (whether fresh or dried) is also a living yeast of the strain saccharomyces cerevisiae, but it is not the same. If baker’s yeast is not killed off again by heat, it can multiply in the gut and lead to undesirable fermentation, potentially resulting in gas colic. For this reason, only four strains of saccharomyces cerevisiae are currently approved as a feed additive for horses. These yeast strains are specially developed so that they can live in the gut but do not multiply there.
It is therefore important that only live yeast approved for feeding is used.