What is BS EN 15787 about?
BS EN 15787 specifies general rules for the enumeration of lactobacilli in feeding stuff (additives, premixtures, and compound feed excluding mineral feeds) that contain lactobacilli as a single microorganism component or in a mixture with other microorganisms.
NOTE: BS EN 15787 is not applicable to mineral feeds, which are defined as complementary feeding stuff composed mainly of minerals and containing at least 40 % crude ash. There are different categories of feed samples:
- Additives containing about 1010 colony forming units (CFU)/g
- Premixtures containing about 1011 CFU/kg
- Compound feeds, meal, or pellets which contain about 109 CFU/kg
Who is BS EN 15787 for?
BS EN 15787 on detection of lactobacillus used as feed additives is applicable to:
- Manufacturers of animal feed products
- Food and safety administering regulatory authorities for veterinary products
- Ingredient testing laboratories
Why should you use BS EN 15787?
The animal food industry relies on probiotics that are used as beneficial microbes in the production of animal feed. In this regard, Lactobacillus’ is an attractive option for use as probiotic supplement that can break down food, absorb nutrients, maintain gut health and enhance the overall immune system.
The detection and enumeration of Lactobacillus spp. through methods suggested by BS EN 15787, will aid in the optimum growth, survival, health and safety of livestock, especially as the use of antibiotic options are being discarded. As a result, the right selection of Lactobacillus strains can have a positive impact on overall animal production. In addition, adopting standardized methods can enable proper labelling of animal feeding products that improves credibility and consumer confidence in your products.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 15787:2021 supersedes EN 15787:2009. BS EN 15787:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to EN 15787:2009. These include:
- Extension of the scope of application to all Lactobacilli used as a feed additive
- Supplement of phosphate-buffered saline with Tween® 80
- Addition of the option to use Tween® 80 supplemented phosphate-buffered saline for the preparation of the initial suspension as well as a diluent for serial dilutions
- Adjustment of the composition of the MRS agar to commercially available formulations
- Unification of the homogenization time for the preparation of initial suspensions to five minutes for all feed matrices
- Preparation of initial suspensions generally conducted with tempered TPBs
- Addition of the pour plate method as an alternative cultivation technique
