Cow food and methods of husbandry for increased milk production

• US 10,448,658 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2018
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Native Microbials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ascus Biosciences, Inc.
• Inventors: Embree, Mallory, Picking, Luke, Gogul, Grant, Tarasova, Janna
• Primary Examiner(s): Paguio Frising, Michelle F.
• Application Number:
  US16/207,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20190200642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/18 of live microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/30 from material of plant origin, e.g. roots, seeds or hay; from material of fungal origin, e.g. mushrooms obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes, e.g. using yeasts or enzymes, A23K10/10
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/37 from waste material from hydrolysates of wood or straw A23K10/32; from molasses A23K10/33
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/158 Fatty acids; Fats; Products containing oils or fats
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/163 Sugars; Polysaccharides
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/28 Silicates, e.g. perlites, zeolites or bentonites
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 40/35 Making capsules specially adapted for ruminants
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/10 for ruminants
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 31/10 Yeasts or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/135 Bacteria or derivatives thereof, e.g. probiotics
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/74 Bacteria therapeutic use of a bacterial protein A61K38/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/741 Probiotics probiotic yeast, e.g. saccharomyces A61K36/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/742 Spore-forming bacteria, e.g. Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis, clostridium or Lactobacillus sporogenes
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/748 Cyanobacteria, i.e. blue-green bacteria or blue-green algae, e.g. spirulina algae, microalgae or microphytes A61K36/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 36/06 Fungi, e.g. yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 36/062 Ascomycota
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 36/064 Saccharomycetales, e.g. baker's yeast
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 39/02 Bacterial antigens
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0019 Injectable compositions; Intramuscular, intravenous, arterial, subcutaneous administration; Compositions to be administered through the skin in an invasive manner non-active ingredients are additionally classified in A61K47/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0053 Mouth and digestive tract, i.e. intraoral and peroral administration rectal administration A61K9/0031
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 15/04 : for inducing labour or abortion; Uterotonics
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 31/04 : Antibacterial agents
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/14 : Fungi culture of mushrooms A01G18/00; as new plants A01H15/00; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/20 : Bacteria; Culture media therefor

Abstract

The disclosure relates to animal food and methods for shifting rumen microbiome in a ruminant animal, such as a cow. Particularly, the disclosure provides a cow food comprising microorganisms, such as a Pichia sp. and a Clostridium sp.

Claims

1. A method of shifting the rumen microbiome of a cow, comprising:

feeding the cow a food comprising a Pichia kudriavzevii and a Clostridium butyricum,

wherein a first population of microbes present in the rumen of the cow before feeding the food increase in abundance after feeding the food; and

wherein a second population of microbes present in the rumen of the cow before feeding the food decrease in abundance after feeding the food.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the food comprises cereals, starches, oilseed cakes, or vegetable wastes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the food is solid, liquid, or a mixture thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the food comprises a thickening agent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the thickening agent is selected from the group consisting of silica, clay, natural extracts of seeds or seaweed, synthetic derivatives of cellulose, guar gum, locust bean gum, alginates, and methylcelluloses.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the food comprises an anti-settling agent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the anti-settling agent is selected from the group consisting of modified starches, polyvinyl alcohol, and xanthan gum.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the food comprises a fat or an oil.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fat is an animal fat or a vegetable fat, and the oil is an animal oil or a vegetable oil.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the food comprises an acceptable carrier.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the acceptable carrier is selected from the group consisting of edible feed grade material, mineral mixture, water, glycol, molasses, and corn oil.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the food is mixed with livestock feed, forage, fodder, beans, grains, micro-ingredients, fermentation compositions, or a mixture thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the food is fed to the cow at least once per day.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the food is fed to the cow in combination with water, medicine, vaccination, or a mixture thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the Pichia kudriavzevii and the Clostridium butyricum in the food are in the form of spores, vegetative cells, or lysed cells.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the spores germinate upon feeding the food to the cow.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the food is in the form of pellets, capsules, granulated, powdered, liquid, or semi-liquid.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the shifting of the rumen microbiome in the cow leads to one or more desired phenotypes or improved traits in the cow.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the desired phenotype or improved trait is selected from the group consisting of an improved efficiency in feed utilization, improved digestibility, an increase in polysaccharide and lignin degradation, an increase in fatty acid concentration in the rumen, pH balance in the rumen, a reduction in methane emissions, a reduction in manure production, improved dry matter intake, an improved efficiency of nitrogen utilization, or combinations thereof, compared to a cow that has not been fed with the food.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the shifting of the rumen microbiome in the cow leads to change of production of volatile fatty acids and/or digestibility of feed in the cow, compared to a cow that has not been fed with the food.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the shifting of the rumen microbiome in the cow leads to altered carbohydrate content of milk produced by the cow, compared to a cow that has not been fed with the food.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the shifting of the rumen microbiome in the cow leads to an increase in milk production and/or milk components compared to a cow that has not been fed with the food.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the shifting of the rumen microbiome in the cow leads to an improved milk compositional characteristic selected from the group consisting of:

an increase in milk fat(s), an increase in milk protein(s), an increase of carbohydrates in milk, an increase of vitamins in milk, an increase of minerals in milk, and combinations thereof.