Essen, Germany. According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic-resistant bacteria represent one of the greatest global health risks to humans. By gaining new insights into spore-forming bacteria and further developing a probiotic for poultry, Evonik is making an important contribution to reducing antibiotic use in livestock and, consequently, combating the growing spread of antibiotic resistance.
In 2021, more than one million people died as a direct result of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Experts estimate that this figure could rise to approximately two million deaths per year by 2050. A portion of the emergence of antibiotic resistance is attributed to the unnecessarily high consumption of antibiotics.
“Seventy-three percent of all antibiotics used worldwide are administered in livestock farming – therapeutically, prophylactically, and as growth promoters. Hence, this is the most effective point of intervention to counteract the further development of resistance,” explains Stefan Pelzer, Head of Microbiome Research at Evonik.
Evonik Animal Nutrition employs a combination of feed additives, including butyric acid and plant-based additives, as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. Probiotics – live microorganisms – play a key role in this approach. In 2025, global sales of probiotics in the animal feed sector reached around US$4 billion, with the market growing at an annual rate of approximately seven percent.
With Ecobiol®, an established probiotic used primarily in poultry, Evonik scientists have now achieved a breakthrough that sets new standards for the efficacy and quality of probiotics. The foundation for this advancement was laid at Evonik’s Biotech Hub in Halle (Westphalia), where research focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of biological systems and enhancing the effectiveness of biotechnologically produced products.
Ecobiol® strengthens the gut microbiome and the immune system of animals while preventing the spread of pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Clostridium. One pathogen that poses a major challenge to poultry farming worldwide is Clostridium perfringens. It causes subclinical necrotic enteritis, which damages the intestinal lining of the animals, impairs their growth, and can lead to premature death. This disease results in annual economic losses of between US$4 billion and US$6 billion globally.
Probiotics used as feed additives can effectively prevent this disease – provided they are active in the small intestine. “With spore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus velezensis CECT 5940, which Ecobiol® is based on, the key factor is how quickly and at what point in the digestive system they transform into active, vegetative cells,” says Pelzer.
Using its globally unique poultry gut model, DAISy (short for “Dynamic Avian Intestine in vitro System”), Pelzer’s team at the Biotech Hub was able to determine how this transformation process occurs in Ecobiol® during feed digestion. The scientists also discovered that the manufacturing process significantly impacts the outgrowth behavior of these spores.
The product further developed on this basis, Ecobiol® PRO, germinates even more rapidly in the intestine – without any modification to the bacterial strain itself. This faster outgrowth gives the bacteria more time to multiply in the small intestine and counteract the spread of pathogenic microbes.
A study conducted by the Oklahoma State University shows that, in broiler chickens exposed to the pathogen Clostridium perfringens, the faster outgrowth improves survival rates by 50 percent compared to a standard market probiotic, while significantly reducing structural intestinal damage.
Since feed compositions vary widely around the world and across different stages of animal development, Evonik’s biotechnologists tested the outgrowth behavior of Ecobiol® PRO and competing products in a wide range of feed types. The Evonik product demonstrated consistently rapid outgrowth and multiplication, while other products were slower or showed greater variability across different feed compositions.
With Ecobiol® PRO, Evonik offers an even more effective tool for keeping poultry healthy and reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock production. “These findings are not only relevant for animal nutrition but also for a wide range of other applications involving Bacillus-based products – whether in nutrition, personal care, oral hygiene, agriculture, or cleaning products,” says Pelzer.
