NEWS 16 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2025 Australian agricultural biotechnology company Terragen launched its first international research trial for Terragen’s Probiotic™ for Ruminants (TPR) in collaboration with leading Canadian research organisations. The product is dry-form, shelf-stable and can be added to dry feed, milk, or water to support gastrointestinal health and productivity in beef and dairy cattle, calves, and sheep, the company highlights. The two-phase feedlot study, conducted at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge Research and Development Centre in Alberta, brings together the University of Calgary, the Canada/Alberta Livestock Trust, and the Beef Cattle Research Council. This marks the first use of TPR in a North American beef production setting, assessing its impact on cattle performance, carcass quality, and the gut-immune connection in feedlot systems. AAFC research scientist Professor Trevor Alexander said the study aligns with their long-term focus on bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and animal health. “While we know that performance can be affected by BRD, there is limited research exploring how natural or feed-derived gut microbes and gut immunity influence respiratory health in cattle,” stated Professor Alexander. “This work will help us better understand the link between digestion, performance, microbiota, and immunity.” Read more>> Terragen launches first cattle probiotic study in Canada Photo: Terragen In the poultry industry, ensuring chicks receive optimal nutrition is paramount, as it influences their early development, health, and long-term productivity. For decades, scientists have tried to unravel the biological mechanisms that control appetite and satiety during the early developmental phases of chicks—a key step toward designing effective feeding strategies. Interestingly, neonatal chicks are an excellent animal model for studying such biomolecular processes in detail. They are a precocial species that begins searching for food immediately after hatching, and their relatively large brains make it easier to administer substances directly into their central nervous system during experiments. However, despite decades of research, many aspects of appetite regulation in chicks remain poorly understood. Chicks exhibit very short and frequent eating bouts separated by brief resting periods. While appetite is known to be regulated by neuropeptides, these signaling molecules take time to synthesize and act, implying that some other fast-acting signal must be controlling satiety. Could free amino acids, which are rapidly influenced by nutrient uptake, be involved in this process? Dr. Phuong V. Tran from the Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Science, Kyushu University, Japan, analyzes current knowledge on the regulation of food intake in neonatal chicks in a review article published in Volume 62 of the Journal of Poultry Science on March 15, 2025. The review, titled “Function of Amino Acids and Neuropeptides in Feeding Behavior in Chicks”, focuses specifically on the role of amino acids and their metabolites and how they interact with the appetite-stimulating neuropeptide Y (NPY). Read more>> Review article details amino acids’ impact on chick appetite Photo: Freepik
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