ARTICLE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2026 95 25 to 30 kg of dry matter per day, inclusion rates of approximately 10 to 20 percent of diet dry matter, corresponding to roughly 3 to 6 kg per cow per day, represent the most plausible range for DDGS to exert postbiotic-like effects when quality is high. CONCLUSION Leaky gut syndrome in dairy cows reflects disruption of tight junction protein organization, cytoskeletal anchoring, and redox balance. Claudins regulate selective paracellular permeability, occludin supports junctional stability and stress responsiveness, and tricellulin seals tricellular sites that otherwise permit macromolecule leakage. Excess ROS and RNS disrupt these proteins and their linkage to actin, widening the paracellular space and enabling translocation of luminal antigens, toxins, and microbes. Within this mechanistic framework, DDGS should be regarded as a conditional functional ingredient in dairy diets. When sourced and handled to minimize oxidative damage and mycotoxin burden, and when included at appropriate rates in balanced rations that support antioxidant capacity, DDGS may contribute to microbial and immune stability consistent with a postbiotic framework. When these conditions are not met, oxidative and inflammatory pressures are more likely to dominate and promote the tight junction disruption processes associated with leaky gut syndrome. References 1. Ellett, M. D., R. P. Rhoads, M. D. Hanigan, B. A. Corl, G. Perez-Hernandez, C. L. M. Parsons, L. H. Baumgard, and K. M. Daniels. 2024. “Relationships between Gastrointestinal Permeability, Heat Stress, and Milk Production in Lactating Dairy Cows.” Journal of Dairy Science. 2. Fontoura, A. B. P., A. B. P. Fontoura, J. A. P. Faciola, M. S. Akins, R. J. Grant, L. H. Baumgard, and R. P. Rhoads. 2022. “Heat Stress Develops with Increased Total-Tract Gut Permeability, and Dietary Organic Acid and Pure Botanical Supplementation Partly Restores Lactation in Dairy Cows.” Journal of Dairy Science 105: 7842–7857. 3. García, Alvaro. 2025. “Distillers Dried Grains: A Functional Food Postbiotic.” AgProud, October 24, 2025. https://www.agproud.com/articles/62248-distillers-dried-grains-a-functional-food-postbiotic. 4. Guo, J., Z. Zhang, L. L. Guan, M. Zhou, I. Yoon, E. Khafipour, and J. C. Plaizier. 2022. “Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Products Reduce Bacterial Endotoxin Concentrations and Inflammation during GrainBased Subacute Ruminal Acidosis in Lactating Dairy Cows.” Journal of Dairy Science 105: 4967–4983. 5. Guo, J., Z. Zhang, L. L. Guan, M. Zhou, I. Yoon, E. Khafipour, and J. C. Plaizier. 2024. “Postbiotics from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Stabilize Rumen Solids Microbiota and Promote Microbial Network Interactions and Diversity of Hub Taxa during Grain-Based SARA Challenges in Lactating Dairy Cows.” Frontiers in Microbiology 15: 1298746. 6. Jiang, Q., Z. Zhang, L. L. Guan, M. Zhou, I. Yoon, E. Khafipour, and J. C. Plaizier. 2024. “Feeding a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Product during a Gut Barrier Challenge in Lactating Holstein Cows Impacts the Ruminal Microbiota.” Journal of Dairy Science 107: 1123–1140. Photo: Hadou | Shutterstock
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