MYCO FORMULA ANIMAL FEED
SUPPLEMENTS
Our companies have been growing fungi as functional foods and producing
mushroom extracts as food supplements for over 15 years. Excellent
customer feedback and constant research have allowed us to select
mushroom species for MYCO FORMULA
5 that we believe to be exceptionally important to animal
immune enhancement.
MYCO
FORMULA 5 has been developed to:
Strengthen the immune system in cattle, particularly during
periods of extended housing
Make the direct antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties
of mushrooms available to cattle
Address the difficulties of maintaining good animal health
in challenging times
In order to maximise the content of mushroom beta-glucans, antibiotic
compounds, Vitamin D and digestive enzymes, MYCO
FORMULA 5 is prepared from concentrated mushroom extracts,
dried mushroom powder and myceliated grain.
MYCO
FORMULA 5 contains:
Mushroom Beta-Glutens
Antibacterial, Antiviral & Antifungal compounds
Naturally occurring Vitamin D2, Vitamin D Boost & a digestive
enzyme complex
Proteins in these mushrooms hold all the essential amino acids needed
in the animal diet. The mushrooms used in MYCO
FORMULA 5 contain generous amounts of leucine and lysine
- essential amino acids found wanting in the majority of cereals.
Fresh mushrooms generally have about double the protein of other
vegetables, and are better sources of Vitamin B (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin),
niacin, iron and phosphorous. Species such as Shiitake mushrooms
have higher levels of Vitamin D than most other foods.
MYCO
FORMULA 5 is :
A food supplement that can be fed weekly
Prepared as easy to feed cake or powder form
Palatable and easily digested
Suitable for use with beef or dairy cattle at any stage of
development
Organically produced and economically priced
MUSHROOM BETA-GLUCANS
Mushroom cell walls contain high molecular weight polysaccharides
(long-chain sugars) called Beta-Glucans. These long branching chains
allow mushrooms to achieve diverse and sometimes very strong structures.
Lentinan – Beta-glucan
1-3, 1-6.
When specific polysaccharides are extracted from mushrooms and purified
they are known to enhance the immune response to invading cells
and have been shown to have an anti inflammatory effect on the cell
response (by limiting the production of Interferon).
In vitro and in vivo studies show that 1-3,1-6 glucans have a stimulatory
effect on the innate immune system against bacterial, viral, fungal
and parasitic infections through the activation of macrophages,
T-helper and Natural Killer cells and the differentiation and proliferation
of T-lymphocytes. Put simply, the mushroom beta-glucan molecules
can help the host to recognise and destroy harmful cells, which
may be bacterial or viral.
The most well documented mushroom beta-glucan is probably Lentinan.
It is extracted from the Shiitake mushroom. Its history of use in
humans and animals covers millennia, and the mechanism of its action
has received much interest in recent years. For example see “Mushrooms,
Tumours and Immunity: An Update” Andrea T. Borchers, Carl
L. Keen and M. Eric Gershwin, University of California 2004.
Antibacterial, Antiviral & Antifungal
Properties
In addition to the consequences of immune stimulation described
above, mushrooms have shown direct antimicrobial effects.
Mushroom mycelium is the network of threads, which obtains nutrition
and grows through (for example) soil and wood, eventually obtaining
enough resources to produce fungal fruiting bodies (mushrooms).
This natural habitat is competitive and mushroom mycelium must resist
bacterial and viral infection and compete with other fungi. In order
to do this mycelial cells exude antibiotic substances.
Mushroom cultivators have been aware of these exudates on mushroom
growing medium, but their potential importance is only emerging
as the need for new natural defences against microbial infection
becomes apparent. The routine use of antibiotics in animal feed
has led to worldwide problems as antibiotic resistant harmful
bacteria emerge.
Fruiting bodies must also be able to withstand attack from bacteria,
viruses and parasites. Certain species produce brackets (or 'conks'),
which can resist infection all year round, with some persisting
for several years.
MYCO FORMULA 5 contains
myceliated grain of selected species, which is grown in controlled
conditions and harvested carefully to maximise production and
retrieval of extracellular compounds.
MYCO FORMULA 5 contains
the powdered fruiting bodies of select species of bracket fungi,
which are particularly noted for their antibacterial effects.
As a bonus there is no need for preservatives - the product has
its own defences against contamination
Digestive Enzymes
The mushroom species contained in MYCO
FORMULA 5 are mostly wood decomposing fungi. The polymers
in wood are not only complex but also they are not uniform and
fungal mycelia must be adaptive to make the most of their food
source. Wood is not well-fertilised soil or the compost heap,
it contains very little nitrogen in relation to carbon, yet these
species continue to expand mycelium and produce fruiting bodies
on this scant diet.
Enzymes are excreted through the mycelial cell wall, digest plant
fibres and the products are reabsorbed back into the cell. Enzymes
produced in this way include xylanase, which is well known as
an animal feed supplement. Xylanase is used to stimulate growth
rates by improving the digestibility of cereals and allowing increased
absorption of nutrients into the gut.
The EU has banned the use of antibiotics in food and there has
been considerable effort in Europe and North America to develop
additives that improve feed conversion. At the same time there
is increasing recognition of the idea that good animal health
can be stimulated by certain foods, with growing interest in mushroom
compounds.
Extracellular Enzyme Production
The mushroom species contained in MYCO
FORMULA 5 are mostly wood decomposing fungi. The polymers
in wood are not only complex but they are not uniform and fungal
mycelia must be adaptive to make the most of their food source,
moreover wood is not well-fertilised soil or the compost heap,
it contains very little nitrogen in relation to carbon, yet these
species continue to expand mycelium and produce fruiting bodies
on this scant diet.
Enzymes are excreted through the mycelial cell wall, digest plant
fibres and the products are reabsorbed back into the cell. Enzymes
produced in this way include xylanase which is well known as an
animal feed supplement. Xylanase is used to stimulate growth rates
by improving the digestibility of cereals and allowing increased
absorption of nutrients into the gut.
The routine use of antibiotics in animal feed has led to worldwide
problems as antibiotic resistant harmful bacteria emerge. The
EU has banned the use of antibiotics in food and there has been
considerable effort in Europe and North America to develop additives
that improve feed conversion. At the same time there is increasing
recognition of the idea that good animal health can be stimulated
by certain foods, with growing interest in mushroom compounds.
OUR
PRODUCTION METHODS
The Case For Using Whole Mushrooms
In the early years of modern mushroom research it was the extraordinary
good health of people who regularly consumed certain mushrooms
as food that raised the interest of researchers in Japan. Their
work lead to the isolation of a particular polysaccharide which
elicited an enhanced immune response on cells in vitro, subsequently
many papers have followed similar lines, isolating novel compounds
or furthering the investigations into the well known ones.
Discoveries of the specific modes of action of particular compounds
do not stop people or animals experiencing a beneficial effect
from ingesting whole mushrooms or crude mushroom extracts. The
polysaccharides in question are relatively easy to extract and
relatively stable so that health benefits can be gained from crude
preparations, mushroom powders and even myceliated grain (Smith
et al 2004).
The key point here is that mushrooms contain diverse polysaccharides
and many other compounds that act together to stimulate different
cell surface receptors and different pathways within the immune
system (Borchers et al. 2004). Similarly traditional medicines
and dietary supplements often combine extracts from a number of
species, to optimise the immune response and to include mushrooms
that are known to have direct effects on other systems.
The Importance of Organic Production
Methods for Mushrooms
Mushrooms are scavengers, extremely well adapted to seeking out
minerals from widely dispersed and complex substrates. They will
take up whatever minerals are in their growing medium, air and water
supplies. This places a responsibility on mushroom cultivators to
take the utmost care with growing conditions.
Organic production is the starting point ensuring that our substrates
have not been chemically treated. Once substrates are mixed and
inoculated mushroom mycelium takes over and nothing further is added.
Our species contain enzymes that can retrieve nutrients from hardwoods
in a matter of months and they need no further help from us.
Indoor production uses filtered air and water supplies and outdoor
production takes place under tree cover in carefully protected areas
of organically certified land.
If a product is being manufactured to help with general good health,
then the need to use any form of chemical in any part of the process
seems to be hypocritical and dishonest! Growing this product organically
is not a ‘lifestyle choice’ or a means to generate a
premium for the product: it is simply commonsense and respectful.
Quality Control
Mushrooms are extremely adaptable and their nutritional content
is known to vary according to strain and age as well as substrate.
RPF Bioscience has been collecting and maintaining a library of
mushroom strains from the United Kingdom and around the world, since
1997. We select species and particular strains, which we know to
grow most vigorously on our wood and which give us most consistent
results.
The polysaccharide content of mushroom fruiting bodies is known
to reach a maximum during growth and then to decline, as growers
we are able to harvest our mushrooms to take advantage of this peak.
Concern has been expressed that manufacture of products from imported
mushrooms might lose many of their nutritional benefits. RPF Bioscience
is in a unique position within the UK market, we grow and process
all the components of MYCO FORMULA
5, and can ensure that fruiting bodies and myceliated grain
are dried directly after harvest and that they are dried at temperatures
which do not degrade their active compounds.
VITAMIN D Vitamin D Boost - it is well known that vitamin
D is required for normal growth and development in animals and that
it plays a key part in the regulation of calcium and phosphorous
and proper bone development. Vitamin D can also be integral to good
immune health.
Mushrooms produce Vitamin D2 from Ergosterol when the fruiting
bodies are exposed to sunlight. Any naturally occurring source
of vitamin D will be subject to variation and our Vitamin D3 boost
is incorporated to maintain a consistent dose.
Vitamin D occurs naturally in cattle and other mammals when their
skin is exposed to sunlight. Cattle housed indoors cannot synthesise
their own Vitamin D.
Well-cured hay will have the highest levels of Vitamin D of any
bulk fodder. Levels in silage are much lower, and levels in imported
foodstuffs may be negligible. MYCO
FORMULA 5 gives cattle a sunshine vitamin boost, because
not everyone farms in constant good weather!
Mushrooms and Bovine TB (Mycobacterium
bovis) RPF BIOSCIENCE functions at the cutting edge of
Mycoscience – the natural exploitation and functional application
of mushroom-based compounds. Within the European Community our business
is unique – in Japan our work would be recognised and respected
by many. While most in this country will be familiar with Penicillin,
how many are aware of the actions of Krestin
or Lentinan?
On occasion, our work has led us to look at the nature of the
human strain of TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) with relevance
to certain mushrooms and some of their compounds. In the course
of this investigation we have found increasing reference to Bovine
TB (bTB – Mycobacterium bovis). Our positive experience
with “functional” foods and immuno modulators gave
us the confidence to suggest that a new and novel mushroom-based
supplement could, possibly, be effective in preventing the spread
of bTB.
The evidence to support the hypothesis is, in our professional
opinion, too strong to ignore, and to this end we have provided
details of this work to UK Government agencies, Farming Unions
and other interested organisations and individuals. The intention
being to gain support for the most progressive approach to dealing
with bTB that the world has seen, and to gain further support
for trials in cattle to test the hypothesis.
MYCO FORMULA 5 is a food
supplement, intended to boost the immune system of cattle. It is
NOT the same product as those that will be developed for these trials.
Nevertheless, MYCO FORMULA 5
remains a superb animal feed supplement, based on the very best
ingredients that our knowledge can provide, that are grown in the
UK to organic standards.
References
Borchers AT, Keen KL, Gershwin ME. Mushrooms, Tumours and
Immunity: An Update. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 229 393-406, 2004.
Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products. Vitamin D Summary
Report, March 1998.
Smith J, Rowan N, Sullivan R. Medicinal mushrooms: Their therapeutic
properties and current medical usage with special emphasis on
cancer treatments. Univ. Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK 2004.
