Evonik’s Ecobiol PRO: faster-germinating probiotic to reduce antibiotics in poultry
- 73% of all antibiotics used worldwide are administered in livestock production.
- Ecobiol PRO is based on Bacillus velezensis CECT 5940 and germinates more rapidly in the intestine without changing the bacterial strain.
- In an Oklahoma State University broiler trial, Ecobiol PRO improved survival by 50% versus a standard market probiotic and markedly reduced intestinal damage.
- Global animal-feed probiotic sales were about US$4 billion in 2025, with roughly 7% annual growth.
Antibiotic resistance and livestock use
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a major human-health risk; in 2021 more than one million deaths were attributed directly to resistant pathogens, and estimates project about two million deaths annually by 2050. Seventy-three percent of global antibiotic use is in livestock farming, making animal production a key intervention point to slow resistance.
Product development and mechanism
Evonik’s Animal Nutrition team focuses on feed additives and probiotics as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. Ecobiol PRO is an iteration of the established Ecobiol product based on the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus velezensis CECT 5940. Using the DAISy in vitro poultry gut model, researchers showed that manufacturing process changes (not strain modification) can accelerate spore outgrowth into active, vegetative cells in the small intestine, giving the probiotic more time to multiply and act locally.
Evidence and testing
An Oklahoma State University study found faster outgrowth from Ecobiol PRO increased survival by 50% in broilers challenged with Clostridium perfringens and reduced structural intestinal damage versus a standard probiotic. Evonik also tested outgrowth across diverse global feed compositions and reported consistently rapid performance compared with competitors.
Implications
Clostridium perfringens causes subclinical necrotic enteritis and global losses of US$4–6 billion annually. Faster-germinating Bacillus-based probiotics could reduce antibiotic need in poultry and have relevance for other Bacillus applications in nutrition, hygiene, agriculture and personal care.
Source: Evonik
