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Probiotics have been around for nearly 10,000 years, and over the last couple of decades, the supplement industry has mainly targeted humans to emphasize the heart and health benefits associated with beneficial bacteria. However, did you know that probiotics are also beneficial to our furry companions in a similar way they are valuable to us? This is because our microbiomes are more alike than you may think. A gene study comparing human gut bacteria to dogs showed that our gut bacteria may be more similar to dogs than to pigs or mice. So, how can probiotics benefit our pets?

Potential Pet Probiotic Benefits: 

• Improves immune defenses 
• Decreases inflammation 
• Aids in oral health / Reduces plaque buildup
• Decreases allergies 
• Firmer bowel movements 

Probiotics can help improve immunity and decrease inflammation in the gut by outcompeting pathogens such as E.coli, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens. This is done by beneficial bacteria multiplying in the intestines and taking up space so that other pathogenic bacteria cannot adhere to the intestinal walls. This characteristic in probiotics is beneficial for pets because it decreases the chances for diarrhea or other intestinal parasites from making your pet sick. Also, as previously mentioned, probiotics aid in pet oral health by reducing plaque buildup on dog’s teeth and decreased gum inflammation. When consumed in a non-capsule form, probiotics can linger in the mouth of an animal, decreasing the chances of harmful bacteria build up in the mouth. Similar to an animal’s gut, good bacteria on the tooth’s surface can create a biofilm that can ward off harmful bacteria from inhabiting the tooth surfaces, much like the outcompeting of pathogenic bacteria in the gut.

These are only a few of the potential benefits you might see in your pet while on a probiotic regimen. For more information on how probiotics could benefit your pet, check with your local veterinarian or a literature-reviewed source. 

At NCH Life Sciences, our mission is to develop probiotic solutions that produce measurable improvements in digestive health. By striving to deliver healthier air and water, we help customers increase production efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Our commitment to our customers goes beyond our biological products, with product lines spanning from chlorine control, wastewater management and odor control.

Odor control is an integral part of biosecurity and plays a significant role in animal and human health. The three primary sources of odor on farms are animal housing, manure storage, and land application. Unmanaged odor on farms can lead to respiratory issues, headaches, irritation in the eyes and nose, drowsiness, and in some cases, death in both animals and humans. In addition, odor on farms can travel to surrounding residencies under specific wind patterns, which leads to fines on farms. These are the reasons why it’s essential to know the source of the odor.

Possible odor sources in animal housing

Wet Litter, Poor Ventilation, Manure, Poor Farm Management, Improper Bedding, Dust, Improper Monitoring, Spoiled or Moldy Feed, Carcasses, Poor infrastructure, Dirty water management

Possible odors produced by manure decomposition that will spread by land application if not properly monitored and distributed

Gas	Odor	Characteristic	Exposure limits	Effects
Ammonia (NH3)	Sharp, pungent	Lighter than air. Results from anaerobic and aerobic activity.	10 ppm	Irritation to eyes and nose. Asphyxiating at high levels.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)	Rotten egg smell	Heavier than air. Low odor threshold. Soluble in water	10 ppm	Toxic: causes headache, dizziness, nausea, unconsciousness, death.
Methane (CH4)	Odorless	Lighter than air. Product of anaerobic activity.	1,000 ppm	Headache, asphyxiant, explosive in 5-15% mixture of methane with air
Carbon dioxide	Odorless	Heavier than air	5,000 ppm	Drowsiness, headache. It can be asphyxiating.
Volatile organic acids	Strong	High odor potential under anaerobic conditions. Low odor potential under aerobic conditions.
Phenolic	Strong	P-cresol has a lower odor threshold than hydrogen sulfide. Present in raw manure and concentrations increase under anaerobic conditions.

Source: The University of Missouri’s Department of Agricultural Engineering

Controlling each source of odor is crucial for farm productivity and for human and animal health. Contact NCH Life Sciences (lifesciences@nch.com) to learn about our odor control product line.

In 1996, California, the first state to legalize medicinal cannabis consumption, kickstarted a trend of cannabis legislation throughout the rest of the United States. As of April 2021, 15 states have legalized cannabis and are producing, distributing, and consuming cannabis to a certain extent. From a business perspective, the new era of the cannabis industry attracts opportunities for capitalizing on untapped markets; and from a farming/growing perspective comes a developing demand. Growing demand for cannabis products will also set quality standards that growers strive to meet for their equipment and final product.

In 2020, the estimated market size value for U.S. cannabis exceeded $8 billion and by 2027 the market could increase five times that amount. Research has shown recreational segments trending to pushing the majority of sales in the future and outgain the medicinal side of the market, even though there are more states that only allow medical consumption. Nonetheless, both segments will be a mainstay in society as recreational is already outpacing projections and medicinal is accepted for treating a variety of health issues from fighting cancer to mental health.   

The last few years have seen an uptick in large publicly traded companies vying for market share. It’s rather early to tell what player will have the competitive edge but there is already a trend for consumer product executives, especially in branding and marketing, to pursue new endeavors in the space and mainly join the already existing cannabis companies. Besides the corporations, it should also be noted that the U.S. government and its states are profiting off of the cannabis boom, with a sales tax percentage to fund other programs. While it’s still in the early stages, following the steps states like California have taken regarding cannabis make sense from a business standpoint for both the private and public sectors.  

Looking at the growers’ direction we see presumably illegal operations begin to legitimize themselves. Both indoor and outdoor greenhouses have their pros and cons and growers must recognize the most suitable option for their plant’s needs. There are lots of issues to be on the lookout for when it comes to plant health and cultivation including water, improper nutrients, and energy. Given this is a new market, there are thousands of new growers out there and as the market stabilizes the expectation is that those who keep a high-quality plant first, the systemic approach will remain in the game.  

Avoiding harmful biological agents is a major stressor to the plant. Bad usage of this can lead to a lot of issues like pH stress where they cannot absorb the nutrients to live. Another source of issues can stem from water and untreated water will reduce yield because of containments. Perhaps the most issue for plant health is nutrient absorption or deficiency. Having a balance of nutrients is key to a successful yield and a great way to achieve this is through a probiotic irrigation system. Also, this issue would result in poor pH levels. Throughout the cultivation process, it’s best practice to ensure proper upkeep and maintain a standard for the plant and its health. In the United States, as more and more states legalize cannabis, a standard approach to growth will be expected.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to uncertain times in the global shrimp industry, meanwhile, opportunity knocks for some countries to gain a greater market share in overall shrimp production.  

The pandemic has severely affected shrimp demand in the international and domestic markets.  During the early part of 2020, most countries experienced decreasing trade in the restaurant and hospitality sectors because of travel restrictions, lockdowns, and social distancing measures to curtail the virus spread. 

The shrimp industry saw a global production decrease of 13% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, that decrease in production was not realized in all regions of the world.  Specifically, Indonesia and Ecuador were able to not only deal with the effects of COVID-19 quickly, but they were able to overcome and persevere.  Ecuador was able to increase its production to levels higher than the previous top producer, India by 100,000 MT. The results? Ecuador became the largest by-volume shrimp producer in the world in 2020.  Ecuador’s strong performance should not be a surprise, since Latin America has been growing in market share for the past seven years.

The new year has definitely turned the page on the reeling international and domestic shrimp markets, which now show signs of stronger retail trade and actually point to a rise in global shrimp prices.  The 2021 outlook for shrimp production is hopeful and shrimp farmers are adapting to a slowly recovering market. 

What can the global shrimp market learn from Latin America?  Despite the low availability of raw materials globally, Latin America was able to gain greater market share by employing lower-density aquaculture, which is known to make the industry more resilient to disease outbreaks.   As Charoen Pokphand Foods Executive Vice President, Robins McIntosh shared during a recent Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) webinar: “In Latin America, densities are much lower, as you crowd shrimp, as the cultural environment degrades – and we do have some degraded environments in Asia – the immune systems are affected negatively.”

How can NCH Life Sciences help? NCH Life Sciences is the leader in advanced probiotic technology. We help aquatic species such as shrimp build stronger immune systems and improve the environment they live in.

With 2020 (thankfully) behind us, many of us will embark on the time-honored tradition of New Year’s resolutions. Studies show that 80% of us will also keep with the time-honored tradition of BREAKING our New Year’s resolutions. This year, instead of making a lofty New Year’s resolution, make a simple one- to keep your gut healthy.

Your health starts in your gut, more specifically, with your gut bacteria. Your gut bacteria, also known as your gut microbiome, impact every aspect of your health. They not only help with digestion but can also enhance your athletic performance. Our microbiome boosts immunity and acts as our first line of defense against invading pathogens. New research has shown a connection between your gut and your brain- the gut-brain axis. A healthy microbiome can give your mood a lift and can fight against anxiety and depression (something we could all use!).

A simple way to improve your gut health is with probiotics! Probiotics are microorganisms that, when consumed, are beneficial. You can easily make gut health a priority by incorporating probiotics into your everyday routines. Probiotics come in many forms including gummies, capsules, foods such as yogurt, and even powders that can be added to any food or drink! We encourage you to find the probiotic that fits into your existing routines. If you take supplements, vitamins, or medications daily; add a capsule or gummy probiotic! If you drink flavored water; consider switching to probiotic-enhanced flavored water! If you are a foodie; consider exploring probiotic foods such as tempeh, kimchi, or cheeses (like Gouda) with active probiotics!

The majority of New Year’s resolutions center on either quitting a bad habit or creating a new one.  New habits can be readily established if you ensure that they are easy.  In his book #AtomicHabits, James Clear says that “the seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision”. This year, resolve to make the tiny and easy decision to make gut health a habit.

The year 2020 is wrapping up. Looking back, we can all remember the bad, but let us take some time to reflect on all the good. The agriculture industry consistently puts food on our tables, and during the pandemic, farmers ensured no shelves went empty. The new agricultural trends developed this year have paved the way for the industry’s future.

Animal Vaccines

To maintain animal health, government agencies and animal associations are initiating new plans to stop the spread of disease. The industry is increasing efforts to make animal vaccines more available, and they are creating stockpiles in case there is a disease outbreak. For example, the United States is setting up a vaccine bank to combat foot-and-mouth disease. A disease that is highly contagious and considered one of the most serious. This disease affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, buffalo, camels, sheep, goats, deer, and pigs. With the vaccine bank initiative, there will be 25 million doses on hand rather than 1.75 million.

Crop Monitoring with Drones

Personal drones found their way into the market years ago; these drones are being reprogrammed into agricultural drones.  These drones fly over croplands collecting data and providing farmers with extremely localized weather information. Farmers use this data to determine when they should plant and harvest their fields. If a farmer knows there will be a torrential downpour, farmers can hold off on planting crops. This is to prevent seeds from floating away and to prevent the soil from becoming so drenched, it will trigger nutrient deficiencies in plants.

Water Conservation

In the United States, 80% of water consumption comes from the agriculture industry. This year, farmers focused on ways to reduce this percentage. Farmers are finding ways to store more rainwater, following best practices for better soil quality, and adapt their irrigation schedule with current conditions that the new drones are helping to provide. In addition, many farms have started perusing dry farming. This means that these farms solely rely on soil moisture and special tilling practices.

All of these trends will help establish a more sustainable future for our world.

At any given time, our bodies carry about 10-30 trillion bacteria that belong to thousands of different species. Depending on the person, these populations can fluctuate from day to day and even from morning to afternoon! Scientists studying the human gut microbiome have been evaluating those populations to find trends, keystones, and troublemakers to identify a possible “key” to good gut health. Our diet plays a large role in the types of bacteria that reside in our gut.

In 2020, you can eat crepes for breakfast, sushi for lunch, and street tacos for dinner, followed by a completely different worldly spread the next day. For most of human history, up until the industrial revolution and the boom of the rapid import of non-native foods, humans ate what was available and in season in their region. Studies following traditional hunter-gatherer tribes in Tanzania showed seasonal trends in their gut microbiomes. Wet season diets relied more heavily on foraged foods, vegetables, and berries that boost the population of fiber-loving bacteria in the gut. During the dry season, hunting was more common. So, the more meat consumed by humans, the more protein-craving bacteria that dominated the microbiome. Scientists leading the study were surprised to see the pattern repeat year after year with the same seasonal trends, interestingly with the “off-season” bacteria almost disappearing each time.

Similar seasonality is seen in Western societies but is more pronounced in areas that eat seasonal produce and experience true seasonal changes. The so-called “American lifestyle” of eating our favorite fruits and vegetables and spending all our time in climate-controlled homes and offices may be taking away from our natural microbiome swings. Our microbiome is a dynamic and ever-changing system. If we don’t give our gut the chance to have a seasonal recovery, it can lead to microbial depletion.

Gut-friendly options for embracing the seasonality of your microbiome:

1. Getting a good night’s rest – avoid sleep deprivation that adds stress to your body and use Circadian rhythms to moderate your sleep patterns
2. Eat seasonal produce – it’s not just in your head that watermelons taste better in the summer and apples are so much more delicious in the fall – when produce is in season, they have more nutrients and need fewer pesticides and chemicals to have them ripen
3. Feed your microbiome – not only fueling your own body, but your gut microbiome’s most beneficial members also thrive on fiber. You can get your daily fiber in by eating lots of fruits and vegetables, or with prebiotic supplements
4. Spending time outdoors – being around nature helps to stimulate your immune system (looking at you, pollen), increase the diversity in your microbiome, and decreasing your stress levels