Following a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the efficacy of the product Levucell SC20/Levucell SC10ME (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) for use as a feed additive for leisure horses. Levucell SC20/Levucell SC10ME is a preparation of dried cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CNCM I-1077). It is intended for use as a zootechnical additive in feed for leisure horses at a dose of 3 x 109 CFU kg-1 of complete feedingstuffs. In its previous opinion on Levucell SC20/Levucell SC10ME for leisure horses, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was not able to conclude on the efficacy of the preparation because of insufficient evidence provided by the company. The applicant has now provided an additional study aiming to demonstrate that the effect of Levucell SC20 for leisure horses corresponds to that for other ruminants, e.g. increase of fibre digestibility. Thus, the current opinion focuses on the assessment of that new study. Evidence that Levucell SC20 is able to produce a significant improvement on fibre digestion was shown in one experiment in adult horses. This effect was consistent with the
microbiological analyses of faecal samples, which showed a significant increase in gut cellulolytic bacteria associated with Levucell SC20 supplementation. This product has been authorised for use in dairy cows, cattle for fattening, lambs, dairy goats and dairy ewes. The FEEDAP Panel considers that evidence has been provided to show that the effect of S. cerevisiae in horses is similar to that observed in ruminants. Therefore, the
FEEDAP Panel concludes that the efficacy of Levucell SC 20 has been demonstrated in adult leisure horses.
