Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product

Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product is a dried culture of a spore-forming bacterium, added to pet food as a probiotic. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say probiotic results are often strain specific, and that there is not yet evidence that probiotics improve overall wellness in animals without illness. The sources we checked name no specific risk for cats. If your cat has a medical condition or a weak immune system, ask your veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Bacillus subtilis is added as a probiotic. Its spores can survive the heat of making kibble, so it can still be present in the bag where many other bacteria would die. Makers add it on the idea that it supports gut microbes. Published proof that it does this in cats is limited.

The fermentation product is the dried bacteria, and the fermentation extract is the enzymes taken from those bacteria. A label that says product is listing a probiotic culture. A label that says extract is listing a digestive enzyme source. Both names start with the same species, so they are easy to confuse. Pettings keeps them on separate pages.

Bacillus bacteria form spores, which are dormant and tough. Spores can survive the heat and pressure of extrusion and stay viable in a dry bag. Most other probiotic bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, die in that heat, so makers have to coat them onto kibble after cooking. That difference is why Bacillus species turn up so often on dry food labels.

Pettings gives dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product 4 out of 5 and lists it as a probiotic or enzyme ingredient. It appears on 5 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The ingredient score reflects the ingredient alone, not the amount in any one recipe. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.