Norel & Nature's ECOBIOL and ECOBIOL PLUS have been officially registered in the EU after examination by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The EFSA concluded that the products do not have an adverse effect on chicken for fattening, animal health, human health or the environment, and it is effective in stabilising gut flora.

ECOBIOL is a sporulated, heat-resistant stable Bacillus originating from a non-emetic strain of "B. amyloliquefaciens". It is able to produce huge quantity of enzymes and can set them free in-vitro in the culture media and "in vivo" in the animal gut once it germinates. This would allow the animals to obtain a higher degradability of the nutrients in the feed.

ECOBIOL produces protease and amylase enzymes. The degradation of starch and protein are therefore easily detectable in Agar-Starch and Agar-Gelatine mediums. These enzymatic activities are very important after weaning; in the feed, the protein source is from vegetable origin, instead of casein coming from sow's milk, and the animal gastrointestinal tract has to adapt to the new situation. The probiotic helps to this transition.

ECOBIOL is also able to produce another type of extracellular enzymes like cellulases and xylanases, and it enhances lactic acid production, causing a severe drop in Intestine pH, which affects pathogenic bacteria and helps the pepsin activation.

ECOBIOL is also tolerant to several antibiotics such as Colistin, Amoxicillin, Oxytetracycline, Sulfamide, Tiamuline, Neomycin, Zinc Bacitracin or Avilamycine.

Finally, ECOBIOL can produce bacteriocins that help in controlling Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli or Salmonella. In vivo trials on broilers, the product was able to control salmonella infection by reducing the Salmonella shedding in faeces; as well as salmonella infection level at crop, caecum and liver. It has, therefore, a positive effect on bird health by preventing Salmonella colonisation at both intestinal and systemic phases.