The present invention relates to a protease variant which is at least 90% identical to the full length amino acid sequence of a Kumamolisin AS backbone as set forth in any of SEQ ID NOs 1-3, while maintaining proteolytic activity, or a fragment, fraction or shuffled variant thereof maintaining proteolytic activity, which protease variant demonstrates altered or improved stability compared to the Kumamolisin AS wildtype as set forth in SEQ ID NO 4, or the Kumamolisin AS backbone as set forth in any of SEQ ID NOs 1-3.

The present invention relates to a protease variant which is at least 90% identical to the full length amino acid sequence of a Kumamolisin AS backbone as set forth in any of SEQ ID NOs 1-3, while maintaining proteolytic activity, or a fragment, fraction or shuffled variant thereof maintaining proteolytic activity, which protease variant demonstrates altered or improved stability compared to the Kumamolisin AS wildtype as set forth in SEQ ID NO 4, or the Kumamolisin AS backbone as set forth in any of SEQ ID NOs 1-3.

The present invention relates to a method for solubilising arabinoxylan-containing material (particularly insoluble arabinoxylan-containing material), comprising admixing a xylan-containing material with a xylanase comprising a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 2, SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No. 9, SEQ ID No. 10. SEQ ID No. 11 or SEQ ID No. 15, or a variant, homologue, fragment or derivative thereof having at least 75% identity with SEQ ID No. 3 or SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 1 or SEQ ID No. 9 or SEQ ID No. 10 or SEQ ID No. 11 or SEQ ID No. 15; or a polypeptide sequence which comprises SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 2, SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No. 9, SEQ ID No. 10. SEQ ID No. 11 or SEQ ID No. 15 with a conservative substitution of at least one of the amino acids; or a xylanase which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 12. SEQ ID No. 13. SEQ ID No. 14. SEQ ID No. 16. SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18, or a nucleotide sequence which can hybridize to SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 12, SEQ ID No. 13, SEQ ID No. 14. SEQ ID No. 16. SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18 under high stringency conditions, or a nucleotide sequence which has at least 75% identity with SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 12, SEQ ID No. 13, SEQ ID No. 14, SEQ ID No. 16. SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18, or a nucleotide sequence which differs from SEQ ID No. 6 or SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 4 or SEQ ID No. 12 or SEQ ID No. 13 or SEQ ID No. 14 or SEQ ID No. 16 or SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18 due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, or a xylanase obtainable (or obtained) from Fusarium verticilloides. The present invention also relates to a novel xylanase comprising (or consisting of) a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 1, or a variant, homologue, fragment or derivative thereof having at least 99% identity with SEQ ID No. 3 or SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 1; or a xylanase which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 4, or a nucleotide sequence which can hybridize to SEQ ID No. 4 or SEQ ID No. 5 under high stringency conditions, or a nucleotide sequence which has at least 97.7% identity (preferably 98% identity) with SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 4. The present invention yet further relates to methods relating to feedstuffs, malting and brewing, processing of grain-based materials such as during the production of bioethanol or biochemical (e.g. bio-based isopropanol), or wheat gluten-starch separation processes and the like.

The invention relates to the use of at least one bacterial phytase in combination with one or more protease(s) in animal feed for improving nutrient and E ileal digestibility of animal feed, in particular an improved digestibility of Threonine, Proline and Cysteine, the method comprising the step of applying to the animal a feed with an efficient amount of one or more proteolytic enzyme in combination with at least one phytase.

The invention relates to the use of at least one bacterial phytase in combination with one or more protease(s) in animal feed for improving nutrient and E ileal digestibility of animal feed, in particular an improved digestibility of Threonine, Proline and Cysteine, the method comprising the step of applying to the animal a feed with an efficient amount of one or more proteolytic enzyme in combination with at least one phytase.

Provided herein, inter alia, are compositions of organic acid-producing microorganisms and methods of making and using the same to inhibit pathogenic bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal tracts of an animal and additionally promote improvement of one or more metrics in an animal, such as increased bodyweight gain, decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR). improved gut barrier integrity, reduced mortality, reduced pathogen infection, and reduced pathogen shedding in feces.

Provided herein, inter alia, are compositions of organic acid-producing microorganisms and methods of making and using the same to inhibit pathogenic bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal tracts of an animal and additionally promote improvement of one or more metrics in an animal, such as increased bodyweight gain, decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR). improved gut barrier integrity, reduced mortality, reduced pathogen infection, and reduced pathogen shedding in feces.

Compositions for preventing or decreasing cryptosporidiosis in animals are disclosed herein. The compositions include sources of hydrogen peroxide and are fed to animals. The animals may be neonatal calves and the cryptosporidiosis may be caused by Cryptosporidium parvum. Methods of preventing or decreasing cryptosporidiosis in animals by feeding the hydrogen peroxide-generating compositions to the animals are also disclosed. Some disclosed methods reduce the number of Cryptosporidium oocysts shed by an infected animal or reduce the infectivity of Cryptosporidium oocysts shed by an infected animal. Some methods include feeding the hydrogen peroxide-generating compositions to animals ultimately afflicted with cryptosporidiosis, and the animals gain weight despite the infection.

A probiotic composition comprised of a probiotic, a prebiotic, a complex-starch reducing enzyme, an enzymatic co-factor, and a pH modifier. The probiotic composition facilitates the creation of a biofilm within the GI tract of poultry that outcompetes and excludes pathogens. The probiotic composition can be incorporated into an eggwash and sprayed onto an egg, the sprayed egg developing a stable probiotic population within the GI tract of the pre-hatched chick. The probiotic composition can also be incorporated into poultry feed by applying the probiotic composition as a mash prior to pelleting. The probiotic composition can also be applied post-pelleting as a wet or dry spray, directly onto the pellets. In some instances, the probiotic composition can be added a drinking water source used by poultry as a water additive. Poultry that consume feed or water that contain the probiotic composition develop a stable probiotic population within their GI tracts.

A probiotic composition comprised of a probiotic, a prebiotic, a complex-starch reducing enzyme, an enzymatic co-factor, and a pH modifier. The probiotic composition facilitates the creation of a biofilm within the GI tract of poultry that outcompetes and excludes pathogens. The probiotic composition can be incorporated into an eggwash and sprayed onto an egg, the sprayed egg developing a stable probiotic population within the GI tract of the pre-hatched chick. The probiotic composition can also be incorporated into poultry feed by applying the probiotic composition as a mash prior to pelleting. The probiotic composition can also be applied post-pelleting as a wet or dry spray, directly onto the pellets. In some instances, the probiotic composition can be added a drinking water source used by poultry as a water additive. Poultry that consume feed or water that contain the probiotic composition develop a stable probiotic population within their GI tracts.