Safety and efficacy of Biosaf Sc47 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as feed additive for dairy buffaloes

Following a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of the product Biosaf Sc47 when used as a feed additive for dairy buffaloes. Biosaf Sc47 is the trade name for a feed additive based on viable cells of a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The product and its active component have already been extensively assessed as a feed additive. The product is currently authorised for use with pigs (sows, piglets and pigs for fattening), horses, rabbits for fattening, ruminants for fattening (cattle and lambs) and ruminants for milk production (dairy cows, sheep and goats). The present opinion concerns a request for an additional authorisation for the use of Biosaf Sc47 in feed for dairy buffaloes to ‘improve’ the protein content in milk. The additive is recommended to be included in feed from beginning to end of the lactation at a minimum dose of 5 x 108 CFU and a maximum dose of 1.4 x 109 CFU kg-1 complete feed. Dairy buffaloes are considered to be a minor species. As the proposed dose range is similar and the mechanism of action can be presumed to be essentially the same, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) considers that efficacy for buffaloes at the minimum dose can be extrapolated from dairy cattle. This view is supported by the experimental data from two studies, one at the minimum dose and one at the maximum dose, in which significant increases in milk protein content were recorded.The active component, a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is considered by EFSA to have QPS status and, as such, can be presumed as safe for the target species, the consumers and the wider environment. The additional experimental data provided in support of target animal safety does not conflict in any way with the conclusion reached on safety using the QPS approach. The use of the product Biosaf Sc47 with dairy buffaloes is not expected to introduce any additional hazards for users of the product.