BS EN 15784:2021

What is BS EN 15784 about?  

BS EN 15784 specifies general rules for the enumeration of bacilli in feeding stuff (additives, premixtures, and compound feed including mineral feeds) that contain bacilli as a single microorganism component or in a mixture with other microorganisms.  

There are different categories of feed samples: 

• Additives containing about 1010 colony forming units (CFU)/g 
• Premixtures containing about 1011 CFU/kg 
• Compound feeds, meal, or pellets containing about 109 CFU/kg 

NOTE: BS EN 15784 is not applicable for the detection of any ubiquitous or pathogenic Bacillus spp. in food and animal feeding stuffs. 

Who is BS EN 15784 for? 

BS EN 15784 on determination of bacilli used as animal feed is beneficial to: 

• Manufacturers of animal feed products  
• Food and safety administering regulatory authorities for veterinary products 
• Ingredient testing laboratories 
• Animal nutrition researchers and scientists 

Why should you use BS EN 15784?  

The animal food industry relies on probiotics that are used as beneficial microbes in the production of animal feed. In this regard, Bacillus’ ability to produce spores makes it an attractive option for use as probiotic supplements. 

The detection and enumeration of Bacillus spp. through methods suggested by BS EN 15784, will aid in the optimum growth, survival, health and safety of livestock, especially as the use of antibiotic options are being discarded. As a result, the right selection of Bacillus probiotic strains can have a positive impact on animal production. In addition, adopting standardized methods can enable proper labelling of animal feeding products that improves credibility and consumer confidence in your products. 

What’s changed since the last update?  

BS EN 15784:2021 supersedes EN 15784:2009. BS EN 15784:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to EN 15784:2009. These include: 

• Extension of the scope of application to all Bacilli used as a feed additive and to mineral feeds 
• Addition of 0.2 % NaOH as a diluent for initial suspension and serial dilutions 
• Removal of the necessity of a heating step and unification of the treatment of all matrices 
• Replacement of the required laboratory mixer with a rotation speed of 18 000 min-1 to 22 000 min-1 by homogenization devices  
• Addition of the option to use a spiral plate for plating 
• Addition of validation data derived from VDLUFA ring trials of different feeding stuff matrices including mineral feed 
• Adjustment of the range of accepted colony numbers for counting from '≥ 30 to ≤ 300' to '≥ 10 to ≤ 100' colonies per plate