Issued: 2009-11-03
The Animal Feed Division has recently established a regulatory definition for the single ingredient feed named "yeast cell wall". This ingredient is intended to be a source of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), mannans and/or beta-glucans. It is described as follows:
#8.76 Yeast cell wall - is the product resulting from the extraction and purification of the structural components of the yeast cell wall from a fermentation conducted in accordance with good manufacturing practices. This fermentation is conducted for the production of beta-glucans, mannans and mannan-oligosaccharides using a non-pathogenic strain of the microorganism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which does not contain a novel trait. It shall be labelled with one or both of the following statements: "This product is free of antimicrobial activity and is not a source of viable microbial cells"; or « Ce produit est exempté d'activité anti-microbienne et n'est pas une source de cellules microbiennes vivantes. » It shall also be labelled with guarantees for minimum beta-glucans and mannans and/or mannan oligo-saccharides and maximum moisture.
The placement of this single ingredient feed in Part II of Schedule IV of the Feeds Regulations will require registrants to claim the presence of mannan-oligosaccharides, mannans and/or beta-glucans from the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As this ingredient is listed in Part II of Schedule IV, each source will have to be registered with one or more feed-related claims (i.e., efficacy in support of a feed-related purpose or claim will be required at the time of registration) prior to import, manufacture or sale in Canada. This approach is consistent with that taken for viable microbial products registered by the Animal Feed Division.
The purpose of this section is to provide applicants with the necessary information and requirements to submit an acceptable application for registration of a yeast cell wall product to the Animal Feed Division. It is strongly recommended that the technical and scientific criteria outlined below are carefully reviewed before an application is submitted.
Standard registration requirements, including a completed and signed application for registration form (CFIA/ACIA 0009); application fee as per Chapter 1, "Application for Feed Registration and Ingredient Approval" (please use the Category 2 application code 3255, New Ingredient listed in Part II of Schedule IV); five copies of the proposed product label; a copy of the product formulation (e.g., percentage composition); an accompanying cover letter; signing authority/Canadian agent (if applicable); and additional information as described below. Please note that additional fees may be required at a later date if a full safety assessment is required.
Note that the cover letter should explain the purpose of the application for registration, including what the intended livestock species are, how the yeast cell wall source is to be used (i.e., fed on a gram/head/day basis, inclusion rate in complete feeds, etc.), the desired product claims, what type of documentation/information has been included with the application, etc.
Note that feeds may not contain ingredients that are not listed in either Schedules IV or V of the Feeds Regulations. If the applicant wishes to use a currently unapproved feed ingredient as part of the product formulation, it is necessary to submit an application for registration to have the ingredient approved for use in livestock feeds in Canada prior to submitting the application package for the yeast cell wall product in question. Information concerning the application process for new feed ingredients can be found in Section 2.3 "Single Ingredient Feed Evaluation Requirements". Note that the application for registration for the yeast cell wall product cannot be reviewed unless all of the ingredients used in the product formulation are approved and listed in either Schedules IV or V of the Feeds Regulations.
Please consult Section 6.2 "Good Laboratory Practices Protocol for Feed Ingredient Approvals" and Section 6.3 "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Methods to Determine the Activity of Enzyme Ingredients Used in Animal Feeds" for additional information concerning our technical requirements for analytical methods for livestock feeds and feed ingredients.
To summarize, acceptable efficacy data will have to meet the following criteria:
Examples of unacceptable types of efficacy data include, but are not limited to: incomplete or poorly designed scientific studies, studies that produce non-significant treatment results, scientific data generated from studies using a yeast cell wall product other than the product that is being submitted for registration, conference presentations (e.g., PowerPoint presentations), research summaries, abstracts, magazine articles, promotional publications, and testimonials.
A temporary registration may be only be granted for yeast cell wall products for which all the basic registration requirements have been met, but for which the substantiating technical and/or scientific information submitted in support of the application for registration is partially lacking or incomplete. Additionally, note that a temporary registration cannot be granted to a product that has not satisfied the regulatory requirements as they pertain to product safety, as stated in Section 9 (5) of the Feeds Regulations.
Examples of why a yeast cell wall product may be granted a temporary registration include, but are not limited to:
Products bearing a temporary registration number on the label will be identified by the letter "T" in front of the registration number. Note that for products given temporary registrations, no claims will be allowed on product labels, as the desired claims and/or label guarantees have not yet been substantiated by the applicant. Products that have no efficacy data or accompanying analytical method are not acceptable for temporary registration status.
With regards to the livestock species that are to be indicated on the labels of yeast cell wall sources that have been granted temporary registrations, note that only the species for which efficacy data has been submitted and that tends to support acceptable feed-related claims will be permitted to appear on product labels.
The issuance of temporary registrations is considered an interim measure which allows companies to adequately comply with the conditions of their temporary registration, as outlined in their approval letter. Only one temporary registration will be granted per product and the maximum duration for a temporary registration will be three (3) years.
With regards to the submission of applications for permanent registration status (which must be submitted by the end of the temporary registration period) for yeast cell wall products, be aware that if the product has not been proven to be efficacious and the desired product claims have not been supported by acceptable scientific data by the end of the temporary period, and/or if other registration criteria have not been met as outlined in the approval letter granting temporary registration status to the yeast cell wall product in question, the temporary registration will not be renewed and the product will not be considered for full registration. Hence, the current temporary registration will expire, thereby making the product in question non-compliant with Section 3 of the Feeds Act.
As with all registered feeds, yeast cell wall products that have been granted permanent registration status are registered for a three-year period, renewable by March 31 of the third year after the registration date. All applications for registration renewal must be accompanied by a signed and completed application form; the appropriate fee; the complete product formulation (if applicable); and five copies of the product label, as per Chapter 1 "Application for Feed Registration and Ingredient Approval". Additional information may be requested if safety and/or efficacy concerns emerge between the time of registration and the renewal due date.
Note that changes made to the formulation of registered yeast cell wall products are considered to be significant changes to the registration, and require the submission of a signed and completed application form, a copy of the updated formula, and revised product labels, as well as the applicable registration fee (see Chapter 1 for details). Yeast cell wall products submitted at the time of renewal with a change in formulation will necessitate payment of the fee for the evaluation of the new formulation in addition to the renewal fees.
Applications for significant change will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Changes including, but not limited to, the following product characteristics require the submission of efficacy and/or safety data (which meet the criteria previously outlined) as part of the application for registration amendment:
Please refer to Chapter 1 for additional information regarding significant changes to product registrations. The application fees for these types of changes are the same as those for a new application for registration for a Category 2 product.
Formulation changes involving ingredients that are not considered to be active ingredients or a significant source of nutrients (e.g., flavours, carriers) will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may or may not require the submission of efficacy and/or safety data. However, it is recommended that the Animal Feed Division be contacted ahead of time in order to determine what type of information and documentation will be required for submission with the proposed application for registration amendment.
Mixed feeds (i.e., a feed comprised of two or more single ingredient feeds) claiming the presence of the ingredient yeast cell wall and/or mannans, mannan-oligosacchrides and/or beta-glucans on the product label (e.g., in the brand name, product name, guaranteed analysis) are subject to registration under the Feeds Act and Regulations, as they do not meet exemption from registration criteria.
As each yeast cell wall source must be registered with one or more feed-related claims, these claims must also appear on the product labels for mixed feeds indicating they are a source of mannans, MOS and/or beta-glucans. Additionally, as each source of the ingredient yeast cell wall must be registered with one or more species-specific feed-related claims, the inclusion rate of each yeast cell wall source in the mixed feed's product formulation, as well as the directions for use stated on the product label, must reflect the directions for use indicated on the approved label(s) for the yeast cell wall source(s) used in manufacture of the mixed feed.
Applications for registration for this type of mixed feed are considered Category 1 applications for registration (code 3254). The following documentation is to be included with each submission:
Standard mixed feeds (i.e., complete feeds, supplements, etc.) using registered yeast cell wall sources in their product formulations that do not make a claim for the presence of this single ingredient feed, mannans, mannan-oligosaccharides and/or beta-glucans do not require registration, provided they meet all other exemption from registration criteria, as outlined in the Feeds Regulations. Please note that all imported mixed feeds must be registered, as per Section 3 of the Feeds Act.
Note that mixed feeds claiming to be a source of mannans, MOS and/or beta-glucans may only use registered yeast cell wall sources in their product formulations. Applications for mixed feeds containing unregistered yeast cell wall sources will not be accepted for registration and will be screened out and returned to the applicant.
The following information is to be submitted with each application for registration renewal:
Administrative Registration Requirements
Completed application package per Chapter 1
Proposed Label
Brand name (optional)
Product name reflecting purpose of the product and the intended species
Product claim statement (e.g., improves the weight gain in grower pigs)
Guaranteed analysis for beta-glucan, mannan and/or mannan-oligosaccharide content
Complete list of ingredients by generic name as listed in Schedule IV or V of
the Feeds Regulations, including registration numbers for any Part II ingredients or mixed
feeds, as required
Directions for use to permit safe and effective use of the feed
Caution and/or warning statements (if applicable)
Feed
processing instructions (e.g., do not pellet) (if applicable)
Name and address of registrant
Net weight (metric measure)
Date of manufacture
Expiration date
Registration number (to be added)
Product Composition
Formulation/percentage composition listing amount of each ingredient by generic name as listed in Schedule IV or V of the Feeds Regulations including registration numbers
for Part II ingredients or mixed feeds
Formulation/Ingredients - verify that the levels of ingredients do not exceed maximums per Schedules IV and V
The registration number of each yeast cell wall source used in the mixed feed (if applicable)
Scientific Studies
A
minimum of 3 scientific studies per target species to support the intended purpose(s)
Experiments performed using the target livestock species
Efficacy studies conducted using the yeast cell wall product that is being submitted for registration
Studies carried out by qualified personnel
Suitable experimental methods used in the studies
Studies designed to facilitate statistical analysis
Data analysed by the appropriate statistical methods
Studies conducted under conditions similar to those that may be expected to occur in Canada
Scientific investigations show that the product, when used as directed, results in a significant
improvement in one or more of the proposed feed-related claims for the product
Studies show a significant difference (P<0.05) between the control and treatment
groups
Where the directions for use indicate a range of inclusion rates, the testing protocol has evaluated each one of the
inclusion rates used in the scientific studies
Where results of these studies have not been published in a refereed journal, copies of the raw data and printouts of the
statistical analysis are required for our review.
Laboratory Methods
Original, signed copies of Certificates of Analysis for a minimum of three different and recent lots of product supporting
the label guarantees for beta-glucan, mannan and/or mannan-oligosaccharide levels
Complete and detailed laboratory methodologies to analyse (determine) beta-glucan, mannan and/or mannan-oligosaccharide
content
Expiry Date
Expiry date appears on the product label
Original, signed Certificates of Analysis substantiating the guaranteed shelf life as stated on the label (i.e., the date of manufacture and at the expiry date) for a minimum of three different and
recent lots of product have been included with the application
Safety Review (as required)
Complete and detailed description of the manufacturing process (including flow charts, written descriptions, etc.) has been provided
Toxicity data has been included with the application, if applicable or required
Sample
A
500 g sample and accompanying Certificate of Analysis for beta-glucan, mannan and/or
manna-oligosaccharide content, which also states the lot number and date of production, have been included with the
application for registration
Note: Further information may be required after a review of the preliminary submission.