Volatile Fatty Acids + Lactic Acid (VFA-L)

Where it helps?

• In production animals, VFA-L profiles help connect diet formulation, ingredient changes, and management factors to gut function and performance (ADG, FCR, uniformity).
• Supports evaluation of fiber utilization and carbohydrate fermentation dynamics (e.g., after diet transitions, enzyme programs, or raw material variation).
• Provides evidence for gut health solutions (probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, enzymes, phytogenics, mycotoxin mitigation) by showing whether they shift fermentation toward more favorable end-products.
• Enables longitudinal monitoring of fermentation stability at farm level—useful for early warning, benchmarking, and integrating into routine health/performance tracking.
• For feed additive companies, VFA-L analysis offers a clear, mechanism-linked outcome to demonstrate benefits such as enhanced carbohydrate fermentation, improved gut environment, and reduced protein fermentation pressure (when interpreted together with complementary markers).

How does it work?

We typically analyze feces or digesta (e.g., ileum/cecum/colon) depending on the biological question and study design.

• Feces: convenient for routine monitoring and field studies.
• Digesta: higher resolution for compartment-specific effects in controlled trials.

Our BioFreeze™ kits enable convenient sampling and smooth logistics while helping preserve the fermentation metabolite profile.

What do we measure?

Our VFA-L analysis quantifies the key end-products of microbial carbohydrate fermentation:

• Acetate – the most abundant SCFA; linked to overall fermentation activity.
• Propionate – associated with specific microbial pathways and energy metabolism.
• Butyrate – a key energy source for colonocytes; often used as a functional readout for gut barrier support.
• Lactate – an important intermediate of microbial fermentation; elevated levels may reflect rapid carbohydrate fermentation or imbalance, while low levels can indicate efficient conversion into other fermentation end-products such as propionate and butyrate.
• VFA-L ratios and totals (e.g., total VFA-L, acetate:propionate:butyrate proportions) for easier comparisons across groups/timepoints.

Typical use cases

• Diet transitions (weaning, phase-feeding): find out whether fermentation stabilizes or shifts toward unfavorable patterns.
• Fiber strategy optimization: compare fermentability of different raw materials and the impact on VFA-L output.
• Additive validation: demonstrate mode-of-action aligned shifts (e.g., increased butyrate, improved VFA-L balance).
• Challenge or health events: evaluate how gut disruptions affect fermentation and recovery.

Sample types

• Feces (routine monitoring, on-farm sampling)
• Digesta (ileum/cecum/colon) from controlled trials

We can recommend the best sampling approach based on your objective (diagnostic monitoring vs. R&D trial endpoints).