Mileutis CEO pinpoints antibiotic substitute efficacies in dairy cows for improved milk quality

12 Jun 2024 --- The routine use of antibiotics in animal health leads to the development of antibiotic resistance in dairy cows and compromises milk quality when antibiotic residues are left in the milk, says David Javier Iscovich, CEO and co-founder of Mileutis. The Israel-based biopharmaceutical company has formulated an antibiotic substitute for dairy cows to reduce the dairy industry’s reliance on antibiotics by up to 90%. 

“Food-animal products (e.g., dairies) and cattle infection by antimicrobial resistant (AMR) microorganisms, are both part of the chain of the impact of AMR transmission between both cattle and humans,” he tells Food Ingredients First.

“In dairy cows, AMR gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial mastitis pathogens are abundant in milk collected from cows with clinical mastitis and somatic cell count in milk higher than 200,000 cell/mL.”

Some 70% of worldwide antibiotics are currently being administered to animals, he notes, adding that Mileutis’ founders decided to act on it twenty years ago and searched for a suitable strategy to start replacing antibiotics in the dairy industry and thereafter expand toward additional fields.

Mileutis’ Imilac is administered to dairy cows at the beginning of the dry period.The F&B industry has been focusing on reducing antibiotic usage in animals for a while now, due to its association with resistance in humans. Some progress is visible, such as from a recent multi-agency report led by the European Food Safety Authority, which said that between 2014 and 2021, antibiotic consumption in food-producing livestock animals decreased by 44%.

Enhancing milk quality
In modern markets, differentiating a milk or milk-derived product that consumers will purchase requires continuous innovation and differentiation, Iscovich observes.

He points to some key factors pushing dairy companies to improve milk quality, such as health and wellness for consumers, particularly Gen Z, who seek products with “enhanced nutritional profiles,” such as increased protein and probiotics.

Sustainability is another trend that stresses the need for “environmentally friendly dairy practices, including reduced carbon footprints and sustainable packaging.”

Meanwhile, transparency and traceability demands are also gaining ground. “Consumers want to know the origin of their milk and the practices involved in its production,” he adds.

“Comeback for milk”
Iscovich believes Mileutis’ antibiotic therapies, including Imilac, which manages mastitis and increased production in cows and Milac, which treats intramammary infection in cattle during the lactation period, can largely help the milk industry achieve the goal of making a “comeback for milk.”

Mileutis' technology accelerates involution and increases the dairy cows’ welfare and comfort.The techniques include milk-derived natural peptides that stimulate the animal immune system, he explains.

“The technology behind Imilac and Milac has been granted a ‘No Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) requirement’ by the European Medicines Agency, which strengthens commercial launch prospects.”

Both therapies are administered to dairy cows via injection, similar to antibiotics, making them easy for dairy farmers to adopt.

Reducing animal suffering
Mileutis’ antibiotic substitute increases farmers’ income and offers a practical solution that benefits dairy producers, veterinarians, consumers and cows.

“Mileutis technology reduces discomfort associated with the udder involution process. Today, when antibiotics are routinely administered at the beginning of the dry period, it takes, on average, the dairy cow three weeks to fully involute (close) the mammary gland and stop producing milk. During these three weeks, the dairy cows suffer as they are not milked,” details Iscovich.

“With Mileutis’ technology, the involution process is accelerated to 3–5 days, instead of three weeks, drastically increasing the dairy cows’ welfare and comfort.”

It further “enhances cow milk yield and the milk quality, thereby boosting dairy farm revenue,” leading to improved cow welfare, reduced antibiotic use and lowered carbon footprint, he adds.

Mileutis aims to transform milk into a healthier, more environmentally friendly product.The antibiotic alternative technology has the potential to “redefine the dairy industry,” transforming milk into a healthier, more environmentally friendly product produced under conditions that provide greater welfare and comfort to dairy farmers, asserts Iscovich.

Toward sustainable milk future
The biotech start-up recently received significant investment from Yotvata Dairy to improve milk quality and replace the use of antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of infections in the Israeli dairy farms that supply it with milk.

When asked about his market expectations for the antibiotic substitutes, Iscovich says that dairy farmers and industry professionals worldwide are “eagerly anticipating the product.”

“We plan to launch Imilac and Milac in Europe, the US and additional leading global markets,” he reveals. “As we see this becoming a reality, we have already started to work on additional indications and products for other species, further promoting sustainable and healthy practices throughout animal health.”

“Our vision is to lead the dairy industry and animal health into a sustainable future.”

By Insha Naureen