More milk. Healthier udders. No antibiotics.
A non-antibiotic feed additive for dairy cows, backed by in vitro and in vivo science.
A new chapter for dairy productivity
Following years of proven results in poultry, aXiphen® now extends its non-antibiotic mode of action to dairy cows. The same unique molecule, phenylcapsaicin, that supports gut health in broilers also supports udder health and milk yield in lactating cows.
Just 1.0 g of aXiphen® ruminant per cow per day, mixed into concentrate feed, is enough to deliver a measurable improvement in milk production, feed efficiency and milk quality, without bactericidal pressure on the herd.
+9.1%
Milk yield
vs. control · P=0.035
−63%
Somatic cell count
exploratory · P=0.088
+5.4%
Feed efficiency
numerical trend
1.0g
Per cow per day
mixed with concentrate
How aXiphen® ruminant works
A non-antibiotic mechanism, supported by independent in vitro studies and a controlled dairy cow trial.
Quorum sensing inhibition
- Pathogenic bacteria coordinate attacks via cell-to-cell signalling (QS).
- aXiphen® ruminant disrupts this communication at sub-lethal doses, silencing the signal without killing bacteria.
Biofilm prevention
- Without QS, biofilms cannot form, so pathogens lose their protective shield against host defences.
- Confirmed in vitro across multiple pathogenic species relevant to ruminant health.
Improved udder health
- Several common mastitis-associated bacteria rely on QS to colonise the udder.
- In the dairy trial, somatic cell count fell by 63%, an exploratory result consistent with QS-driven udder protection.
Optimized milk production
- Healthier rumen and gut translate into better nutrient partitioning toward milk synthesis
- Result: +9.1% milk yield on the same diet, with feed intake maintained.
A novel, non-antibiotic mode of action
Many pathogenic bacteria coordinate virulence and biofilm formation through quorum sensing (QS): a chemical language carried by autoinducer molecules.
Phenylcapsaicin, the active compound in aXiphen®, has been shown in independent in vitro studies to interrupt this language at concentrations below the antibacterial threshold. Bacteria stay alive but stay quiet: without QS, they cannot organise into biofilms or express virulence at full strength.
Crucially, naturally occurring capsaicin showed no QS-inhibiting effect in the same assays, confirming the specificity of phenylcapsaicin.
Phenylcapsaicin “may have a novel, unanticipated mechanism of action at sub-lethal antibacterial doses that reduces the pathogenicity of bacteria.”
Verified in a controlled dairy trial
28 lactating Jersey cows · 56-day study · 1.0 g aXiphen® ruminant / cow / day. Conducted by FUNDAG, the Institute of Animal Science (IZ, São Paulo) and Chr. Olesen Nutrition.
+9.1%
19.21 vs 17.61 kg/cow/day, a +1.6 kg/day uplift on the same diet.
P = 0.035 · statistically significant
Udder health (SCC)
−63%
Somatic cell count dropped from 104.55 to 38.61 ×10³ cells/mL, a strong biological signal related to udder health indicators.
P = 0.088 · exploratory finding
Industrial milk quality
Density
Significant increase in milk density, with a positive trend in lactose.
P = 0.028 · statistically significant
Supporting studies
Built on independent science
The ruminant application of aXiphen® is supported by a chain of evidence spanning quorum sensing, biofilm formation and a controlled dairy cow trial, with each study reinforcing the next.
In vitro
Silencing the language of pathogens
Pathogenic bacteria don’t act alone, they coordinate. Through a chemical language called quorum sensing, bacteria wait until their numbers are high enough, then collectively switch on virulence and form protective biofilms that shield them from the host’s immune system.
In a series of independent in vitro studies, phenylcapsaicin was shown to interrupt this conversation at concentrations well below those that kill bacteria. The signal goes quiet, biofilms fail to form, and pathogens commonly linked to bovine mastitis lose much of their ability to organise. Natural capsaicin, tested side by side, did none of this, confirming that the effect is unique to phenylcapsaicin.
In vivo · 2026
Brazil dairy cow trial: Jersey lactating cows (Study 5)
56-day controlled trial under tropical conditions on 28 lactating Jersey cows (FUNDAG, Institute of Animal Science São Paulo, Chr. Olesen Nutrition). Treatment with 1.0 g aXiphen® ruminant/cow/day delivered a significant +9.1% milk yield (P=0.035), an exploratory 63% reduction in somatic cell count (P=0.088) and a significant increase in milk density (P=0.028). All milk quality parameters remained within MAPA IN 76/2018 standards.
Healthy herds. Higher yields.
The natural way forward.
aXiphen® ruminant delivers measurable productivity gains and improved udder health, without antibiotics, without residues, and at a low daily inclusion rate.