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Ingredient file // Other

Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product

A spore culture with narrow dog evidence

This dried bacterial culture includes material from the medium used to grow it. Makers add it for live microbes, not nutrition. A small dog trial found better stool scores with a Bacillus blend, but did not test this species alone.

What it is
A dried Bacillus licheniformis culture containing material from the nutrient medium in which it grew.
Made from
Bacterial culture and nutrient medium
Main job
Live microbial addition
Typical amount
One dog trial used 62.5 mg per kg
Watch for
No stated live microbe count
Not the same as
Prebiotic fiber

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 20 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

5%

129 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 7 brands. 128 dry dog food, 1 dog food topper.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 48. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

0%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 100% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $3.08
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 110 priced foods, 5% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

42%

of the foods that list it are from Wellness. 7 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Feed-additive makers grow selected Bacillus strains in nutrient media and dry the resulting culture. One documented method uses oilseed cakes left after oil pressing. Commercial products need not use those same carriers.1,2

  1. 01 // Source Culture and carrier A production study paired a selected bacterial strain with oilseed cakes left after pressing seed oil.
  2. 02 // Process Moistened and cultured The cakes were moistened and inoculated, giving the bacteria a medium in which to multiply.
  3. 03 // Process Spores formed The culture was held under controlled conditions while researchers tracked viable cells and spores.
  4. 04 // Process Dried and milled Researchers freeze-dried the fermented cakes and blended them into a powder.
  5. 05 // Output Dried culture The powder contains culture and medium; the tested dog-food blend was applied after kibble was cooked.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

33-45

% protein

The range in experimental fermented oilseed cakes. It describes possible carriers, not a specification for this pet-food ingredient.

Crude protein 32.5-44.7%2
Crude fiber 11.8-32.3%2
Carbohydrates 3.5-31.2%2
Crude fat 8.5-19.2%2
Ash 4.5-7.1%2

These are research batches made with hemp, pumpkin and flaxseed cakes. The medium drives the nutrient figures, so a commercial culture grown on another material could differ substantially.2

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Adds live microbes

    Bacillus forms durable spores. A maker can measure a small dose into food and state its viable count, provided the finished product meets that guarantee.2,4

  2. 02

    Targets stool quality

    A controlled dog trial found better stool scores and less odor with a blend containing this species. The trial cannot assign either effect to this culture alone.1

  3. 03

    Uses agricultural carriers

    Oilseed press cakes supported culture production in a research study. They offer makers an existing byproduct as a growth medium, though that study did not measure pet-food cost savings.2

How much A dog trial applied 62.5 mg per kg of finished food, using a blend of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis.1

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    Bacillus cultures make stools firmer and less smelly

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A controlled trial in 16 healthy dogs found better stool scores and less odor with a Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis blend. It was short, industry funded and did not isolate this ingredient's effect.1

  2. Brands say

    It balances a dog's gut bacteria

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The 16-dog trial measured stool traits and fermentation products, but did not measure the dogs' gut bacteria. A changed stool score does not show that the microbial community became healthier.1,5

  3. Brands say

    Its spores survive kibble cooking

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The experimental oilseed cultures were freeze-dried. In the dog trial, the Bacillus blend was put on finished kibble in oil. Neither test measured survival of this ingredient through kibble cooking.1,2

  4. Brands say

    It improves nutrient digestion and absorption

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A brand makes the absorption claim, but the 16-dog Bacillus blend trial found no improvement in nutrient digestibility. Absorption was not measured, and the species was not tested alone.1,5

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It is added for its culture, not to bulk up food. The tested amount was small, so even a protein-rich growth medium would contribute little nutrition to the finished recipe.1,2

  2. Q02

    How do I know it is live?

    Check the count

    Look for a viable microbe guarantee in colony-forming units. The ingredient name identifies what was cultured; it does not tell you how many live cells or spores remain in the food.4

  3. Q03

    Is this a prebiotic?

    No

    It is included as a microbial culture. Prebiotic fibers feed gut microbes instead. The culture's carrier contains nutrients, but the amount used in the dog trial was too small to serve as a meaningful fiber source.1,2,4

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Wellness 54
  2. NutriSource 32
  3. Holistic Select 15
  4. Health Extension 14
  5. Eagle Pack 6
  6. Abound 5
  7. Wysong 3

Amazon best sellers that list it

  1. #57 Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Dry Dog Food
  2. #72 Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Turkey & Oatmeal Dry Dog Food

Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Dried Plain Beet Pulp 67%
  2. Chicken Fat 64%
  3. Chicken Meal 60%
  4. Flaxseed 60%
  5. Peas 52%
  6. Oatmeal 47%
  7. Brown Rice 38%
  8. Barley 33%
  9. Chicken 33%
  10. Turkey Meal 24%
  11. Lentils 24%
  12. Turkey 21%

Our read // On the bag

Check the live count, then the recipe

Read this near the end of an ingredient list as a small microbial addition. Look for a viable microbe guarantee, then judge the food by its main ingredients and nutritional adequacy. The dog evidence supports a possible stool benefit from a blend, not a promise from this culture alone.

Sources

What we read

Checked September 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis reduce faecal protein catabolites concentration and odour in dogs BMC Veterinary Research, 2020 // Journal
  2. 2 Solid-State Fermentation Using Bacillus licheniformis-Driven Changes in Composition, Viability and In Vitro Protein Digestibility of Oilseed Cakes Agriculture, 2024 // Journal
  3. 3 Safety and efficacy of Bacillus licheniformis DSM 32457 as a silage additive for all animal species EFSA Journal, 2019 // Regulator
  4. 4 AAFCO Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food Model Regulations Label Review Checklist AAFCO, 2014 // Regulator
  5. 5 Quality Ingredients Wellness Pet Food, n.d. // Industry
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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