Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 16 May 2022

May 2022 Year: 2 - Issue: 16

Behnaz Shakersain, AstaRealThe promising future of animal nutrition in hands of microalgae!

Janus Fouche, DevenishProduction with optimal moisture or more expensive raw materials?

Aleksandar Selakov, AFOSFeed formulation software and benefits

www.feedandadditive.com

Feed Formulation Softwareand Benefits

Effects of Zinc Oxide Restrictions and Its Alternatives

New Trend in AnimalNutrition: Algae

https://www.feedandadditive.com/

Dear readers,We are happy to bring you another issue with its

rich content. This month’s issue, unlike our previ-ous issues, focuses on 4 different topics: Algae, soft-ware, zinc oxide and feed phosphates…

Today, I would like to talk a little bit about algae. As you know, we humans and our animals share a very large part of food resources. In other words, we are fed with almost same raw material sources. However, world population is increasing rapidly and the need for food gets its share from this rise. Unfortunately, we have limited resources. This con-cerning situation for the future has become an im-portant matter of sustainability. Therefore, it is now an inevitable necessity to turn to more sustainable food ingredients for both humans and animals. In addition, environmental problems and the tendency towards natural resources are among other factors that trigger this necessity.

Algae is one of these new nutritional ingredients that emerged in the process of searching for differ-ent sources and has started to gain popularity with the benefits it offers. It is known that algae, used as biofuels, human food and animal feed, has positive effects on animal growth and immunity. Likewise,

it is stated that it has yield-enhancing properties in animal products such as meat, milk and eggs in the field of livestock and that their environmental im-pact is lower.

Its multifunctional, natural and healthy struc-ture makes algae an ingredient worth keeping on the agenda and researching. In this month’s issue, we made an effort to prepare a detailed file that includes all these issues related to algae, with con-tributions from the industry’s leading suppliers of seaweed, macro and micro algae. I hope it will be a useful file that you will enjoy reading.

Another topic you can find in this month’s issue is about the use of zinc oxide. This dossier will con-tribute to the development of a new approach, es-pecially for pig breeders, before the restrictions of the use of zinc oxide at pharmacological level will be in effect in European Union countries as of June 2022. I would also like to remind you that you can review our May 2021 issue for more resources on this subject.

You can find details and other valuable content about feed/additive formulation software and feed phosphates market in the following pages.

Enjoy reading…

PublisherMuhammed [email protected]

Responsible ManagerÖzlem Buyruk [email protected]

Editor-in-ChiefDerya Yıldı[email protected]

EditorsJames Watson Bahadır Büyükkılıç[email protected]

DesignAlper [email protected]

Web DesignCaner Cem [email protected]

Proofreading Lisa [email protected]

Circulation and Data ResponsibleAmine Şengü[email protected]

Ataturk St. Metropol Istanbul Ste. Block C1, No:376 Atasehir, Istanbul/TURKEYPhone: +90 850 220 5064E-Mail: [email protected]: www.feedandadditive.com

Branch: Ste B69, East Rutherford, New Jersey 07073, USA

Publication Type: Periodic (Monthly)

EDITOR Sustainable alternative sourcesDerya YILDIZ

All copyrights belong to Three Plus Media.© May not be used without permission. Responsibility of the ads belongs to the advertisers. feedandaddit ive

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C O N T E N T S18ISSUE FOCUS

26 SEAWEED POLYSACCHARIDES AS A SOURCE OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PREBIOTIC FIBREDr Jason Sands, Head of Nutrition, Ocean Harvest Technology

20 THE PROMISING FUTURE OF ANIMAL NUTRITION IN HANDS OF MICROALGAE!Behnaz Shakersain, PhD, Marketing & Scientific Liaison, AstaReal Sweden

31 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF MICRO-ENCAPSULATED PHYCOGENICSDr. Stephanie Ladirat, R&D Director, NUQO Feed Additives

34 SEAWEED SOLUTIONS FOR PERFORMANCE, HEALTH & WELLBEINGIngrid Jonker, MSc, Business Development Lead Blue Farming, The Seaweed Company

38 MICROALGAE AS A SUSTAINABLE AND VALUABLE FEED INGREDIENTGörkem Koyun, Founder, Marin Biotechnology

NEW TREND IN ANIMALNUTRITION: A L G A E

TRENDING FILE

46WEANING PIGLETS WITHOUT THERAPEUTIC ZINC OXIDE: IT’S POSSIBLE AND EFFICIENT!Anne-Sophie Valable, Monogastric Product Manager, CCPA Group

50ZnO MODE OF ACTION IN PIGLETS: FOCUS ON ZN BLOOD LEVELS, ITS HOMEOSTASIS AND ADGJennifer Maurin, Marketing & Sales Director & Agathe Roméo, R&D manager, Animine

54ZERO ZINC BAN IS NOTHING NEW FOR THE FRENCH FEED INDUSTRYDavid Guillou, Senior Researcher, miXscience

61 3 WAYS TO INCREASE MILK PRODUCTION WHILE REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINTDr. Saheed Salami, Research Fellow, Solutions Deployment Team, Alltech

64 BILE ACID – NOT JUST ANOTHER EMULSIFIERKayla Wong, Technical Specialist, Manuka Biotech

68 THE PLAY OF PROPOLIS: A NOVEL COMPONENT IN FISH FEEDKamalii Ahilan & Mahalakshmi Shankar, Research Scholar, Department of Aquaculture, TNJFU-Dr. M.G.R. FCRI

71 ADVANTAGES OF USING MEDIUM CHAIN FATTY ACIDS IN ANIMAL FEEDParoma Bhattacharya, Reports and Data

74 THE NEXT GENERATION FOR THE PHOSPHATES MARKETAndrés Donadeu, Technical Manager, GlobalFeed

C O N T E N T S

ARTICLES

INTERVIEW

CCPA Group develops THERMO® range to tackle heat stress 16

Perstorp launches Gastrivix™ Avi for poultry10

Arla Foods, DSM start on-farm pilot to reduce GHGs from dairy cows90

Hendrix Genetics, Coraqua sign strategic partnership for Troutlodge egg production92

AquaBounty begins construction of state-of-the-art salmon farm94

SPECIAL STORY

56AN ONLINE FORMULATION SOLUTION FOR ADDITIVE PRODUCERSBruno Duranthon, President / CEO, A-SYSTEMS SAS

58FEED FORMULATION SOFTWARE AND BENEFITSAleksandar Selakov, CEO, AFOS

REPORTS

GLOBAL FEED PHOSPHATE MARKET 78

NEWS

PRODUCTION WITH OPTIMAL MOISTURE OR MORE EXPENSIVE RAW MATERIALS? 42

Janus Fouche, Product Manager for SmartMoisture at Devenish

NEWS

6 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2022

Marel has announced an agreement to acquire Wenger Manufacturing LLC, a global leader in pro-cessing solutions focused on pet food, plant-based proteins, and aqua feed. The acquisition of Wenger is a platform investment into new, complementary and attractive growth markets for Marel and will form the fourth business segment alongside poul-try, meat and fish. The acquisition is subject to

customary closing conditions such as anti-trust and approval of Wenger’s shareholders.

A new business segment, based on the Wenger platform, will constitute Marel’s fourth pillar along-side poultry, meat and fish, and will be focused on the sizeable and attractive growth markets of pet food, plant-based proteins and aqua feed. On a pro-forma basis, this new business segment will ac-

Marel to acquire Wenger for $540 millionIceland based Marel announced that it would acquire Wenger Manufacturing LLC, a leading US based company for processing solutions for pet food, plant-based proteins, and aqua feed.

As part of a new strategic partnership, Elanco Animal Health has gained exclusive licensing rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Bovaer®, a revolutionary, methane-reducing feed additive by DSM for cattle, in the U.S.

Elanco Animal Health In-corporated and Royal

DSM have announced a strategic alliance connecting two leading, sustainability-focused compa-nies to address one of society's most significant opportunities of the decade, mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farming. Elanco has secured the exclusive U.S. licensing rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize Bovaer® for beef and dairy cattle.

Bovaer® is a first-in-class and best-in-class methane-reducing innovative feed additive for beef and dairy cattle, already available in Europe, Brazil, Chile and Aus-tralia. More than 50 peer-reviewed studies and 48 on-farm trials in 14 countries show Bovaer® con-sistently reduces enteric methane emissions by approximately 30%

for dairy cows and even higher percentages for beef cattle.

The strategic alliance is expected to enable both parties to maximize the opportunity for the product in the U.S. market, once approved, while also nearly doubling pre-viously announced Bovaer® pro-duction capacity globally. Elanco will be responsible for the U.S. approval process, commercializa-tion strategy and product supply, supporting DSM supply in mar-kets outside the U.S. Elanco will assess and evaluate the regulatory submission and manufacturing options with the intent to bring Bovaer® to the U.S. market as quickly as possible.

The methane reduction from feeding a million cows Bovaer® is equivalent to planting 45 million trees or removing 300,000 cars from the road. With 9 million

dairy cows and 14 million beef cat-tle on feed in the U.S. alone, the product would contribute to a sig-nificant and immediate reduction of the environmental footprint of meat and dairy products, support-ing the Global Methane Pledge to cut emissions 30% by 2030.

With an estimated global mar-ket opportunity for livestock methane reduction of $1 billion to $2 billion, Elanco expects Bo-vaer® to have blockbuster annu-al revenue potential in excess of US$200 million in the U.S. mar-ket with initial contribution by mid-decade.

Elanco, DSM create strategic alliance for Bovaer®

NEWS

FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINEMay 2022 7

count for around 10% of Marel’s total revenues and 12% of combined EBITDA.

This new growth platform is an important addi-tion to Marel’s product portfolio to meet customers’ rising demand for high-quality food and feed that is processed in a sustainable and affordable way.

The two companies have a great strategic and cul-tural fit with highly complementary product port-folios and geographic presence, creating a strong platform to enhance further growth. Wenger shares Marel’s passion for innovation and commitment to best-in-class products, backed by an experienced team and long-standing partnerships with custom-ers. Wenger enjoys a diversified and loyal customer base ranging from blue-chip pet food processors to startup companies in plant-based proteins. This has resulted in healthy profitability, strong cash

flow and solid return on invested capital. Capital-izing on Marel’s global reach and digital platform, the two companies are well positioned to explore future growth opportunities together.

Marel agreed to acquire Wenger Manufacturing LLC., including all relevant business activities of the group. The total investment for the acquisition is USD 540 million. The purchase price will be paid with cash at hand and existing credit facilities.

Phileo unveils tilapia program with functional yeasts

Phileo by Lesaffre has introduced Program Aquasaf Tilapia, a new nutrition program designed to maximize productivity, profitability and sustainability of tilapia farming by using Phileo’s functional yeast probiotics and postbiotics.

Gathering more than 10 years of work in the ti-

lapia industry, Phileo by Le-saffre has launched a dedicated program aiming to improve gut health and support disease pre-vention strategies.

The Program Aquasaf Tilapia was conceived to maximize pro-ductivity, profitability and sus-tainability of tilapia farming using Phileo’s functional yeast probiotics and postbiotics. To build the pro-gram, Phileo draws on knowledge from more than 10 R&D projects carried out in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines using different prod-ucts and their combination, both

in lab and field conditions.The program provides sci-

ence-based recommendations to address some of the most impact-ing challenges faced by producers such as mortalities caused by bac-terial infections from Aeromonas hydrophila and Streptococcus agalactiae, reduced growth as-sociated with oxidative stress, economic losses due to poor gut health and feed conversion, while avoiding the use of antimicrobial and chemical substances.

Otavio Serino Castro, Phileo’s Aquaculture Global Species Man-ager explains: “We designed Pro-gram AquaSaf Tilapia to provide a clear view on the mechanisms of

action of our solutions and their benefits on immunity, microbiota and performance in different pro-duction conditions. It is a tool to support and empower profession-als when developing preventive care strategies for a more sustain-able tilapia production”.

NEWS


Finland-based Valio, a major player in the international dairy ingredients market, announced that it would sell its Russian operations to Velkom Group.

Valio to sell its Russian operations to Velkom Group

Valio has completed negotiations on the di-vestment of its Russian operations. Valio will

sell the operations to Velkom Group. The transac-tion will take place immediately.

The transaction includes Valio’s Russian opera-tions and the processed cheese factory in Ershovo. The Viola® brand processed cheese sold and pro-duced in Russia is also part of the transaction.

With the transaction, Valio’s personnel in Russia will transfer to Velkom Group. The parties have de-cided not to disclose the value of the transaction. With the completed transaction, Valio’s operations in Russia have now ended.

In 2020, Valio’s net sales in Russia were 87 million euros and accounted for approximately 5 percent of Valio’s global net sales of about 1.8 billion euros. Valio decided on 7 March 2022 to withdraw from op-erations in Russia. With this transaction, Valio is im-mediately withdrawing from all operations in Russia.

Valio exports products to some 60 countries around the world. The total value of Valio’s inter-national operations and exports is about 750 mil-lion euros annually, i.e. about 40% of Valio’s total net sales.

Of the interested buyers, the Russian food produc-er Velkom Group was selected as the most suitable.

Perstorp to double carboxylic acid production capacity

Leading specialty chemicals company Perstorp plans

to have extra capacity of around 70,000 tonnes/year for produc-tion of carboxylic acids onstream by 2024. The investment will en-able Perstorp to increase output significantly and strengthen its po-sition as the sustainable solutions provider. Increased capacity will meet growing demand in various high-value applications, including carboxylic acids for use in animal feed gut health and preservation products. Most of the output will be used in downstream produc-tion operated by Perstorp itself.

Perstorp will build a new plant

on the site of its existing carbox-ylic acid production operation in Stenungsund, Sweden. Like the original unit, it will be capable of producing acids from C3 to C9 chemistry, significantly strength-ening the company’s portfolio. Both plants will be fully integrat-ed into Perstorp’s Oxo produc-

tion platform.Perstorp also uses carboxylic

acids for its in-house production of various grades of food preser-vative (Profina™ CP) and animal feed preservative (ProSid™ MI 208). It is the only company in the world making these products with upstream integration.

Sweden-based Perstorp will build a new plant to have extra capacity of around 70,000 tonnes/year for production of carboxylic acids onstream by early 2024.

http://cp-bio.com/

NEWS


http://cp-bio.com/

NEWS


Perstorp launches Gastrivix™ Avi for poultry

Perstorp is expanding on its innovative range of broiler

feed solutions after the launch of Gastrivix™ Avi in late March 2022.

The company is the first to pioneer the commercial use of valeric acid in animal nutrition, following successful trials of Gastrivix™ Avi. Like butyric acid, valeric acid is naturally created by the gut microbiota of broilers, although in too small quantities for optimal gut health during production cycles. Perstorp has used complex organic chemistry to create esters of valeric acid, which were tested over many years in a multitude of combi-nations with butyric acid esters to develop the right synergy, and the best match with nature.

Gastrivix™ Avi has been creat-ed to meet the bird’s biological needs, support gut integrity and promote reliable growth and per-formance. Perstorp believes that the solution will solve multiple challenges for the industry, by re-ducing feed volumes for the broil-er’s lifecycle, providing consistent growth results, and boosting ROI.

“We can now prove that the

synergy of these two esterified ac-ids works better than one. After multiple trials, we have seen a reli-able and consistent improvement on FCR for broilers thanks to the effects of butyric and valeric acid. With valeric acid, we have essen-tially found the missing ingredi-ent,” commented Dr. Antonia Tacconi, Global Product Manager of Gut Health at Perstorp.

Perstorp has introduced Gastrivix™ Avi - a unique poultry feed additive for gut health that combines the benefits of valeric and butyric acid.

Vitapro announced that the company will make an investment of over $80 million in a new Nicovita plant in Ecuador. The new shrimp feed plant will expand the production capacity by around 45%.

Nicovita accompanies the growth of the shrimp sector with the firm decision to make an in-

vestment unprecedented in its history, which strength-ens its history of commitment and leadership in the industry, and marks the beginning of a new era to now drive the sector to "evolve with confidence”, that confidence that has always characterized the brand.

“We are proud to announce the investment of more than 80 million dollars destined to expand ap-proximately 45% of our production capacity, thus consolidating the Guayaquil plant as one of the largest production centers in the world in relation

to balanced feed specialized in shrimp,” Fabricio Vargas, General Manager of Vitapro Ecuador.

“This new investment, which is planned to begin in 2022, is a tangible reflection of Nicovita's com-mitment to accompany the exponential growth of the shrimp sector for the coming years, because it will allow it to expand by approximately 45% the land destined for the production and storage of bal-anced feed, consolidating a new plant with the most advanced digital technology, as well as more effi-cient production systems and processes with high quality standards aligned with the brand's seal of

Vitapro invests $80m in Nicovita plant in Ecuador

NEWS


Zeewaar, the first Dutch and organically certified seaweed farm, has been acquired by The Seaweed Company.

Zeewaar, the first Dutch and organically certified

seaweed farm and located in a unique location in the Ooster-schelde National Park, has a new owner. After years of inspiring leadership by the seaweed pio-neers Rebecca Wiering and Jen-nifer Breaton, the duo and the partners involved (e.g. impact in-vestors DOEN Participaties and Goeie Grutten Impact Fonds) have decided to sell the company to The Seaweed Company.

With the acquisition of Zeewaar, The Seaweed Company strength-ens its position in the 'Blue Food' market to put seaweed applica-tions and ingredients on the menu in a fast growing market of con-sumers and companies in Europe looking for high-quality and reli-able seaweed.

The Zeewaar company, founded in 2013 by Rebecca and Jennifer, produces seaweed organically in its own seaweed farm and pro-cessing facility in and at the Jaco-bahaven, Kamperland. Over the past decade, Zeewaar has further developed the market for seaweed products in the Netherlands by collaborating with brands such as Hema, ProLaTerre (part of SoFine Foods) and The Dutch Weedburg-er (part of Livekindly Collective). Partnerships have been set up with several sustainable European sea-

weed companies to meet the in-creasing demand for seaweed.

“The seaweed industry in the EU is growing but is still in its in-fancy. After 10 years of pioneer-ing as an impact entrepreneur, the time has come to transfer our seaweed farm and wholesaler to a passionate team with a dif-ferent composition. Joining The Seaweed Company will ensure that Zeewaar continues to devel-op and we are confident that the impact achieved will be further increased.” says Rebecca Wiering.

First Dutch seaweed farm Zeewaar joins The Seaweed Company

trust,” the company said in a statement. The contribution to the economic and productive

development of the country is also tangible in the generation of employment that this new investment will bring. “Once the plant starts operating, we cal-culate an increase of between 40 and 50% of work-ers,” explained Fabricio Vargas.

In 2021, Nicovita expanded its production and storage capacity for 35 million dollars, which is about to be consolidated during the first half of 2022. With this new investment, Nicovita and Vi-tapro further strengthen the aquaculture infrastruc-ture of the country, guaranteeing the food for the shrimp that its clients will produce and export in

the coming year. Thus it contributes to Ecuador maintaining the leadership it achieved in 2020 by registering record figures in exports and position-ing itself in 2021 as the world’s largest producer of shrimp, above strong Asian competitors such as China, Vietnam, India and Indonesia.

NEWS


Elanco and Ginkgo Bioworks launched BiomEdit, a new animal health company leveraging microbiome technology.

Elanco Animal Health Inc. and Ginkgo Bioworks an-

nounced the launch of BiomEdit, a microbiome innovation com-pany that is expected to discover, develop and introduce novel pro-biotics, bioactive molecules, engi-neered microbial medicines and microbial monitoring services for animal health.

BiomEdit intends to discover, develop and introduce differenti-ated products that address some of the greatest needs for innova-

tion in animal health, including medicated feed ingredients, nu-tritional health and therapeutics for livestock and pet species, as well as biosecurity technology for animal disease monitoring.

Elanco will contribute intellec-tual property and a pipeline of ongoing programs to BiomEdit, which will be staffed with mem-bers of the former Elanco micro-biome R&D team. By leveraging foundational programs from Elan-co, intellectual property from both

Elanco and Ginkgo, and an expe-rienced team, BiomEdit should be well positioned as a stand-alone company to develop and launch innovative products to address un-met needs in animal health.

BiomEdit plans to leverage Ginkgo's state-of-the-art cell programming platform to im-prove the design and develop-ment of probiotics, bioactives, engineered microbial medicines, and microbial monitoring ser-vices.

Elanco and Ginkgo Bioworks launch BiomEdit

Amlan launches two new natural alternatives to antibiotics

Amlan International, the animal health busi-ness of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America, has

launched two new natural feed additives products - Phylox® Feed and NeutraPath® - that help optimize intestinal health and production economics in the absence of antibiotics for poultry and livestock.

Phylox Feed is a natural alternative to anticoc-cidial drugs and vaccines that can help producers increase profitability. Phylox can be effective for full-time use or in rotation, and/or in a bio-shut-tle program when resistance is a concern. Phylox is an ideal solution for all poultry species, includ-ing broilers, egg layers and broiler breeders, all of which can be sensitive to fungal and bacterial toxins during grow-out and egg production when exposed to fecal oocysts that are being shed as coccidia cycle.

NeutraPath is a natural pathogen control prod-uct for antibiotic-free production that uses multiple

modes of action to increase livability and improve feed conversion. Using a proprietary and co-active blend of essential oils, fatty acids and Amlan’s pro-prietary mineral technology, NeutraPath reduces pathogenic bacterial load and colonization, and im-proves intestinal health and structural integrity.

Both of the new products can be used individually or in a program with Amlan’s mineral-based prod-ucts, like Calibrin®-Z and patented Varium® and NeoPrime®, to help support gut health and improve productivity and efficiency.

Amlan has expanded their broad portfolio of animal health feed additives to include a natural alternative to anticoccidial drugs and vaccines and a natural pathogen control product for antibiotic-free production.

NEWS


EuroTier 2022, the world's leading trade fair for animal farming and livestock management, is set to take place in Hanover, Germany on 15-18 November, 2022.

Strong exhibitor interest is be-ing registered for the EuroTi-

er trade fair, to be held in Hanover, Germany, 15 -18 November 2022. Seven months before the start of the trade fair, 80 percent of the exhibition space has al-ready been booked. Many of the world's leading com-panies offering technical solutions for modern animal husbandry will be present at the world's leading trade fair for animal farming and livestock management.

The trade fair is a platform to meet practitioners and experts live, accompanied by an international technical program with conferences and partners on key topics in international pig, cattle and poultry production. Ener-gyDecentral, which takes place in parallel to EuroTier, focuses on the opportunities offered by decentralized

energy generation as part of the cur-rent energy debate.

EuroTier, the world's leading trade fair for animal farming and livestock management, plays a cen-

tral role in the national and international livestock in-dustry with its overarching concept for the entire value chain for the production of food of animal origin.

"With the guiding theme 'Transforming Animal Farming', we have our finger on the pulse. The high level of exhibitor interest shows that, even in chal-lenging times, EuroTier is the leading platform not only for showcasing leading technology and innova-tion, but also for discussing the influencing factors for successful livestock farming," says Ines Rathke, EuroTier project manager.

EuroTier 2022 to be held on 15-18 November

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NEWS


Phibro Animal Health and Vetos Europe partnered to introduce RelyOn™, a new natural feed additive to help support rumen health for beef and dairy cattle.

NeoSpectra by Si-Ware partnered with AB Vista’s Aunir to offer customers affordable NIR calibration choices for in-field analysis. The partnership will offer NeoSpectra Scanner users Aunir’s INGOT NIR calibration models for accurate in-field analysis across animal and aqua feed, feed ingredients, pet food, forage and other products.

NeoSpectra by Si-Ware partners with AB Vista’s Aunir

Phibro, Vetos introduce RelyOn for beef and dairy cattle

NeoSpectra by Si-Ware, the creator of NeoSpectra material analysis solutions

built on single-chip FT-NIR spectrometers, an-nounced a partnership with AB Vista’s Aunir, a global leader in the development and supply of near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy cal-ibrations. For the first time, the partnership will give customers subscription-based access to all

Aunir INGOT NIR calibration models on the NeoSpectra LabStore to empower in-field analysis and decision making across animal feed, feed in-gredients, flour, and milling, pet food, aquafeed, forages, animal by-products, plant breeders and other specialty products.

NeoSpectra by Si-Ware will implement the full Aunir INGOT NIR calibration database on the

Phibro Animal Health announced that it has joined with Vetos Europe to introduce Rely-

On™, a feed additive used to help support rumen health which can lead to better control of meta-bolic disorders and help support animal health and production.

RelyOn is a blend of natural compounds to sup-port improved animal efficiency and performance. Its synergistic combination of essential oils, tannins and flavonoids support optimal rumen and tissue function. RelyOn will be available to international markets soon.

Phibro has been a leader in animal health and nutrition for decades. Phibro’s broad portfolio of products, backed by innovative research and ex-ceptional service, are the core to collaborations with farmers, ranchers, nutritionists and vet-erinarians. Now with a growing line of natural, sustainably produced products, Phibro offers re-sponsible solutions to help support the health of all animal species, including cattle, poultry, swine

and aquaculture.Vetos Europe is an innovative Swiss agri-tech com-

pany fully dedicated to the research and develop-ment of new feed additives for ruminants. Founded in 2013, Vetos has been successfully distributing feed additives for several years through interna-tional cattle networks, helping care for thousands of cattle around the world. Vetos products play an important role in customers’ ESG strategies, as they are making it possible for nutritionists and farmers to help improve animal performance and help re-duce methane emissions.

http://www.compro.cn/

NEWS


NeoSpectra LabStore. The NeoSpectra platform has the first and largest LabStore in the market, offering thousands of calibration models to users from trusted partners around the globe such as labs, researchers and universities. Today, the IN-GOT calibration library is the world’s most exten-sive with more than 500,000 analyzed samples and over four million data points. The partnership will provide portable NeoSpectra Scanner users with additional top-tier choices in NIR calibrations across a multitude of industry applications.

NIR analysis is a quick, accurate and reliable method to measure the nutritional, chemical, and physical properties of ingredients and products. Together, Aunir and NeoSpectra by Si-Ware will give users the autonomy to choose the right cal-ibration model to make important business deci-sions in real time. Users will be able to measure the integrity of raw materials and ensure their fin-ished product meets specifications. In addition,

NeoSpectra Scanner users will have access to the very latest calibrations across various markets and finished products through Aunir’s automatic cali-bration updates when subscribing via the NeoSpec-tra LabStore.

The Aunir INGOT calibration database and mod-els will be available for NeoSpectra Scanner users to browse and subscribe to in the NeoSpectra LabStore at the end of April.

http://www.compro.cn/

NEWS


Phileo by Lesaffre has launched Actisaf® Sc50 PET in the USA, the first probiotic ever to

remain viable throughout the entire shelf life of dry food.

This new generation probiotic has proven its health benefits backed up by extensive non-inva-sive trials in dogs, to fully respect animal welfare & strict ethics in cooperation with international ex-perts & universities. Stability and viability are pre-requisites to keep the micro-organisms alive until

reaching the intestine of the dogs and deliver maxi-mum benefits to the host and this, without hinder-ing the palatability of the food. Actisaf® Sc50 PET has a record-breaking viability of 18 months onto dry food solving the challenge of stability of dry food. A versus test conducted on 40 dogs confirmed that the supplementation of Actisaf® Sc50 PET does not modify the palatability of the kibbles.

Dr. Rodolphe Rabot, Phileo’s Pet Global Species Manager explains: “We designed Actisaf® Sc50 PET

Phileo launches new probiotic for premium dry dog food

CCPA Group develops THERMO® range to tackle heat stress

High heat is not without consequences for livestock.

In order to ensure their thermal comfort, to support the breeding performance and to ensure the in-come of the breeder, it is essential to set up a complete feeding and breeding management strategy.

That's why CCPA Group has de-veloped the THERMO® range, spe-cific nutritional solutions for each species, to be used in prevention or intervention, and digital solutions to anticipate and better manage the impact of high temperatures.

“This year again, new products and services have been added to our offer,” the French company said in a statement.

Because guaranteeing the ther-mal comfort of animals also means maintaining their performances

and the income of the breeders, CCPA Group has developed Ther-mo®, a complete range of solutions to meet the specific needs of each species. The Thermo® products strengthen the natural systems involved in evacuating heat, by helping improve gut integrity, off-set electrolyte, and stimulate in-gestion. Every type of production is affected by heat stress. That is why this year, an organic version of its ruminant solution: Ther-mo®Plus UOA is launched.

It is very difficult for a farmer to estimate the economic impact of heat on his farm. Consequent-ly, preventive actions are rarely implemented. However, the con-sequences are serious and will intensify with global warming. To address this challenge, CCPA

Group has developed Farm-e-Val, a digital service, which relies on temperature and humidity sen-sors installed in the barn. This service then assesses the exact heat stress the animals were sub-jected to and can link it to varia-tion in performances.

As nutrition plays an important role in helping animals fight heat stress, a new thermal comfort in-dicator was added, this year, in CCPA group ruminant feedstuff rationing tool: Chorus.

CCPA Group has developed the THERMO® range, specific nutritional solutions for each species, to be used in prevention or intervention, and digital solutions to anticipate and better manage the impact of high temperatures.

NEWS


after 4 years of research and devel-opment with universities, research centres and key industry partners. Based on our expertise in strain selection and petfood technology application, we have selected Ac-tisaf® Sc50 PET (CNCM 5660) a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast probiotic specifically formulated to address technological challeng-es in relation to pet foods. With unique characteristics to secure convenience and shelf life, Actisaf® Sc50 PET has been specifically processed to blend easily and safely with powder palatants and allow post extrusion coating of dry food”.

“To be able to implement this application strat-egy, continues Cécile Sampsonis, R&D Manager - Products formulation at Phileo by Lesaffre, we

developed a specific process to produce Actisaf® Sc50 PET with a micropearl form. Each micro-pearl, with an average of 500 microns, contains more than 4 000.000 active live probiotic cells each as there are 1E10 CFU of yeast per gramme of product. This micropearl form also helps to limit environmental exchang-es with water and oxygen to en-

hance resistance. This unique patent pending form was developed thanks to a dedicated fermentation & drying process on a specific line of manufactur-ing used by Lesaffre and the company’s mastery of yeast production. Actisaf® Sc50 PET has confirmed an exceptional flowability and being dust free com-pared to standard powder forms.”

BENEO, one of the leading manufacturers of function-

al ingredients, has announced a €50 million investment in a new pulse processing site in Offstein, Germany. The site will produce protein rich pulse ingredients for food and animal feed. It will fo-cus initially on protein concen-trate, starch rich flour and hulls from Faba bean, with the option to process other pulses in the fu-ture. The new production site further strengthens the compa-ny’s plant-based protein portfo-lio and enables BENEO to meet growing demand for plant-based food and feed ingredients.

Work has already begun on constructing the plant and is ex-

pected to be completed within the second half of 2024, creat-ing up to 25 jobs at the Offstein site. However, to ensure that food and feed customers can benefit as soon as possible from Faba bean ingredients, BENEO will process the raw ingredients in interme-diate production facilities, until the new plant is fully operational. This means that first quantities of BENEO’s Faba bean ingredients will be available from the start of June 2022 onwards.

Pulses help to reduce green house gas emissions at farm lev-el. For example, Faba beans pro-vide nitrogen for themselves and subsequent plants and therefore nitrogen fertilisation is not nec-

essary. The Faba beans will be locally sourced from farmers that are certified by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) and thus follow sustainability stan-dards. As BENEO is manufac-turing Faba bean protein, starch rich flour and hulls, the crop will be fully used and completely val-orised for functional ingredients.

BENEO invests €50 million in pulse-processing plant German ingredients manufacturer BENEO has unveiled a €50 million investment in a new pulse processing site in Offstein, Germany. The site will produce protein rich pulse ingredients for food and animal feed.

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NEW TREND IN ANIMALNUTRITION: A L G A E

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Exploring the potential of micro-encapsulated phycogenicsDr. Stephanie LadiratNUQO Feed Additives

The promising future of animal nutrition in hands of microalgae!Behnaz ShakersainAstaReal Sweden

Microalgae as a sustainable and valuable feed ingredientGörkem KoyunMarin Biotechnology

Seaweed solutions for performance, health & wellbeingIngrid JonkerThe Seaweed Company

Seaweed polysaccharides as a source of highly effective prebiotic fibreDr Jason SandsOcean Harvest Technology

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"As nature’s “green gold”, microalgae address sustainability & environmental protection challenges.1 The use of microalgae in animal nutrition sector is attracting

a fast-growing interest because of their unique properties and capabilities for health promotion and environmental protection."

WHAT ARE MICROALGAE?Alga is defined as a simple, non-flowering,

and typically aquatic plant that contains chloro-phyll but has no true stems, roots, and leaves. More than 70,000 different algae species have been iden-tified worldwide (European Algae Biomass Associa-tion, 2021), ranging from giant kelp (large seaweeds belong to multicellular macroalgae family) to uni-cellular microalgae.

Microalgae are microscopic organisms found in both seawater and freshwater. They can be classified as eukaryotic microorganisms or prokaryotic cyano-bacteria (blue-green algae), with more than 25,000 species already isolated and identified.2

MICROALGAE IN NATUREMicroalgae play a vital role in aquatic ecosys-

tems being the foundation of the food chain for all aquatic organisms. They perform photosynthe-sis, which is an important natural mechanism to reduce the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentra-tion through converting sunlight, water and CO2

to algal biomass and oxygen. It is estimated that these single-celled microorganisms produce most

of the oxygen we breathe. They are also able to lower the concentrations of nitrogen and phospho-rus in wastewater and help tackling the environ-mental pollution and climate change.

AN UNTAPPED NATURAL RESOURCE FOR ANIMAL NUTRITIONMicroalgae cultivation benefits from a short gen-

eration time as the microorganisms can multiply exponentially under favorable environmental con-ditions. However, of the several thousand microal-gae species, only a few dozen are currently commer-cialized. Microalgae are considered as indispensable resources for food, bioactives, nutraceuticals, pig-ments, bioenergy molecules, biofertilizers, and agents for bioremediation.3 The main applications of microalgae are summarized in Figure 1.2

Future success of animal nutrition industry in sustainably safeguarding the animals’ food security depends on utilization of innovative feed resources which do not compete with human food.

Carole Anne Llewellyn, Professor in Applied Aquatic Bioscience at Swansea University believes

THE PROMISING FUTURE OF ANIMAL NUTRITION IN HANDS OF MICROALGAE!

Behnaz Shakersain, PhDMarketing & Scientific Liaison AstaReal Sweden

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that in order to meet our global climate change tar-gets and achieve a sustainable equilibrium, we need to work towards a circular economy that eliminates waste and pollution, keeps materials in circulation and regenerates nature. This must replace our exist-ing linear “use and discard” model which has led to unbalanced nutrient cycles.1 Food and feed indus-tries are playing a significant role in this matter.

Given the negative impact of conventional animal feed sources, such as soy, on climate and forested lands, alternative solutions are highly sought-after. So, the use of microalgae in animal nutrition sector is attracting a fast-growing interest because of their unique properties and capabilities for health pro-motion and environmental protection.

The key factors driving today’s interest in mi-croalgae and its derivatives include microalgae’s high yield of healthful macro- and micro-nutrients such as carotenoids, its rapid accumulation of bio-mass, and its non-competing nature with crops for

arable land.3 Adding to those is the growing mar-ket demand for natural, sustainable, plant-based, environmental- and planet-friendly food and feed solutions.

MICROALGAE AS RICH SOURCE OF HEALTHFUL PHYTONUTRIENTSCarotenoids are a class of bioactive natural mol-

ecules synthesized by plants and certain photosyn-thetic microorganisms, like microalgae. They are an essential component due to their eminent photo-protective and antioxidant properties.

Astaxanthin is a reddish pigment from the xan-thophyll carotenoids family responsible for the red-orange color of a number of marine animals and microorganisms like salmon, crabs, krill, lobsters, and even flamingos. It has a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, higher than most other commonly known antioxidants. For instance, it has been shown that natural astaxanthin is 110 times stronger than vitamin E and 6000 times stronger

Figure 1. Main commercialized applications for microalgae.2

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than vitamin C in quenching free radicals and so protecting the cells from oxidative stress.4 It is also shown that natural astaxanthin has a 20-fold higher antioxidant potency than synthetic astaxanthin.5

In marine environments, algae rich in astaxanthin is a food for zooplankton which in turn is ingested by fish (e.g. salmonids) and exoskeleton-bearing crea-tures (e.g. crabs, crayfish, lobsters, krill and shrimp).6

Natural astaxanthin´s color has physical and bio-logical functions in the animal kingdom. It protects animals in the peak of their struggle against harsh environmental conditions. In salmon, for instance, astaxanthin is thought to play an important role during their exhaustive upstream migration.

The unicellular green microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis are known as the richest source of natural astaxanthin. They can be found in freshwater bod-ies that dry out periodically, like the rock pools in Stockholm (Sweden) archipelago. H. pluvialis accu-mulates high astaxanthin content under stress condi-tions such as high salinity, nitrogen deficiency, high temperature and light.7 In this situation, the green algae turn red. Astaxanthin protects the algae’s DNA,

lipids and cell structure from UV radiation and other sources of free radicals during the whole dormant pe-riod. In this form the algae can survive for months or even years until the environment conditions improve again – this highlights the power of natural astaxan-thin for increasing the chance of survival.

However, the health benefits of astaxanthin are not limited to better survival rates. Its benefits have been scientifically proven for various bodily organs and systems, including muscles, eyes, brain, skin, immune and reproductive systems, etc.

With the increasing awareness about the potential

health benefits and safety of natural astaxanthin, its commercial use in various industries, such as aqua-culture, food and feed, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals are expanding rapidly.

The most common use of commercially produced astaxanthin is in fish farming (aquaculture) where it imparts the natural, pink-red color to farmed sal-monids and crustaceans. However, a wide range of animals, including pets and animals in competitive sports (e.g. race horses), and agriculture (livestock) can benefit from this potent natural ingredient.

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HEALTH BENEFITS OF NATURAL ASTAXANTHINAstaReal as the global pioneer and expert in

microalgae cultivation, natural astaxanthin production, R&D and clinical science is an au-thority in both animal and human food supple-ments. It is the only brand of natural astaxan-thin backed by over 70 clinical studies. AstaReal AB (Sweden) offers its well-studied natural as-taxanthin products for animal nutrition in dif-ferent formats.

AstaReal’s H. pluvialis algal flour (biomass that is the crushed and spray-dried aplanospores of microalga) is not only rich in astaxanthin, but also contains valuable proteins, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids, as well as other carot-enoids including lutein, beta-carotene, and can-thaxanthin that provide additional health values.

Health benefits of its natural astaxanthin has been studies in different animal categories.

In a study by Zanghi et al. on dogs, astaxan-thin has shown a significant effect on muscle recovery through facilitating carbohydrate spar-ing and promoting lipid utilization in muscles during exercise.8

In another study on dogs suffering from an in-flammatory eye condition, the dogs were fed an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory nutraceutical diet containing natural astaxanthin for 60 days. The diet appeared to significantly increase the eye’s tear production and to clinically ameliorate the inflammation status as well as the corneal kera-tinization, corneal pigment density and mucus discharge in these dogs that were initially poorly responsive or unresponsive to immune-suppres-sive therapy.9

In addition, Sato et al. studied the effects of dietary supplementation with astaxanthin (75 mg/day) and L-carnitine (3,000 mg/day) for eight weeks on serum markers and clinical in-cidence rate of exercise-induced muscle damage

Discover the POWER of

AstaReal® Astaxanthin!

Sustainable and environmentally sound source

We truly believe that:

”What benefits my body can benefit my companion animal!”

Novasta® is pure algal flour, derived from microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis. It contains astaxanthin, one of the most powerful antioxidants known to science. Our Novasta®, either in form of biomass or encapsulated EB15, could support:

• Mobility and muscle recovery

• Eye health and visual function

• Attentiveness and cognitive response

• Immune defence

• Liver function and lipid metabolism

• Myocardial function

• Improved fertility

• Growth performance

Let our astaxanthin expertise work for you and get in touch with us.

www.astareal.se | [email protected]

The Trusted Leader in Natural Astaxanthin Production, R&D and Clinical Science.

https://www.astareal.se/

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in training Thoroughbred horses.10 Markers of ex-ercise-induces muscle damage (serum creatine ki-nase[CK] activity) and muscle fatigue (lactate de-hydrogenase-5, LDH-5) were significantly lower in the supplemented group of horses. Exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying-up syndrome) is one of the most common muscle disorders occurring in horses either during or immediately after exercising. The clinical signs of this disease are variable, ranging from slight stiffness to immobility, signs of pain, and reluctance to move. These can limit and inhibit the performance of the horse.10 So, it is crucial to prevent or at least ameliorate the burden through safe dietary and non-invasive interventions such as natural astaxanthin supplementation.

Natural astaxanthin supplementation in dogs11 and cats12 could also enhance immune defense and improve immune response.

Moreover, astaxanthin supplementation has been associated with improved fertility13,14, and better growth performance15 in livestock, as well as opti-mum reproduction, growth, survival and immuno-competence in aquaculture.16,17,18

CURRENT MICROALGAE PRODUCTION AND FUTURE POTENTIALMicroalgae production volume globally, and in

Europe are estimated to be around 30 206, and 182 tons of dry weight per year, respectively. Food supplements and nutraceuticals (24%), cosmetics (24%), and feed (19%) are the main applications of microalgae biomass, contributing together to 67% of the total use.19,20

The scale of microalgal cultivation is currently not big enough to fully substitute the conventional live-stock, and animal feed. Therefore, the focus is on the use of microalgae products as food supplements, to improve and maintain the health of variety of an-imals. The market for algae-based animal feed and ingredients is set to grow rapidly as the techno eco-nomic analyses have shown good potential for scale-up and cost reduction of microalgae cultivation.

Microalgae are cultivated by different produc-tion methods, such as open pond raceway systems and photobioreactors (PBR). The latter is the most commonly used method in Europe. The disadvan-tages of open cultivation systems are the increased

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risk of contamination, lower control of the environ-mental conditions and greater land and water re-quirements.20

AstaReal AB uses the indoor PBR technology, which allows for stricter control of the environmen-tal factors and biomass quality with no environ-mental impurities.

Natural astaxanthin has a wide array of applica-tions and the various ingredient formats that are available in the market, offers a huge possibility for formulating innovative animal food and feed.

References:1Carole Anne Llewellyn. Microalgae is nature’s ‘green gold’:

our pioneering project to feed the world more sustainably. 2022. Accessed on April 28th, 2022 at: https://theconversa-tion.com/microalgae-is-natures-green-gold-our-pioneering-project-to-feed-the-world-more-sustainably-170158

2Vale M A, Ferreira A, Pires J C,Gonçalves A L(2020) CO2 capture using microalgae. In: Mohammad Reza Rahim-pour, Mohammad Farsi, Mohammad Amin Makarem (Eds) In Advances in Carbon Capture. Woodhead Publishing, Duxford, pp 381 - 405. ISBN 9780128196571.

3Global Perspectives on Astaxanthin From Industrial Production to Food, Health, and Pharmaceutical Applica-tions. Gokare A. Ravishankar, Ambati Ranga Rao. 2021, Elsevier Inc. ISBN: 978-0-12-823304-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2019-0-01800-6.

4Nishida et al. Quenching Activities of Common Hydro-philic and Lipophilic Antioxidants against Singlet Oxygen Using Chemiluminescence Detection System. Carotenoid Science (2007) Vol.11:16-20.

5Oslan, S.N.H. et al. Bioprocess Strategy of Haematococ-cus lacustris for Biomass and Astaxanthin Production

Keys to Commercialization: Perspective and Future Direc-tion. Fermentation 2022, 8, 179. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8040179.

6Lim KC et al. (2018), Astaxanthin as feed supplement in aquatic animals. Rev Aquacult, 10: 738-773. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12200

7Ambati RR et al. Astaxanthin: Sources, Extraction, Stability, Biological Activities and Its Commercial Ap-plications—A Review. Mar. Drugs 2014, 12, 128-152; doi:10.3390/md12010128.

8Zanghi BM et al.: Effects of postexercise feeding of a sup-plemental carbohydrate and protein bar with or without astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis to exercise-condi-tioned dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2015 Apr;76(4):338-50.

9Destefanis S et al.: Clinical evaluation of a nutraceutical diet as an adjuvant to pharmacological treatment in dogs affected by Keratoconjunctivitis sicca. BMC Vet Res. 2016 Sep 22;12(1):214.

10Sato F et al.: Effects of Daily Astaxanthin and L-Carni-tine Supplementation for Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Training Thoroughbred Horses. Journal of Equine Veteri-nary Science. 35. 2015.

11Chew BP et al.: Dietary astaxanthin enhances immune response in dogs. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopa-thology. 2011;140(3-4):199-206.

12Park et al. Astaxanthin stimulates cell-mediated and hu-moral immune responses in cats. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 2011;144:455–461.

13Kamada H et al.: Astaxanthin increases progesterone production in cultured bovine luteal cells. J Vet Med Sci. 2017 Jun 29;79(6):1103-1109. Epub 2017 Apr 23.

14Wan FC et al.: Protective effects of astaxanthin on lipo-polysaccharide-induced inflammation in bovine endometrial epithelial cells†. Biol Reprod. 2020 Feb 14;102(2):339-347.

15Hosseindoust et al. Muscle Antioxidant Activity and Meat Quality Are Altered by Supplementation of Astaxan-thin in Broilers Exposed to High Temperature. Antioxidants 2020, 9, 1032.

16Daly B et al.: Dietary astaxanthin supplementation for hatchery-cultured red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus , juveniles. Aquacult Nutr. 2013 Jun;19(3):312–20.

17Li M et al.: Comparison effect of dietary astaxanthin and Haematococcus pluvialis on growth performance, anti-oxidant status and immune response of large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena crocea. Aquaculture. 2014 Oct;434:227–32.

18Cai M et al.: Dietary Haematococcus pluvialis promotes growth of red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) via positive regulation of the gut microbial co-occur-rence network. Aquaculture. 2022 Mar;551:737900.

19Janssen et al. Microalgae based production of sin-gle-cell protein. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 2022, 75:102705.

20Araújo et al. (2021) Current Status of the Algae Pro-duction Industry in Europe: An Emerging Sector of the Blue Bioeconomy. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:626389. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.626389.

https://tion.com/microalgae-is-natures-green-gold-our-pioneering-

https://doi.org/10.3390/

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“Among the bioactive compounds highlighted in seaweed, the polysaccharides are of particular interest for their specific prebiotic effect on the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota. This review provides a brief discussion on the prebiotic effect of

seaweed polysaccharides on the GI microbiota. Specific examples of the prebiotic effects of seaweed polysaccharides, when applied as whole seaweed powder on

the GI microbiota and the subsequent impacts on the animals are provided.”

Marine macroalgae (referred to as seaweed) consist of three diverse Phyla, the Phaeo-

phyta (brown) Chlorophyta (green) and Rodophy-ta (red) seaweeds. Of the more than 10,000 species identified, a little under 300 species are commonly used globally. These can be further categorized into approximately, 163 species of Rhodophyceae, 75 of Pheophyceae and 33 of Chlorophyceae (White and Wilson, 2015). Numerous published reports and decades of successful use have highlighted the po-tential of seaweeds as rich sources of bioactive com-pounds with potential applications in animal nutri-tion. The range of bioactive components in seaweed include polysaccharides, peptides, essential fatty acids, polypnols, phytogens, pigments and miner-als. Among the bioactive compounds highlighted in seaweed, the polysaccharides are of particular in-terest for their specific prebiotic effect on the gas-trointestinal (GI) microbiota (de Jesus Raposo et al 2016; Sardari and Karlsson, 2018; Cherry et al., 2019; Shannon et al., 2021). This review provides a brief discussion on the prebiotic effect of seaweed

polysaccharides on the GI microbiota. Specific ex-amples of the prebiotic effects of seaweed polysac-charides, when applied as whole seaweed powder on the GI microbiota and the subsequent impacts on the animals are provided.

PREBIOTICS AND THE GI MICROBIOTAPrebiotics are defined as non-digested food com-

ponents that, through the stimulation of growth and/or activity of a single type or category of GI mi-crobe, improve the health status of the host animal (Gibson and Roberfroid, 2017). To be considered a prebiotic a food component must: 1) be resistance to gastric acidity and hydrolysis by mammalian en-zymes and subsequent gastrointestinal absorption; 2) be subject to fermentation by intestinal micro-flora; and 3) selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of the intestinal bacteria that contribute to health and well-being of the host.

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota has been shown to affect the availability of nutrients in the

SEAWEED POLYSACCHARIDESAS A SOURCE OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PREBIOTIC FIBRE

Dr Jason SandsHead of NutritionOcean Harvest Technology

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intestine, modulate the immune response and to provide signals that effect behaviour of the host animal (Maslowski and Mackey, 2011; Stanley et al, 2014; LaBlanc et al 2017; Mesa et al, 2017). In healthy animals consuming a nutrient adequate diet, the microbial community has a specific composi-tion (Borda-Molina et al, 2018; Tröscher-Mußotter et al, 2019). Poor diet, stress, infection, or other en-vironmental challenges can alter the normal profile of the GI microbiota resulting in the development of a condition referred to as dysbiosis, a disturbance of the normal GI microbiota profile resulting in an altered immune response and consequent digestive disorders (DeGruttola et al, 2016).

Recent advances in genomic techniques have shed new light on the prebiotic effect of seaweed poly-saccharides on the GI microbiota profile and relat-ed physiological effects (Borda Molina et al, 2018; Tröscher-Mußotter et al, 2019). Using metagenom-ic analyses, chicken cecal samples were found to contain Proteobacteria as the most abundant phy-lum (47–79%) followed by Firmicutes (12–28%) and Bacteroidetes (7–27%). At the family level, the Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Clostri-diaceae, Eubacteriaceae and Unclassified bacteria are the more abundant species in the chicken ceca (Borda Molina et al, 2018). The dominant phyla in the pig’s cecaum are the Firmicutes and Bacte-roidetes, which account for mor ethan 80% of the identified bacterial sequences identified. The most

abundant bacterial families in the pig's caecum and colon were Prevotellaceae (22.3%), Lactobacillace-ae (17.9%), Lachnospiraceae (8.9%), Clostridiace-ae (5.8%), Bacteroidaceae (5.4%), Veillonellaceae (5.4%) and Rumminococcaceae (3.7%) as reported by Tröscher-Mußotter et al, (2019). In cattle, the core microbiome of the rumen displays a distinct profile (Lamendella et al, 2011). This core microbi-ome in the rumen changes when diet-type changes between forage and high grain diets. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes are the core phyla in the rumen of cattle consuming all diet types. When cattle are fed a high grain diet, Proteobacteria become the dominant phyla. With forage based diets, the Ruminococcace-ae and Lachnospiraceae families are most prevalent. These changes in the core microbiota of the rumen, suggest it may be possible to effect changes in the rumen microbiota with seaweed polysaccharides.

SEAWEED POLYSACCHARIDESUnique polysaccharides or fibre found only in sea-

weed, account for around 30-75% of the dry weight of seaweeds, where they serve a structural role in cell walls (Xu et al, 2017). Of the total fibre in seaweed, only a proportion are soluble polysaccharides, po-sessing prebiotic activity. The soluble polysaccharides comprise around 55–65 % of total fibre in commonly used green and red seaweed but may be above 80 % in commonly used brown seaweed (Lahaye 1991; Fig-ure 1). These soluble polysaccharides are particularly effective prebiotics in animals (Hentati et al, 2020).

Figure 1: The fibre profile of brown, green and red seaweeds expressed as the median reported value in g/kg of dry weight (Overland et al, 2018).

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The numerous seaweeds identified contain varying amounts of fibre, consisting mainly of polysaccharides, with only small amounts of di-saccharides and monosaccharides. Seaweed poly-saccharides primarily occur in sulphated and non-sulphated forms. The structural array of polysaccharides functions as either matrix or stor-age molecules that differ in composition between seaweed species (Figure 2). In addition to solu-bility as a functional property, sulphated polysac-charides (SP) of seaweed origin are unique in that they combine the bioactivities of polysaccharides with the additional bioactivity of the attached sulphate group (Hentati et al, 2020). These SPs identified in brown, green and red seaweed are generally absent in land-based plants (Berri et al, 2017). The extent to which seaweed polysaccha-rides are sulphated differs among the main sea-weed species. For example, the ulvans from green algae are extensively sulphated, whereas alginates, the predominant polysaccharide in brown sea-weed, are not sulphated. The high diversity in seaweed polysaccharides provides opportunities to combine different seaweed species, creating a more diverse source of prebiotic fibres compared to using a single seaweed as a source of prebiot-ic fibre. This concept has been used to formulate

specific blends of seaweeds, containing varying proportions of brown, green and red seaweeds.

The bioactivity of seaweed polysaccharides de-pends on factors such as molecular weight, charge density, sulphate content of sulphated polysaccha-rides and structural and conformation character-istics (Hentati et al., 2020). Numerous scientific research reports indicate seaweed polysaccharides may display several bioactive properties including anticoagulant, antioxidant, antitrombotic, bacte-riostatic and antiviral activities. However, evidence suggests, the prebiotic effect is the primary mode of action by which seaweed polysaccharides, added to animal feed influences GI microbial profile, physi-ological indicators of GI health, digestive efficiency and growth response in animals.

PREBIOTIC EFFECTS OF SEAWEED POLYSACCHARIDES IN ANIMALSThe prebiotic effect of seaweed polysaccharides in

animals has been investigated under in vitro and in vivo conditions. While early studies were helpful in demonstrating the prebiotic properties of seaweed polysaccharides, the information provided is incom-plete due to the lack of adequate techniques for as-sessing changes in the GI microbiota. However, re-

Figure 2: The polysaccharides in brown, green and red seaweeds (from Stiger and Deslandes, 2016).

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cent advances in genomics techniques for assessing the GI microbiota, has shed new light on the pre-biotic effect of seaweed polysaccharides on the GI microbiota profile and related physiological effects.

Furthermore, the additional bioactive properties of SPs of green seaweeds has been demonstrated us-ing ulvans and their oligosaccharides, which have been shown to possess strong immune-modulating activities (Wany et al., 2014). Several studies have reported that sulphated polysaccharides extracted from different seaweeds, such as L. japonica, A. nodosum or U. pinnafitida have demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the growth of pathogenic bac-teria (De Jesus Raposo et al, 2015). Extracts rich in either laminarin or fucoidan fibres at 0.3 and 0.24 g/kg of food, respectively, that were isolated from Laminaria spp., decreased the fecal E. coli popula-tions in pigs and reduced bacterial load in raw meat products (McDonnel et al, 2010).

APPLYING A SEAWEED BLEND POSITIVELYIMPACTS THE GI MICROBIOTA A proprietary seaweed blend, including brown,

green and red seaweeds was included in the diets of swine, poultry and equine at around 0.5% to 1% of daily feed intake to assess the effects on growth and productivity.

In a 42-day broiler chicken study, a proprietary seaweed blend was included at a rate of 0.5% to a wheat-soyabean based diet, the relative abundance profile of bacteria families in the ceca tended to shift towards the fimicutes (Figure 3). This shift led to a change in Fimicutes to Bacteroidegtes ratio from 17.7 to 22.6, indicating the presence of more of the important fibre degrading, butyrate producers such as the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae (Vi-tal et al, 2017). The broiler chickens consuming the seaweed containing diet tended (P≤0.09) to have im-proved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio.

https://oceanharvesttechnology.com/

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In pigs, adding seaweed polysaccharides in the form of a seaweed blend to the diets of piglets over 35 days post-weaning, led to an improvement (P<0.01) or positive shift in the Firmicutes to Bac-teroidetes ratio from a low of 5% to an average of 12% in the control and control with seaweed groups, respectively. The inclusion of seaweed also increased (P<0.5) the abundance of Ruminoccoca-ceae and Lachnospiraceae and decreased Prevotella-ceae compared to the control group. At macro level, feed conversion ratio or feed efficiency was signifi-cantly improved (P=0.01) in the pigs consuming diets containing the seaweed blend.

In a trial with horses maintained at the same sta-ble and allowed free access to hay over 12 weeks, a seaweed blend was added at 45 g per horse per day into their energy supplement. Faecal samples were collected from 5 horses at the beginning and end of the 12-week trial period. The relative abundance at bacterial family level revealed shifts in key fibre-de-grading, butyrate producing families, the Rumino-coccaceae and Lachnospiraceae. On the other hand, the relative abundance of Streptococcaceae and Akkermansiaceae, families that appear to increase in horses with laminitis were relatively reduced in horses consuming the seaweed blend.

CONCLUDING REMARKSThe GI microbiota which has been associated

with nutrient availability and maintenance of the normal physiological status of the GI tract can be influence by the provision of prebiotic fibre. The prebiotic effect of unique, seaweed polysac-charides, that are not found in land-based plants, have been demonstrated in trials revealing posi-tive impacts on the beneficial, butyrate-produc-ing GI microbiota. Research has demonstrated that butyrate serves a key role in energy provision to the intestinal epithelium, modulating the im-mune response and affects several key metabolic pathways in the body. Initial data with whole sea-weed blends suggests, seaweed polysaccharides are highly effective as prebiotics in animals. Ongoing research with seaweed seeks to further understand and optimize the prebiotic effect of seaweed poly-saccharides in animals.

Figure 3: The relative abundance at Phyla level in broiler chickens consuming a wheat and soybean meal-based diet for 42 days.

About Dr Jason SandsJason is Head of Nutrition at Ocean Harvest Tech-

nology Ltd. In this role Jason is responsible for leading research to develop technical documentation, strength-en the OceanFeed brand and support OHT’s sales and distribution teams by providing technical guidance for the OceanFeed range of products. Prior to Joining OHT, Jason worked various research and technical roles with public, academic and private companies. Jason holds a Bachelor and Master of science degrees in Animal Science from Tuskegee University and The University of Tennes-see, respectively, and a PhD in Animal Nutrition from Purdue University.

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EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF MICRO-ENCAPSULATED PHYCOGENICS

Novel combinations of natural extracts, from plants and seaweeds, offer alternative to growth promoters and support better performance of

livestock animals.

The market of plant extracts or so-called phy-togenics emerged in the late 80’s and expe-

rienced a boom during the last decade, with the demand from consumers for more sustainable ingre-dients. It corresponds as well to the end of ‘black box’ solutions and the development of more trans-parent, advanced and innovative technologies.

RISE OF PHYTOGENICS IN ANIMAL NUTRITION IN LAST DECADEWith the ban of antibiotics used as growth pro-

moters (AGP) in several regions worldwide, nutri-tionists have tried to use additives based on plant extracts to improve performance of broilers to the same level as AGP. Even if the initial intention was to use plants extracts for their antimicrobial activi-ty, research has shown their broader range of effects on gut functions, such as:

• Modulation of microbiota composition and activity: Certain plant extracts can limit the growth or virulence of certain pathogens while have limited effect on ‘good’ bacteria.

• Stimulation of digestive functions: Several plant extracts increase the activity of endogenous digestive enzymes and influence uptake and tran-sepithelial transport, and improve nutrients diges-

tion and absorption• Modulation of immune response: Specific

molecules contribute to lower gut inflammation while other molecules modulate cytokines produc-tion from macrophages or down/up regulate the ex-pression genes coding for cytokine production to keep inflammation under control, or support devel-opment of acquired immunity.

• Improvement of gut integrity: Some molecules or natural ingredients stimulate mucous production and epithelial cell proliferation and therefore con-tribute to the maturation and integrity of the gut structure.

The group of phytogenics covers a wide group of molecules ‘inspired’ from nature. All these mol-ecules come from a “plant”, but may come from different parts of the plant (leafy part, bark, seeds, roots, etc.). They may be extracted using different methods ranging from simple milling and mixing to more elaborated water distillation (essential oils), alcohol extraction (tinctures) or chemically synthesized (nature-like compounds). These ingre-dients have different properties, different effects on animals, and also different purity or stability, especially for the volatile compounds.

Dr. Stephanie LadiratR&D DirectorNUQO Feed Additives

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PHYCOGENICS, A NOVEL GENERATION OF NATURAL INGREDIENTSPhytogenics are of great importance in animal nutri-

tion, and marine macroalgae can be considered as sup-plements to positively influence animal performance and health parameters. Seaweeds represent a large and heterogeneous group, including brown algae (Phaeo-phyceae), red algae (Rhodophyceae) and green algae (Chlorophyceae). While algae are frequently studied as a source of nutrients, seaweeds possess several bio-active molecules, so called ‘phycogenics’ (from Greek phycos = algae), that are studied for their prebiotic, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Few examples of mol-ecules exclusively found in marine algae are sulfated polysaccharides, phlorotannins and laminarins.

Research has shown the effects of several com-pounds and metabolites, and their specific impact of physiology. Here is a short list of molecules or groups of molecules from sea-weeds, which have been specifical-ly studied:• Natural polyphenols such as phlorotannin, tocopherol, bro-mophenol (antioxidant activity)• Sulfated polysaccharides or fu-coidans (immune enhancer)• Natural pigment (to improve egg/meat color)• Specific complex polysaccharides (prebiotic affect)

Phycogenics are not meant to re-place phytogenics, but they repre-sent a fantastic opportunity to new metabolites with potential benefits on health of humans and animals.

PHYCOGENICS ADD VALUE ON TOP OF PHYTOGENICSA recent trial was performed at

the University of Berlin (Germany), to compare the effects of two com-mercial products based on phyto-genics (P1 & P2), with a micro-en-

capsulation of phytogenics + phycogenics (NQ). The effects were measured on performance of the birds and apparent ileal digestibility of feed at 21 days of age. Researchers observed that the combined product not only improved digestibility of nutrients (crude fat, crude protein and starch) but also increased di-gestibility of minerals (crude ash, calcium and phos-phorus) as compared to the negative control (Figure 1). The other two solutions improved digestibility of some nutrients and minerals but to a lower extent than NQ. Performance results at 21 days are well in line with the observed effects on digestibility (Figure 2). The NQ treatment had the strongest effects on nutrient and mineral digestibility, and had the high-est improvement in performance at 21 days, with better gain (+2,2%) and improved FCR (-0,6%) as compared to the control. All in all, the treatment NQ with phycogenics showed an improvement of feed di-gestibility that resulted in an improved performance, compared to classic products based on phytogenics.

Figure 1: The effects of 4 treatments on apparent ileal digestibility of nutrients & minerals, and performance in broilers of 21 days of age. * p<0.05

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Additional results from a trial performed at Southern Poultry (USA), confirmed the interest of micro-encapsulation of phycogenics with phytogen-ics. In this trial, 3 groups of birds were fed with 3 treatments: a negative control, a second treatment with antibiotics (BMD) and a third group with a combination of phytogenics and phycogenics. In

parallel, all animals were placed on a re-used litter to create a mild N.E. challenge.

Performance results at 14 days and then 42 days were well in line with previous experimentations and showed that the micro-encapsulation of phy-togenics and phycogenics could provide similar or better performance compared to other treatments.

MICRO-ENCAPSULATED PHYTOGENICS AND PHYCOGENICS AS A NEW STANDARD Since the market of plant extracts emerged 30 years

ago, there is now enough evidence and knowledge to understand the effects of these products, as well as the parameters that guarantee the optimal effica-cy and best impact on gut health. Nutritionists can now expect solutions based on transparent formula-tion, which includes well-known but also innovative molecules, from land or marine plants, protected by advanced technology for stable and consistent ef-fect. This novel generation of plant-based additives represents a great opportunity for formulators and nutritionists to further invest in sustainable tech-nologies, to better address challenges related to gut health and create more value for their customers.

Figure 2: The effects of 3 treatments on performance of broilers at 14 and 42 days of age during a mild NE challenge.

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SEAWEED SOLUTIONS FOR PERFORMANCE, HEALTH & WELLBEING

“Seaweed in animal feed may be a relatively unknown concept. Scientific studies have already shown its enormous potential and The Seaweed

Company has been demonstrating many of its benefits in the field at scale. For livestock farmers it can bring promising sustainable, economic and health

& wellbeing results in a broad range of animal types.”

SEAWEED: A POWERFUL, NATURAL AND CLIMATE POSITIVE SOURCE

OF NUTRIENTSSeventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered

with water. The ocean holds a vast array of resourc-es that have been utilized by humans for centuries, with seaweed being one of them. While perceptions differ around the world, seaweed is often overlooked by Europeans. Beyond its use in Asian cuisine, many people lack knowledge on the potential applications or benefits of this powerful natural biomass source. However, humans have a long history with seaweed for food and medicine dating as far back as 2700 BC. The first rudimentary attempts of farming of seaweed began as early as 1670 in Japan.

Seaweed (macro algae) is a plant-like organism which grows in a variety of forms and colours in the oceans as well as in brackish and freshwater environments. It is rich in minerals, vitamins and polysaccharides, with some species also contain-ing larger amounts of amino acids, proteins, pep-tides, polyphenols and fatty acids. Globally there are some 12,000 species of seaweed of which only

ca. 40 species are commercially exploited. They all grow without the need for additional resources like fresh water pesticides or fertilizer. Seaweed absorbs nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the seawater and need to absorb CO2 in order to grow. Besides, seaweeds play an important role in pro-viding ecosystem services: it forms an integral part of a complex food web and offers habitat, nursery grounds and shelter for different marine species.

Its biochemical composition and properties make seaweed a valuable material. Seaweed can be applied in a increasing range of applications ranging from food products and animal feed to cosmetics and chemicals for various industries. Many of these ap-plications provide sustainable, low-carbon and less harmful alternatives to existing options, offering di-verse environmental and health benefits.

Although seaweed farming is not a novel concept with over 30 million tonnes farmed in Asia every year, it has gained a lot of attention over the last decade as it might offer part of the solution for cli-mate change .

Ingrid Jonker, MScBusiness Development Lead Blue FarmingThe Seaweed Company

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ABOUT THE SEAWEED COMPANYThe Seaweed Company was founded in 2018 and

produces its own seaweeds in Ireland, Morocco, In-dia and The Netherlands. We are active throughout the entire cultivation process from seeding and sys-tem deployment to harvesting and processing.

The recent investment of Colruyt Group enables us to scale up fast to make real impact. We focus on marketing high-quality seaweed solutions for ani-mal feed, agriculture - in the form of biostimulants - and human food. We implement regenerative, CO2-reducing concepts, products, and applications all over the globe that deliver impact on many areas. Our goal is to fully capture the value of seaweed.

Everything we do is economically inclusive, so-cially just and environmentally restorative. Seaweed has a positive effect on many challenges we face to-day like global warming, acidification of our oceans, diseases and inequality. After successful tests with agricultural entrepreneurs last year, several seaweed products have been marketed in the Blue Farming and Blue Health concepts

WHAT DOES THE CONCEPT “BLUE FARMING” STAND FOR?As one of the European front runners in seaweed

applications, The Seaweed Company offers sustainable seaweed based solutions to support agricultural and

livestock farmers. Built on the core belief of The Sea-weed Company to use the “blue” power of the sea to support agricultural activities on land, we have named this approach “Blue Farming”. The transition to a more plant-based diet and to more regenerative practices is progressing quickly in industrialized countries and that will fuel the Blue Farming transition even faster.

SO WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT OUR SEAWEED BLENDS? Our livestock feed solutions are proprietary formu-

las based on uniquely selected and balanced sets of species of brown, green and red marine macro algae. As each type of seaweed brings its specific different bioactive compounds, combinations of seaweed en-hances synergistic effects. And by using blends we mitigate potential negative consequences that using seaweed might encounter (e.g. heavy metals, iodine levels). Based on the specific animal needs and chal-lenges we carefully select the right species to capital-ize on the performance ingredients in the different seaweeds. Applying the seaweed blends in the ani-mal’s diets, valuable benefits for the animals and the farmers are seen. The seaweed blends can be easily supplemented to the existing animal feed solutions in either dried or liquid form. And because of our vertically integrated nature with our own seaweed farms, The Seaweed Company can reliably deliver traceable and high-quality seaweed materials that fit the requirements and needs of today’s farmer.

A TSC seaweed farm in Ireland

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SEAWEED BENEFITS FOR LIVESTOCKIn vivo studies on ruminants, pigs, poultry and

rabbits reveal that some seaweeds have the poten-tial to contribute to the protein and energy require-ments of livestock, while others contain a number of bioactive compounds, which could be used as prebi-otic for enhancing production and health status of both monogastric and ruminant livestock. Marine algae have a demonstrated potential to act as envi-ronmentally friendly biocides with no negative side effects and could fulfil the need of alternative and safe supplements to increase health and welfare in livestock. Therefore, seaweeds can be considered as a sustainable alternative for current chemical use.

OUR PIG EXAMPLE In a recent field study with 1,200 post-weaning

piglets at the farm of the Lavrijsen Agriculture Group in The Netherlands, the seaweed blend sup-plement for piglets has delivered strong results. During the study period with 0.7% inclusion of the blend in the piglets’ diets, the treated piglets had almost no diarrhoea and were very active, alert and curious as compared to non-treated group which were sedate and shy in comparison. The treatment group appeared to be less prone to disease; they showed better resistance against Greasy pig disease

(staphylococcus hyicus), resulting in lower use of antibiotics (and associated costs) and a 25% low-er dropout. Furthermore, daily growth (ADG) and food conversion rate (FCR) showed respectively 1% and 2.5 % improvement. Visual inspections from the pig farm manager confirmed the data as the skin shine of the trial piglets reportedly was very obvious in comparison to the control group.

The farm owner Roel Lavrijsen, who has been in-volved as one of the frontrunning believers in the benefits that seaweeds can offer to his farming prac-tices, has been very confident about the success of seaweeds as feed supplement. Having observed the piglet trial results and capitalizing on the benefits he and his farm managers decided to continue using seaweed in the diets of their piglets. We have started implementing and expanding the seaweed inclusion in the diets to the sows and finishers. Furthermore, when applying seaweeds in the diets of finisher pigs, improved quality has also been observed by the slaughter inspector who noticed a remarkable absence of abscesses in the carcasses of the trial pigs. With these multiple applications underway at his farm, he fully embraces the seaweed supplements as a natural, sustainable solution for his pigs with a sounds business case.

TSC’s seaweed blends included in animal feed

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ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TRIAL WITH BROILERSAnother promising result has been observed when

our seaweed blend was fed in a large field trial at a Dutch broiler farmer. After a 6 week trial with 34,000 broilers consuming daily the seaweed additive at 0.4%, there was no need for receiving antibiotics and the veterinarian visual inspections led to posi-tive insights. The broilers faeces looked more natural, their feathers seemed thicker and the broilers showed lower stress levels. The veterinarian already suspected a better health & wellbeing of the seaweed-fed chick-ens with the avoidance of antibiotics being a major indication of stronger resilience of the animals. Even-tually the significantly better 6-week IKB score (3.18 vs 7.19 control) confirmed and strengthened the al-ready positive quantitative results.

Both the collected trial figures on health & well-being improvements and the improved performance (FCR, lower meat rejection) complemented with the visual observations of the farmer’s veterinarian gave the farmer sufficient insights and to develop contin-ued interest to using the seaweed supplement.

HOW TO JUSTIFY ADDING ADDITIONAL COSTS IN THIS ALREADY TIGHT MARKET? Adding seaweed in the animal premix, is indeed

adding costs to the final formula. However, as the offered solution contains a lot of natural containing ingredients like minerals and vitamins, some ingre-dients in the existing formula can be replaced which is beneficial from a cost perspective. In addition, one should not only look at the costs of the seaweed solution itself. Lower FCR, no antibiotics/medicine and better-quality meat will make the use of sea-weed-based products commercially viable.

GOING FORWARDHaving started with an initial focus on poultry, swine

and ruminant applications, the team is now also testing seaweed blends and applications for aquaculture (e.g. salmon, shrimp), equine, calves and pets. All with the positive impact benefits in mind and adhering to the principles of a reliable, sustainable and high-quality value chain: sustainably cultivated, (hand) harvested,

(sun)dried and fully traceable. Embracing seaweeds in animal feed means contributing to positive impact on animal health and regeneration of our planet. Looking at global growth and food production, sustainable an-imal production is likely to only further increase. And with global bacterial resistance and a ban on using in-feed antibiotics, seaweed has a promising role to play in various animal industries.

In short, seaweeds promote positive immune re-sponse and gut health, improvement of digestive processes and result in better animal health and production yields. For livestock farmers this means healthier animals with higher value and reduced cost to grow, combined with a step towards more sustainable farming. Applications with seaweeds have lots of benefits to offer, many of them fully in line with principles of the EU Green Deal to make big steps towards more sustainable agriculture. It is envisaged that seaweed extracts will form an inher-ent part of the feeding strategy in farmed animals in the future. This is amongst others laid out in the EU Organic Action Plan (March ’21) where is stat-ed that an EU algae industry will be strongly sup-ported to ensure the supply of algae as alternative feed material for organic animal farming.

References• S. Kraan, 2022. Seaweeds and Their Products for

the Health of Livestock. In book: Sustainable Global Resources Of Seaweeds Volume 1 (pp.331-356)

• Hidden champion of the ocean - Seaweed as a growth engine for a sustainable European future; Sea-weed for Europe, 2020

• Seaweed global demand: Component of inter-est and short-and medium-term trends. World Bank Group, 2020

• Seaweeds for livestock diets: A review. Makkar et al, 2016

About Ingrid JonkerIngrid has more than 10 years of Business Development

experience in the Food & Nutrition space and gained ex-tensive knowledge on seaweed and the value added solu-tions it can bring .

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“As a natural food source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, the algae play an important role in both human and animal nutrition. Thanks to the studies carried out in recent years, special structures such as phycocyanin and polysaccharide in the content of algae attract attention. In addition to its growth and immune

effects, it has been reported that algae also have productivity-enhancing properties in animal products such as meat, milk and eggs in the field of livestock.”

Microalgae are simple microscopic hetero-trophic and/or autotrophic photosynthet-

ic organisms that grow in the aquatic environment and can be in unicellular or multicellular structures. Microalgae, which can be found in prokaryotic or eukaryotic structures, can reproduce rapidly and can live even under adverse conditions thanks to their unicellular or simple multicellular structures. It is estimated that there are more than 50000 species of microalgae, but about 30000 species have been identified so far. There are many ingredients in the structure of microalgae, mainly lipids (4-55%), car-bohydrates (6-57%), and proteins (10-63%). Some microalgae species have also been reported to con-tain more than 70% (on dry weight basis) lipids.

Microalgae, which generally live autotrophically in nature, perform photosynthesis using their pigments. By performing photosynthesis, they convert carbon dioxide, water and sunlight into biomass. However, depending on the specific characteristics of the species, they can also develop as heterotrophic and mixotrop-hic, apart from autotrophic conditions. Heterotrophic

microalgae use organic carbon as a carbon source in dark conditions. Glucose, galactose, mannose, fruc-tose, sucrose and lactose are commonly used as organ-ic carbon sources in heterotrophic and mixotrophic growth. Bioreactors are used in industrial microalgae production. Microalgae cells are cultured in the lab-oratory and they are provided to grow and multiply in bioreactor tanks. When the microalgae reach the desired maturity and content values, they are dried by various methods (freeze and spray drying).

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MACROALGAE AND MICROALGAEMacroalgae are large aquatic photosynthetic plant-

like organisms that are visible to the naked eye. They are often referred to as seaweeds. Whereas microal-gae are small aquatic photosynthetic plant-like or-ganisms that can only be seen under a microscope. They are often called phytoplankton. Thus, this is the main difference between macroalgae and microalgae. Besides this, another important difference between macroalgae and microalgae is that macroalgae are multicellular whereas microalgae are unicellular.

MICROALGAE AS A SUSTAINABLE AND VALUABLE FEED INGREDIENT

Görkem KoyunFounderMarin Biotechnology

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ALGAE AS A VALUABLE INGREDIENTProblems such as food insufficiency and unbal-

anced nutrition that may be encountered with the increasing population push human beings to find alternative sources. In this context, algae attract attention with their high nutritional content and health benefits, as well as providing a sustainable food supply. And with these features, algae are also considered a candidate to be a functional food. Daily consumption of foods with the addition of functional ingredients produced by algae can im-prove health and reduce the risk of chronic diseas-es. Algae, which have been considered as food for centuries in Asian countries, have now been used in almost every region of the world, either directly as food, as a food additive or as a food supplement.

Similar developments are valid within the live-stock sector. The feed raw materials used cannot meet the demand due to population growth, and their costs are increasing day by day due to climatic, ecological, logistical reasons. It is seen that glob-al warming, wars, global crises and pandemic also contribute to these cost increases.

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION: FROM WASTE MATERIALS TO VALUABLE FOOD…One of the main elements that make algae popular

today is its compliance with the sustainable produc-tion model. Algae use waste materials as an energy source, converting them into valuable nutritional ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore, algae are one of the most important producers of the food chain. It seems possible for algae to be an im-portant source in meeting the nutritional needs in the future, due to the fact that they can increase their weight 2-3 times in a day, their production is easy and economical, and there are no side effects. Me-tabolites such as fat and fatty acids, protein, carbohy-drates (sugars), pigments, minerals, vitamins, sterols, antioxidants and bioactive polyphenols can be pro-duced from algae, which show a very rapid increase in biomass due to their division and proliferation.

USAGE AREAS OF ALGAEAlgae have been used for various purposes in many

areas from past to present. Algae are among the im-portant resources used in many fields such as the food industry, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, animal nutrition, waste treatment, cosmetics, and biodiesel production. Algae contain many bioactive molecules with wide biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and anticarcinogenic. Phyco-colloids, which are used as active and auxiliary sub-stances in pharmacy, are obtained from algae. In addi-tion, antioxidant compounds contained in algae have an important place in the fight against free radicals, which are formed during the functioning of metab-olism and are the initiator of some chronic diseases.

ALGAE AS AN ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENT IN ANIMAL NUTRITIONNutrition plays an important role in the regulation

of growth, development and physiological functions as well as being necessary for the maintenance of life. Depending on these factors in both human and animal nutrition, the demand for healthier and nat-ural products is increasing day by day. In addition, the increasing world population, the decrease in ag-ricultural resources and the variability of economic conditions have led to studies for the production of easy-growing, high quality and natural alternative additives. There is a reliable consumption of algae, one of the natural alternative additives, from the past to the present. These natural foods, which are sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, play an important role in both human and animal nutrition. Thanks to

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the studies carried out in recent years, special struc-tures such as phycocyanin and polysaccharide in the content of algae attract attention. In addition to its growth and immune effects, it has been reported that algae also have productivity-enhancing properties in animal products such as meat, milk and eggs in the field of livestock. In addition, the use of algae in the fields of animal feed utilization and fertility improve-ment has also been demonstrated by studies.

Industrial algae are the main source of DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. Living organisms (humans, an-imals, etc.) cannot synthesize these fatty acids in their bodies and they must be taken with diet. DHA is the most important fatty acid necessary for the development of the brain and retina, the need for this fatty acid is quite high, especially in the early stages of development.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF ALGAE TO SUSTAINABLE ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAlgae are one of the most important producers of

the food chain. It seems possible for algae to be an important source in meeting the nutritional needs in the future, due to the fact that they can increase their weight 2-3 times in a day, their production is easy and economical, and there are no side effects. Me-tabolites such as fat and fatty acids, protein, carbohy-drates (sugars), pigments, minerals, vitamins, sterols, antioxidants and bioactive polyphenols can be pro-duced from algae, which show a very rapid increase in biomass due to their division and proliferation.

¾ of the world's fishmeal and fish oil is produced from pelagic species (anchovy, sardines, mackerel herring, etc.) obtained by fishing from the open seas. In order to ensure the sustainability of natural stocks, careful fisheries management such as seasonal quota determination and controlled fishing is implemented by the governments of the relevant countries. How-ever, these implementations are insufficient and re-sources are rapidly depleted. 1 ton of microalgae is equivalent to 40 tons of wild sea fish.

Ruminants play a very important role in the food chain as they can utilize cellulose and non-protein ni-trogenous compounds (PON) that other livestock and humans can partially digest or not digest at all. But ruminants also have some disadvantages. Methane, a greenhouse gas that is formed as a natural result of ru-minal digestion in these animals, is both an economic and an ecological problem. Recent studies have shown that cows fed algae reduce their gas emissions by 70%.

PRODUCTION OF MICROALGAE IN THE WORLD Microalgae have found the most application area

as fertilizer in the Far East, and this is the oldest known area of use. There were such practices in the 12th century in countries with wide coasts such as France, Ireland and England. In recent years, Amer-ica has been leading the studies on microalgae pro-duction. According to the microalgae production share of the countries in 2009, the United States of America is the leader in the sector with 47%. Most of the microalgae produced by the USA is used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. China ranks second with 21% algae production and uses all of the microalgae it produces in the food indus-try. Australia and New Zealand follow China with 14%. New Zealand, on the other hand, is the most efficient country using microalgae in terms of ob-taining microalgae-based biofuels. These countries are followed by the European Union countries with 10%, Argentina with 6%, and Brazil with 2%.

Algae are considered to be feed additives thanks to the valuable fatty acids and antioxidant compounds they contain. Thanks to high omega-3 levels, algae are

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used as enriching nutrient in feed and food. Howev-er, it has been observed that animals consuming algae also cause significant changes in performance data. Microalgae produced at industrial scale today have different mechanisms of action according to strain differences, and their production amounts need to be increased in order to be used as raw material. Algae, which can be enriched with protein, are quite suffi-cient in terms of amino acid profile and digestibility.

THE FIRST AND ONLY MICROALGAE MANUFACTURER IN TURKEY: MARINBIO Our company, which continues its activities in the

market under the brand of "MarinBio", carries out the production of cellular organisms using biotech-nological methods and the sale of natural substances with added value to the feed, food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, keeping human health at the forefront.

Many cellular species in nature and their contents have not yet been discovered. Thanks to the rapidly

developing technological methods today, the bene-fits of these living species are investigated in detail and offered to the service of humanity. Marin Bio-technology continues its research activities in this direction with determination and aims to be one of the leading companies in its field in the world.

Marin Biotechnology, the first and only com-pany in Turkey to produce 15 tons of microalgae per month on an industrial scale, supports sustain-able feed production with Algome™ and Algome Grow™ microalgae products, which it produces in-dependently from sea-based sources. We think that Algome™ product, which has a high lubrication feature, will attract attention by individuals who eat Vegan-Vegetarian diets due to its rich omega-3 & DHA profile in its oil content. We aim to in-crease the potential of algae with our R&D studies and domestic-foreign projects by making signifi-cant contributions to sustainable agriculture, an-imal husbandry and food with biotechnological methods.

Marin Biyoteknoloji Ürünleri ve Gıda San. Tic. Ltd. Şti. www.marinbio.com.tr [email protected]

https://www.marinbio.com.tr/

INTERVIEW


Moisture management in animal feeds is an extremely important issue that af-

fects many factors such as production, operation and animal nutrition efficiency. Today, industry representatives, scientists and nutritionists often talk about why optimal moisture content in feed is important for both the feed manufacturer and the animal breeder. They conduct research on what can be done to ensure and maintain the optimum moisture level in feed.

The collaboration between Devenish and Perstorp is one of them. They have recently launched Smart-Moisture, a patented moisture management tech-nology, and one of the cutting-edge innovations in

its field. Thanks to its unique content, SmartMois-ture encourages the absorption of moisture and en-sures that the moisture level is maintained during the milling process.

Janus Fouche, Product Manager for SmartMoisture at Devenish, emphasizes that moisture loss reduces feed efficiency. He explains the importance of mois-ture in the production process, losses due to insuffi-cient moisture and the new SmartMoisture technol-ogy for our readers.

Mr. Fouche, first of all, can you tell us about the importance of moisture management in feed production? What are the possible problems that

PRODUCTION WITH OPTIMAL MOISTURE OR MORE EXPENSIVE RAW MATERIALS?

Janus Fouche, Product Manager for SmartMoisture at Devenish

"Due to moisture losses, feed mills are selling feed which is

costing them more and not necessarily providing better

performance at farm level. In our current economic climate, raw materials are scarce and

expensive, and energy costs are rising on a monthly basis. Feed millers and integrators need to

be looking at efficiencies. It is essential to responsibly manage

moisture levels to ensure a reduction of unnecessary

wastage..."

INTERVIEW


may occur due to moisture during and after feed production?

Moisture or water which naturally occur in raw ma-terials or which are added to feed should be consid-ered as an ingredient just like maize, soya and wheat. It is part of the nutritional specification of feed. If moisture is not included as intended, feed millers will fill that space with more expensive raw materials.

Storage facilities are designed to dry raw material, with low humidity, ambient temperatures and grind-ing all contributing to significant moisture losses.

There is a perception that the lower the moisture content in feed, the more concentrated the nutri-ents would be and it should lead to better feed con-version ratio (FCR). However, research has shown a significant increase in feed efficiency (FE) for broil-ers from 3-to-6-weeks gained through moisture ad-ditions to mash feed in the mixer (Source: Moritz et al). This is attributed to better starch gelatinisation, digestibility, and pellet quality.

Therefore, by losing moisture, feed conversion rates will fall. It is also well documented that dryer feed is less efficient at absorbing steam in the cool-

er, it slows down throughput and increases energy consumption in the pelleting press.

How much is the estimated loss/wastage in glob-al animal feed due to moisture related problems?

It is documented that losses can vary from 1-3% depending on the weather conditions and friction during the milling process. In extreme conditions, we have witnessed losses of up to 6%. In essence, the world’s feed industry is losing 12 million to 40 million tons of saleable feed.

What can you say about the extra burden and losses brought by the moisture management problems to the feed mills/enterprises?

Due to moisture losses, feed mills are selling feed which is costing them more and not necessarily providing better performance at farm level. In our current economic climate, raw materials are scarce and expensive, and energy costs are rising on a monthly basis. Feed millers and integrators need to be looking at efficiencies. It is essential to respon-sibly manage moisture levels to ensure a reduction of unnecessary wastage, and increased milling effi-ciencies, through improvements in throughput and a reduction in electricity consumption.

INTERVIEW


Devenish, along with Perstorp, has recent-ly launched a new moisture management tool, SmartMoisture. Can you tell our readers what SmartMoisture is and what its contribution/ad-vantages to moisture management are?

SmartMoisture is the latest innovation in respon-sible moisture management. Uniquely, it contains glycerol esters of propionic acid and surfactant while current products contain ammonia propio-nate and surfactants.

SmartMoisture’s unique combination of glycerol esters of propionic acid and surfactants act fast to en-courage moisture absorption. The surfactants break down the surface tension of water, allowing the water to be distributed throughout a batch of feed and cre-ating more contact between water and feed particles. The glycerol esters then act in synergy as a humec-

tant. The glycerol esters can hold up to 1,000 times their own weight in water as they drag moisture into feed particles. Glycerol is used in the cosmetic indus-try to ensure ointments can absorb into human skin, similar to how SmartMoisture behaves.

SmartMoisture prepares the feed for further ab-sorption of moisture in the conditioning process, allowing for better particle adhesion. We have found improvements in steam retention efficiencies, improvements in throughput and increased energy savings where SmartMoisture is used.

The retention of the moisture is assured, and we consistently see the full retention throughout the feed milling process. SmartMoisture also reduces the effect of equilibrium moisture content after production as well as guarding the feed against moisture migration.

"A solution of SmartMoisture and water is created before dosing. The recommended solution is 380g SmartMoisture to 9,600ml of water for 1%

moisture addition. Dosing the solution is very important as the dosing needs to be accurate at the right time, at the right pressure, through nozzles that

create a mist spray angled into the feed. For this we have developed a network of liquid dosing companies which can support us in building these

systems and maintaining them in every region we do business."

INTERVIEW


How is SmartMoisture used? What does this product contain and how does it increase the pene-tration rate of moisture into the feed?

A solution of SmartMoisture and water is created before dosing. The recommended solution is 380g SmartMoisture to 9,600ml of water for 1% mois-ture addition. Dosing the solution is very important as the dosing needs to be accurate at the right time, at the right pressure, through nozzles that create a mist spray angled into the feed.

For this we have developed a network of liquid dosing companies which can support us in build-ing these systems and maintaining them in every region we do business. The photos on the left show an example dosing system.

What is the optimum moisture level in produc-tion, why is it important and how does SmartMois-ture ensure this level is maintained?

Our recommendation is to ensure feed has the moisture levels intended at the point of manu-facture. Moisture should be treated in a similar fashion to other raw materials which are added as an ingredient just like maize, soya and wheat. It is part of the nutritional specification of feed. If moisture is not included as intended, feed millers will fill that space with more expensive raw ma-terials.

Moisture management is also highly important in terms of feed safety. What is SmartMoisture’s con-tribution to the solution of problems that may oc-cur in feed safety due to moisture?

Adding water to feed without SmartMoisture increases risk. Grains don’t simply absorb water, they become hydrophobic due to a tightening of cell walls as internal moisture is depleted, causing an imbalance of water either side of the cell wall which hinders osmosis. This leads to surface ten-sion issues and water cannot initially penetrate the cell wall.This creates water particles sitting freely in the feed which in turn increases water activity. The higher the water activity the higher the risk of microbial growth (selected fungi will start growing at water activity of 0.67aW).

SmartMoisture through the glycerol esters and surfactants has proven to significantly reduce the water activity in mash, pelleted and extruded feed therefore reducing the risk. The propionic that is esterified to glycerol and formic acid protects the feed against microbial growth. The glycerol esters of propionic acid are not an ionic bond like am-monia propionate and are not pH sensitive to dis-sociation. As a result, we get better retention over time of propionic acid and that leads to longer protection of feed.

Has SmartMoisture ever been tested practically in any feed mill? Could you share with us the results obtained in terms of financial and operational per-formance?

Yes, in the last two years we have run 17 com-mercial trials in various feed mills and extruder plants. We see consistent results and can comfort-ably claim:

• 98% moisture retention• Improved steam absorption• Increase of throughput, minimum result so far

was 10%• Amperage reduction of around 12% (through-

put and amp reduction goes hand in hand)• Pellet durability improvement varying from 0.5%-

13% depending on pellet quality before treatment• Water activity control• Total Enterobacteria and mould control• Retention of moisture after production, this is

associated with reduction of moisture migration and caking in feed.

TRENDING FILE


Weaning piglets without therapeutic zinc oxide: IT’S POSSIBLE AND EFFICIENT!

"Using high level of zinc oxide in piglet feeds is no longer a solution in the European Union and antibiotic reduction is more pressing than ever. To meet these challenges, pig producers must consider a full approach to pull through

and maintain high level of performances."

In France, the use high level of zinc oxide in pig-lets’ feeds was not authorized for a major part

of the two last decades, until 2016. As a result, it was estimated that less than 15% of weaned piglets received a diet with 2500 ppm of zinc oxide. This situation in its domestic market has led the CCPA Group to gain expertise on how to manage weaning without medication.

This field-savvy experience has taught that a total approach is needed to succeed with three pillars. The first one is the feed formulation and the nutritional expertise to provide a secured and high-quality complete feed. Then, as feed for-mulation cannot do it all, the use of phytogenic solutions helps to finalize reaching the complete digestive security. The last pillar involves farm management practices, including biosecurity or sanitary status. These criteria should be checked and improved if needed to move confidently to-wards the withdrawal of therapeutic zinc oxide and any type of medication added into the feed. CCPA strategy covers the process from the feed up to the farm in the demedication context.

HIGH-END FORMULATION: THE FIRST STEP TOWARD SAFE WEANINGWeaning is a highly critical period in pig man-

agement, often associated with diarrhoea, digestive problems, and growth delays. Medications as antibi-otics or therapeutical zinc oxide, represent efficient solutions to manage this gut health issue. Without them, feed formulation needs to be revised to of-fer a highly digestible and concentrated feed with high-quality raw materials. The first key is to low-ered crude protein content without compromising growth with finely selected protein sources.

The CCPA Group approach goes further. The piglet digestive tract is immature. Thus, to not chal-lenged it even more, formulators need to work with proper raw materials qualification and selection. To achieve this, CCPA continuously run analysis on its laboratory. Today, this expertise gathers knowledge on raw materials quality, among others on protein, energy, and dairy-based sources and about the dif-ferent processes applied on raw materials. New anal-yses are developed to keep enhancing raw materials characterization and be used as feed formulation

Anne-Sophie ValableMonogastric Product ManagerCCPA Group

TRENDING FILE


criteria. Lastly, acid binding capacity and cook-ing rate of starch sources have been added into the CCPA piglet formulation specifications.

CCPA global approach has been widely spread and successful in the field since 2011. In trials, CCPA feed outperformed competitors, also non-medicat-ed, with up to 50 g/d in average daily gain, a feed conversion ratio decreased by 0.15 points and a re-duction by 50% of individual treatment.

IMMAX TO COMPLETE DIGESTIVE SECURITYCCPA Group expertise has highlighted that even

the best feed formulation cannot ensure a complete digestive security. That is why the use of additional feed solutions is necessary. According to this vision, IMMAX was developed to helps alleviate the mul-tiple weaning challenges. In the gut, three systems ensure the digestive security and are linked togeth-er by multiple cross-relationships: the gut flora, the gut epithelium with its structure and immunity and the gut wall balance to limit water flow into the lu-men. Numerous literatures confirmed that a solution which only target one of this system is not enough to completely reach a safe weaning. As a result, IM-MAX offers a protection on all of them thanks to a combination of plant extracts and a prebiotic source.

Plant extracts have been proven to enhance gut in-tegrity in the literature. CCPA own in vitro trials has demonstrated that Scutellaria baïcalensis decrease the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. When included in the feed, IMMAX led to a reduc-tion of the blood oxidative stress index, thus the pig-lets were better equipped to face oxidative stress. This index was calculated as the ratio between Hydrogen Peroxide and Biological Antioxidant Potential (i.e., the ratio between the level of oxidation and the lev-el of protection). The second system to watch is the gut wall, with the risk of hypersecretion of water in the lumen leading to secretory diarrhoea. Curcuma,

High level of growth and health are achievable without high level of zinc oxide in the prestarter feed.

Farmers who weaned naturally must work with a secured feed formulation, appropriate feed solutions and the right farm management altogether.

TRENDING FILE


Scutellaria baïcalensis and green tea extracts have the capacity to inhibit the activation of chloride channels of the gut mucosa and preventing this high secre-tion of water in the lumen. Promote the beneficial flora is also crucial. Sodium gluconate in IMMAX acts as a prebiotic and advantages to Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. This action is also positive for gut epithelium with the measure of increased acetic and butyric acids concentrations, confirmed by CCPA experimental trial.

Thanks to trial in an experimental station, IM-MAX was proven to reduced faecal intensity score compared to control treatment, proving its effect on digestive comfort (Figure 1). When phasing out medication, it is important to not only guarantee piglet health but also piglet growth. IMMAX did not compromise the performances with a feed con-version ratio lower than the control diet and com-parable to the medicated feed in the post-weaning phase (Figure 2).

FARM MANAGEMENT, THE FINAL LINK FOR HEALTHY PIGLETSFarm management is a cornerstone to ensures safe

weaning and helps animals express their maximum growth potential with a secured and high-end med-ication-free feed. This management can be divid-ed in five main topics. The first one is the right watch of the sanitary status. Without medication, feed does not and will never be equal to a feed with zero treatments in the barn. Diseases must be cured and thus, high level of animals’ monitoring and the right treatment and vaccination plan must be imple-mented. The second main topic is biosecurity with the goal to prevent pathogens entering the barn and passing from one stage to another. The other topics gather water quality, stock management and last by not least, farmer’s implication to implement new practices and adjust its use of medication.

To succeed in reducing medication, a thorough and adapted assessment of the farm practices is needed. To allow that, the CCPA Group has developed DE-MEUS, an expert mobile app for pig farm nutrition-ists. The app helps to assess the potential success of the farm with non-supplemented piglet feed thanks to a quick and precise questionnaire around the key farm management features. Directly, the nutritionist gets a clear picture of the farm situation, highlights the strengths and enhancement leads. Then, it pro-vides personalized advice on the adapted nutrition to maintain performance and health without in-feed antibiotics. This tool was validated both on the field with farmers currently using medicated feed or not, and by more than 30 European experts (nutritionists and veterinarians) working for feed manufacturers and national institutes. With DEMEUS, nutrition-ists get an efficient and practical tool on the field to ensure the success of its non-medicated piglets feeds thanks to optimal breeding conditions.

About Anne-Sophie ValableAnne-Sophie Valable joined the CCPA Group in 2018. She holds a PhD in poultry nutrition, which she completed between

INRA in France and Laval University in Canada. She worked for several years in the swine department, where her main area of expertise was piglet nutrition and management. She has recently taken the position of Monogastric product manager for the Group where she puts her technical knowledge along with her creativity at the service of the CCPA feed solutions’ success on the market.

Figure 1: Faecal intensity score in prestarter phase.

Figure 2: Feed conversion ratio in the post-weaning phase.

S’ARMER CONTRELA COCCIDIOSE,

C’EST AUSSIESSENTIEL QUE

NATUREL !

OLEOSTAT®, la solution naturelle pour une maitrise efficace

du risque coccidien.

www.ccpa.com

OLEOSTAT® repose sur l’alliance d’extraits de plantes, d’huiles essentielles et d’épices. Cette

association contribue de façon synergique à l'intégrité de la muqueuse intestinale et à la gestion de la pression coccidienne.

Avec OLEOSTAT®, protégez efficacement les volailles des conséquences de la coccidiose.

Secure piglet's gut naturally

®

WHENFLORA

TALKS TO FAUNA

IMMAX® ensures the digestive security and growth of

weaned piglets.

With its synergetic combination of plants extracts including patented extract,

IMMAX® provIdes a unique threefold effect: cellular protection, anti-secretory and

prebiotic actions. IMMAX® improves the gut integrity and

microbiota balance.

https://www.ccpa.com/

TRENDING FILE


S’ARMER CONTRELA COCCIDIOSE,

C’EST AUSSIESSENTIEL QUE

NATUREL !

OLEOSTAT®, la solution naturelle pour une maitrise efficace

du risque coccidien.

www.ccpa.com

OLEOSTAT® repose sur l’alliance d’extraits de plantes, d’huiles essentielles et d’épices. Cette

association contribue de façon synergique à l'intégrité de la muqueuse intestinale et à la gestion de la pression coccidienne.

Avec OLEOSTAT®, protégez efficacement les volailles des conséquences de la coccidiose.

Secure piglet's gut naturally

®

WHENFLORA

TALKS TO FAUNA

IMMAX® ensures the digestive security and growth of

weaned piglets.

With its synergetic combination of plants extracts including patented extract,

IMMAX® provIdes a unique threefold effect: cellular protection, anti-secretory and

prebiotic actions. IMMAX® improves the gut integrity and

microbiota balance.

https://www.ccpa.com/

TRENDING FILE


After the decision to ban the medicinal use of zinc oxide in piglet diets, industry is seek-

ing for feed additives which can reduce the risk of digestive disorders in critical phases like the post-weaning period. Specific potentiated form of zinc oxide can be used in premixes at nutrition-al levels without prescription and can efficiently modulates intestinal bacterial populations and im-prove gut barrier function.

PHARMACOLOGICAL ZnO: HAVE WE EVER KNOWN HOW IT WORKS?First it is needed to remind that only the phar-

macological usage of zinc oxide in piglet diets is currently concerned by the ban. This means that the prohibition of ZnO in the European Union is restricted to medicated feeds which are prescribed by qualified veterinarians. This does not apply to

the nutritional usage of zinc oxide which is routine-ly included in premixes and remains the dominant source of zinc utilised by the feed industry.

Zinc is an essential nutrient that play a crucial role in the body (modulation of the immune sys-tem, antioxidant pathways, cellular permeabili-ty…). Zinc deficiency can lead to a reduction on feed intake, increase of paracellular permeabili-ty, weakness of the immune system, etc. In other words, no feeding strategy should be entirely void of zinc, as the mineral absolutely needs to be sup-plied.

Pharmacological dosage of ZnO provides high quantity of zinc, in a period where feed intake is depleted, completed by interesting antimicrobial properties and is well known for its effect on diar-

ZnO MODE OF ACTION IN PIGLETS: FOCUS ON ZN BLOOD LEVELS, ITS HOMEOSTASIS AND ADG

“Zinc is an essential nutrient that play a crucial role in the body. Zinc deficiency can lead to a reduction on feed intake, increase of paracellular permeability,

weakness of the immune system, etc. In other words, no feeding strategy should be entirely void of zinc, as the mineral absolutely needs to be supplied.”

Agathe Roméo R&D managerAnimine

Jennifer MaurinMarketing & Sales DirectorAnimine

TRENDING FILE


rhoea reduction and weight gain of weaned piglets. However even after decades of use, there still no consensus on its modes of action.

Animine research program ZINCOSUPP (includ-ing several theses with renowned European univer-sities) is focusing its effort on understanding every potential hypothesis on the ZnO mode of action (see figure 1, adapted from University of Bologna, Italy). This article will focus on the first phase: cor-relations between zinc blood concentration, homeo-stasis and final performance.

EFFECTS OF ZnO FED LEVELS ON BLOODZINC LEVELS AND HOMEOSTASIS An exhaustive literature review was performed

from AniLib scientific database. Out of 151 publi-

cations on pharmacological use of ZnO in weaned piglets, 38 were selected as they contained data on blood Zinc concentration at the end of the studies.

References of selected papers:

1995

2011, 2013, 2014

2017, 2018

2014, 2020

2012, 2013, 2018

2014

2019

2006

1970, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2019

2020

1985, 2004

2018

2019

2003, 2005

1998, 2008

2017

2016

Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica

Archives of Animal Nutrition

Animal Feed Science and Technology

Asian Australian JAS

Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances

British Journal of Nutrition

Canadian JAS

Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition

Journal of Animal Science

Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology

Journal of Nutrition

Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation

Journées de la Recherche Porcine

KSU Swine Day

PlOS one

WUR report

Figure 1

TRENDING FILE


As shown on Figure 2 (see yellow highlighted area), a zinc supplementation below requirements (estimated to be at 100 mg/kg, NRC 2012) lead to low blood zinc levels. Although the majority of the observations indicated a low zinc in the blood in this range, some trials observed a high concentra-tion of zinc in the blood of piglets. This could be due to a high Zinc status at weaning due to intake of zinc rich creep feed before weaning.

An increase on blood Zinc levels (from 0 to 1.3 mg/L) linked with higher ZnO supplementation dosages, (from 200 to 500 mg/kg) is also observed in a dose-response manner. However, the supple-mentation of ZnO from 500 up to 1500-2000 mg/kg zinc in the complete feed, seems to reach a pla-teau on blood levels (see figure 2, green highlighted area). This illustrates how piglets are maintaining their homeostatic regulation and buffering the ex-cess of dietary zinc.

When the zinc supplementation exceeds 2000 mg/kg zinc (see figure 2, red highlighted part), the ho-meostatic regulation capacity of piglets is exceeded and blood zinc concentration rise again. At such high levels, higher variability of blood zinc concen-trations is also observed. This might be related to weaning age and individual feed intakes of piglets involved in this set of literature review. The higher ZnO supplementation is, the higher will be the feed consumption, resulting in a higher risk of piglet tox-icity due by-passed homeostatic regulation capacity.

ANY CORRELATION BETWEEN BLOOD ZN CONCENTRATION & PIGLET PERFORMANCE?A second exhaustive literature review was per-

formed from AniLib scientific database. Out of 151 publications on pharmacological use of ZnO in weaned piglets, 19 papers were selected for the pur-pose of this new review. Filtering criteria were: daily weight gain, blood zinc concentration (at the end of 2-6 weeks studies) and ZnO supplementation levels (2-3000 mg Zn/kg complete diet).

References of selected papers:

2018

2015

2021

2020

2012, 2013

2014

1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009

2014

2018

2010

2008

2015

2016

Animal Feed Science and Technology

Animal

Animals

Asian Australian JAS

Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances

British Journal of Nutrition

Journal of Animal Science

Journal of Animal Science and Technology

Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology

Murdoch University report

KSU Swine Day

Veterinarni Medicina

WUR report

Figure 2: Review of blood Zn concentration in piglets fed different dietary Zn content for 2 weeks post weaning.

TRENDING FILE


The stress of weaning generally induces piglets anorexia in the first days right after the suckling period. As a direct consequence of this reduced feed intake, the supply of nutrients (incl. zinc) be-comes limited in a very critical period of the young animals development. Thus, the risk of transitory sub-clinical zinc deficiency is a real issue that can be compensated by very high dietary Zn supple-mentations. Pharmacological dosage of ZnO can correct sub-optimal blood zinc levels below 1-2 mg/L. Growth improvement are generally observed following this repletion of the Zn circulating pool by ZnO.

Once minimum daily ingestion of zinc is natu-rally achieved by piglets, then blood Zn concen-tration is tightly regulated and is stabilised thanks to piglets homoeostatic balance. When blood Zn level is at the plateau, the effect of ZnO supple-mentation on body weight gain is less obvious but is still observed. Pharmacological dosage of zinc oxide has the potential to restore Zn status of the weaned piglet.

A POTENTIATED ZINC SOURCE AT PIGLETS RESCUE!HiZox® is a potentiated zinc source for piglets

manufactured in Europe that shares common points with pharmacological zinc oxide. Indeed, being a very bioavailable source of Zn, its supplementa-tion can restore piglets Zn blood concentration and

compensate the risk of transitory deficiency during the critical phase of weaning even when used at low and nutritional dosage.

Additionally, this additive presents a particular chemical and physical structure obtained with a unique patented process and that provides a power-ful antibacterial effect, again at low dosage, to con-trol pathogenic diarrhea.

This nutritional solution used for 10 years in Eu-rope and Asia has demonstrated its efficacy in a large variety of situations, as long as it is well accompa-nied with proper management and biosecurity.

Figure 3: Correlation between blood Zn levels and average daily gain of weaned piglets fed pharmacological levels of ZnO. First point of each line is a negative control (without ZnO or low dietary Zn concentration) and the last point is pharmacological dosage.

TRENDING FILE


ZERO ZINC BAN IS NOTHING NEW FOR THE FRENCH FEED INDUSTRY*

“Zero Zinc” era is nothing new for the local industry in France. Nevertheless, in a period of reduction of antibiotics usage, it is a major concern for the

veterinarians, who miss a nice and cheap solution to help the pig farmers at controlling health issues at weaning.”

In France, piglet pre-starter feeds have been de-signed for fast growth in the last three decades,

at least. Cost and safety, defined as low incidence of scours, drive the market segmentation. Altogether, these diets can be defined as High Nutrient Density Diets, with more or less investment on feedstuffs and additives for digestive health control.

In the late 1980’s, first reports on use of “pharma-cological level” of zinc oxide (ZnO) crossed the At-lantic Ocean: 1500 to 3000 ppm ZnO added to the diet of piglets during one or two weeks post-wean-ing were successful to control diarrhea and to pro-mote growth. At the same time, national rules on maximum content of N, P and trace elements in pig feed were published, aiming to reduce the impact of pork production on the environment. Since the very start then, the French nutritionists were aware of the effect of ZnO on piglets, but it was forbidden to use in practice.

It changed at the end of 2014, when a ZnO pre-

mix was registered in the EU as a vet prescription. This decision was rapidly challenged by political actions, resulting in the withdrawal of authoriza-tion for ZnO prescription voted in 2018, applicable early July 2022. From the start of 2015 to the end of 2020, high ZnO could be used in France. How-ever, feeding practice had changed since the 1980’s: feed volume with veterinary prescription in 2015 accounted for less than 40% of the total, compared to >95% in the 1990’s. ZnO premix was exchanged for antibiotics, it did not boost the tonnage of pre-scription diets. Because of this, high ZnO inclusion has never been a main driver of piglet pre-starter feed design in our country. As a consequence, “Zero Zinc” era is nothing new for the local industry. Nev-ertheless, in a period of reduction of antibiotics us-age, it is a major concern for the veterinarians, who miss a nice and cheap solution to help the pig farm-ers at controlling health issues at weaning.

For the nutritionist, weanling pig feed design re-mains driven by palatability, digestibility and cost.

David GuillouSenior Researcher miXscience

*This article was excerpted from the White Paper, which was published by Natur-add platform and entitled “What are the concerns of doing without therapeutic doses of zinc oxide in piglet feeds?”

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Ingredient selection is key. Accurate process mon-itoring is mandatory. Additives should be careful-ly evaluated in order to avoid to add costs to cost. Research made a lot of progress on describing the inflammatory response in piglets. Description of the gut microbiota with molecular techniques put emphasis on the role of strong bacterial ecosystem on piglet health. Gut barrier integrity remains an evolving research subject, but the results on nutri-tional effects can already be applied. Especially, gut should be prepared before weaning, starting with sows feed and milk production. Along with these modern concepts, emphasis has been put on: the role of fiber sources and probiotics to regulate ap-petite, digestion rate, gut transit and bacterial load and balance; the role of intermediate metabolites of plants (polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids) on mi-crobiota metabolism and gut inflammation. Specif-ic organic acids remain the gold standard for pre-vention of gut pathogen development.

Analysis of fecal total peroxidase activity (TPO, expressed in myeloperoxidase -MPO- equivalent) has been implemented at Mixscience R&D labo-ratory since 2017 to quantify gut inflammatory status. Validation of the method was presented to the research community at the Digestive Physiolo-gy of Pigs meeting in 2018, and full methodology and preliminary results were shown at the ZERO ZINC congress in 2019. Based on this technique, a proprietary feed supplement based on fiber sources blend (Valopro Win) was developed in order to speed-up gut adaptation post-weaning and to reduce scours. This product is successfully implemented in the pre-starter diet range of the company. Ongoing research also resulted in de-signing phytogenic-based formula minimizing gut inflammation and reducing respiratory disease symptoms both.

Much progress was achieved in nutrition. In or-der to transfer it to the field, the main difficulty lies today in piglet management around weaning: feed does not work alone, increased comfort is a key factor of success for good weaning outcome. However, cost pressure is high on pig farmers, pro-

moting cheaper investment and simplified operat-ing procedures. New feeder types, higher numbers of piglets per pen, new vaccination plans, new rules on animal welfare, etc... : all contribute to challenge the adaptation capacity to weaning, with consequence on the time dedicated by piglet to eat and drink. In France, even if the majority of pig farms ownership remains based on individuals, not companies, the increasing farm size requires qualified and trained workers. Like everywhere, qualified workforce is getting scarce: attracting and keeping the workers, as well as educating the future ones is highly important too, in order to contribute to this evolutive trend.

Other articles in the White Paper are:• Zero zinc for an healthier gut microflora: A new paradigm for feeding pigletsGilles Langeoire, Consultant and swine nutritionist for feed compounders, home mixer farmers, feed addi-tives companies.• Commercial guidelines for successful zero-zinc oxide commercial piglet feedsIoannis Mavromichalis, Animal nutritionist and managing director at Ariston Nutrition Consulting International. • France: Zero-zinc Ban at Therapeutic Dose is Noth-ing New For The French Feed IndustryDavid Guillou, Senior Researcher at miXscience, a French premix and Service firm.• Denmark: What is the alternative to medicinal ZnO for weaning piglets?Dorthe Carlson, Trial manager at TestPig, a Danish Pig Advisory Center.• Spain: The challenge of demedicationGilles Langeoire, Consultant and swine nutritionist for feed compounders, home mixer farmers, feed addi-tives companies.• Hizox: A highly bioavailable source of ZincAnimine Company

To view and read all of the White Paper, please follow the link below:https://natur-add.com/lbuyer

https://natur-add.com/lbuyer

SPECIAL STORY


AN ONLINE FORMULATION SOLUTION FOR ADDITIVE PRODUCERS

“One of the main uses of a formulation tool is to help the raw material purchasers to take good decisions and pick the right additive. Considering

part of the information are in the hands of the Technical Manager and the other part such as the ingredient prices and ingredient quality are

at the disposal of the end customers it becomes essential to work on a common solution.”

Why formulating? It is obvious that if com-modities’ prices and qualities remain sta-

ble and the animal nutritional needs never change, working with fixed formulas could be sufficient.

In this case, supplying the feed producers with commodities would be easy as pie. Unfortunately it is not the case! Indeed, one of the main uses of a formulation tool is to help the raw material pur-chasers to take good decisions and pick the right additive. Considering part of the information are in the hands of the Technical Manager and the oth-er part such as the ingredient prices and ingredient quality are at the disposal of the end customers it becomes essential to work on a common solution.

Recently A-Systems has launched an innovative solution enabling to feed additive suppliers to pro-vide a shared formulation solution platform. Tech-nical Managers and their customers can used the same webpage. It becomes easier to show the inter-est of additives in customer’s formulas. Formula-tion task become a collaborative work.

A-SYSTEMS is the editor of the Allix formulation software used worldwide by feed manufacturers, ad-ditive producers and consultants wishing to benefit from the most advanced formulation software in terms of technology and functionality.

The development of the Internet, which is about to be available all over the world, makes possible to imagine and realise tools which, until recently, depended on network infrastructures that were not always easy to roll out.

Producers of additives and enzymes are eager to provide their customers with increasingly advanced technical support that will enable them to make the most of their know-how. However, integrating this know-how into the formulation matrices of feed manufacturers is not an easy task.

This is why A-SYSTEMS has developed a web-based formulation platform: designed as a web ex-tension of the Allix formulation software, it pro-vides a complete formulation tool.

Bruno DuranthonPresident / CEOA-SYSTEMS SAS

SPECIAL STORY


In addition to the possibility of optimising formulas, either individually or in the context of a multi-formulation, We-bAllix also allows simulations of raw material purchases and calculations of raw material consumption.

The online formulation tool is synchronised with the for-mulation tool set up in the office enabling the additive supplier to update the nutri-tional values of raw materials and formulation constraints.

WebAllix allows a really collaborative work, as data can be shared between several end users.

Technology must be at the service of users. The user friendliness of WebAllix puts it within reach of any end user: no installation on a computer is required as WebAllix is accessible through any In-ternet browser.

WebAllix also allows to organize a hierarchy of users. An additive supplier can provide an access to internal technical team and its feed manufac-turer customers with a formulation platform. As a consequence, the sales representatives of the addi-tive company can use the platform as well as the feed producers which can formulate themselves for their own customers. The formulated feeds can then be directly accessible to the manufacturers for production.

This collaborative work avoids the often tedious and risky step of exchanging by email formula files.

At the prospecting phase, it can be interesting for the additive supplier to have an easy-to-use formu-lation tool easy to handle and control. In case of success of the prospection, provided this tool can be a competitive advantage as a new service offered. In case of failure, no confidential data or know-how will be lost.

The use of WebAllix also allows the Consultants to give their advice to their customers, who are sometimes not familiar with animal nutrition but who on the other hand use the formulation tools as a support tool to purchase raw materials. Mak-ing sure of working with valid data, the simulation possibilities allow to have reliable results to make relevant decisions in this so sensitive field.

To sum up, WebAllix is a very advanced solution that puts formulation within everyone's reach. In particular, it allows the additive producers to high-light its know-how and to bring an additional ser-vice to its existing customers and prospects.

About Bruno DuranthonAgricultural engineer with a specialty in animal sciences, DESS in Marketing and Management. A first experience in whole-

sale trade of cereals opens the door of the animal feed industry to him. He joined a company specialised in software geared to-wards animal feed producers, before incorporating A-Systems with the team he gathered around the formulation software Allix.

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FEED FORMULATION SOFTWARE AND BENEFITS

"Companies are under constant pressure to operate more efficiently and safely while modernizing their production and delivering improved products to their

customers. Feed companies must adapt to real-time varying conditions to cope with these tremendous changes. Only a comprehensive set of specialized software tools integrated into a robust solution can handle these challenges:

from traditional, least cost-driven processes to a fully digital and adaptive way of managing real-time feed production."

Great efforts are being invested all over the world towards environmental protection;

hence, the digital transformation of the food and feed sectors is putting our society to the test. Now-adays, the feed sector faces various challenges - new types of protein sources, price volatility, biodiversity sensitivity, and change in policies. Moreover, there are new sustainability requirements, increasing end users’ expectations, and the evolving revenue models.

Companies are under constant pressure to operate more efficiently and safely while modernizing their production and delivering improved products to their customers. Feed companies must adapt to real-time varying conditions to cope with these tremendous changes. Only a comprehensive set of specialized soft-ware tools integrated into a robust solution can han-dle these challenges: from traditional, least cost-driv-en processes to a fully digital and adaptive way of managing real-time feed production. Feed/food com-panies of the future require a complete understanding

of the actual and future state that would enable them to respond to known and unexpected events safely and efficiently. These capabilities are now offered through next-gen Feed Formulation Software.

We can define three benefits provided by this technology: initial benefits provided by the legacy software, advanced benefits provided by the current next-gen formulation software, and the future ben-efits that the integration of high-end technologies will provide into the Feed Formulation Software.

FEED FORMULATION SOFTWARE’SINITIAL BENEFITSLegacy Feed Formulation Software provides essen-

tial benefits for feed companies. Those are mathe-matically optimal least-cost calculation, raw material management, nutrient management, quick and con-venient formulation, straightforward analysis of price change, and others. On the other hand, those legacy software solutions have cons. Systems were usually

Aleksandar SelakovAFOS CEOProfessor, Applied Software Engineering, University of Novi Sad

SPECIAL STORY


hard to use and complex to maintain, requiring highly skilled IT staff. The high complexity usually requires high initial and annual costs due to maintenance.

To understand the high price of the legacy soft-ware, we must define the term “total cost of own-ership.” The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for enterprise software is the sum of all direct and in-direct costs incurred by that software, making it a critical part of the ROI calculation. However, it is often ignored or woefully underestimated. The following costs define TCO:

• License• Server hardware cost to run the application and

users’ hardware cost to run client applications• Software maintenance • 3rd party software (Windows Server, Windows

Domain, SQL database, security, and more)• Workforce cost to run the environment• Upgrade cost

This is the old licensing model. Users require a clean and straightforward TCO model with no hid-den costs.

AFOS provides such a model with a simple li-censing structure – customers can pay a monthly, annual, or 5-year license; support, maintenance, training, consultation, updates, and upgrades are all included in the price.

NEXT-GEN FEED FORMULATION SOFTWARE’S BENEFITSNo software/no hardware – no worries, is the

motto of new-age cloud-based software. Therefore, it is usually provided as software-as-a-service with a monthly or yearly subscription. The software pro-vider is responsible for hardware & software de-livery and maintenance. Everything is run on the cloud, and all data is stored in the cloud. A user only has client software running in the web browser without any need for installation or maintenance.

An example of new-age formulation software is AFOS. We have collected our 10-year experience from legacy AFOS standalone application, both in the software and domain worlds, and created this new formulation software using all the latest tech-nologies and best practices.

The benefits provided by this type of software are as follows:

• Fully integrated web-based feed formulation available on any device and location.

With AFOS, one can formulate from a desktop com-puter, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone, using Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and Unix operating sys-tems, from any device connected to the Internet.

• Collaborative platform with a multi-user en-vironment and advanced roles & responsibilities capabilities (“who-can-do-and-see-what”).

The Advanced Admin application allows formula-

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tion companies to define which user can connect to the system, what execution can be run, and which data can be seen.

• Highly secure end-to-end solution aligned with software in the cloud standards.

Cybersecurity is the absolute focus today. We respect this profoundly by integrating all the nec-essary security mechanisms and modules to create bullet-proof software. By default, data is stored in the Microsoft Datacenter, probably one of the most secure places on Earth, providing resiliency on data theft, disasters, and delete-by-mistake problems. For companies that require additional layers of se-curity, we provide possibilities to install AFOS on their private clouds, private data centers, or we can create a completely isolated Azure environment.

• Comprehensive, efficient, and proven optimi-zation engine.

Math is the core of formulation software, and we include all our technical knowledge to develop a state-of-the-art optimization engine. Current-ly, we are working on very advanced optimization technologies like Genetic Algorithms and Particle Swarm Optimization to respect non-linearities in the optimization problem.

• Single, consistent, and intuitive user interface.AFOS requires less training due to our User Ex-

perience-built user interface. The data and the but-tons are exactly where you expect them to be. Be-sides that, document User Guides are obsolete, and we create how-to-video for training.

• Configurable and intelligent reporting.With AFOS, one can create very advanced reports

tailored to their business requirements.

• Full historian and audit support.A user cannot lose data. Everything is stored in

a secure database and regularly backed up, making data loss practically impossible. Moreover, AFOS saves all events in the “who did what” database so one can easily track who made the change and when it was made.

• Modular architecture with custom integrations.We allow “off the shelf ” integration with your

custom company software.

• Continuous updates and efficient support.We are proud of our maintenance team. We re-

spond to issues and questions within 24 hours, and our support team works 365 days a year to fix any potential problems.

FUTURE FEED FORMULATION SOFTWARE BENEFITSCompanies of the future will take the technolo-

gy-first approach. With the rise of Artificial Intelli-gence, Machine Learning, and Big Data, these tech-nologies are rapidly changing the face of the industry, business, science, and everyday life. The world is changing fast, and the significant driver of that change is artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The future of feed formulation is – “Tesla auto-pilot.” Imagine such intelligence that learns your company policies, formulation practices, legisla-tion, tracks raw materials, nutrients, animal models, etc. Then, after a few weeks of automated training, you can say, “Hey, AFOS, create a pet formula that is high on protein, medium on fat, and without grains. Please use a lot of that duck meat; we have a good price and a deadline to use it. After creating it, pick up new prices from the stock, optimize, and compare it with other formulas. If the price is below our limit, email me the recipe; I will be drinking coffee on the seaside.” Or “Hey, AFOS, do the raw material price forecast due to supply chain crunch and analyze the impact. Send me the report; I will be drinking tea on the riverbank.” New technol-ogies will bring everyday benefits to our business practice, allowing us to spend more time on crucial tasks rather than manual, repetitive ones.

But the real benefits of AI and ML will come from pattern recognition, forecasting, and cor-relation analysis. Feed formulation software of the future will be able to correlate feed recipes with animal health and progress in a way that no human being could.

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3 WAYS TO INCREASE MILK PRODUCTION WHILE REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

“Can we reduce the carbon footprint of milk while also improving our production and profitability? With proven tools, the answer to that question is yes: It is possible to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy production and to

improve our economic returns and performance at the same time.”

In the dairy industry, successfully implementing solutions that “kill two birds with one stone”

requires innovation and usable data. Finding ways to reduce the carbon footprint on dairy cattle oper-ations while also maintaining high milk production is just that kind of situation.

It is important to understand that dairy pro-duction is on a continuous path of growth. Some insightful data provided by the IFCN shows that global milk production is projected to increase by 35% between 2017 and 2030. This level of growth is promising for the industry but will also pres-ent many challenges and raise questions about our ability to provide more with fewer resources while adopting practices that are environmentally sound. To top everything off, all of this must be achieved while also continuing to increase transparency for consumers about how their milk is produced.

The main question is: Can we reduce the carbon footprint of milk while also improving our produc-tion and profitability?

Greenhouse gases have been a trending topic among consumers for several years, and this topic is

now resonating more with dairy farmers across the world, as new regulations and initiatives are being presented. To achieve reduced emissions, we must look at ways to optimize production — including via nutritional solutions, which will play a very big role as we go forward.

Dairy producers can utilize nutritional solutions as tools for reducing methane emissions from dairy cows, but technologies that offer environmental ben-efits cannot compromise on animal performance, as doing so would mean requiring more animals to meet the growing demand for food. However, be-fore looking to implement any of these solutions, dairy producers will need to measure their carbon footprint.

TOOL ONE: ALLTECH E-CO2

To successfully reduce our greenhouse gas emis-sions, we must first know where these emis-sions come from. Analytical services, such as All-tech E-CO2, identify and quantify these hotspots through accredited environmental assessments. Over the past 10 years and more than 10,000 as-sessments, Alltech E-CO2 has found that the two largest sources of emissions on dairy farms are en-

Dr. Saheed SalamiResearch Fellow, Solutions Deployment TeamAlltech

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teric emissions (i.e., methane from the rumen) and feed use. Together, these two sources contribute more than 60% of all emissions on dairy operations. These sources relate to rumen health and an ani-mal’s ability to best maximize the feed it is being fed. By ensuring the production of a healthy and productive cow, we are helping operations improve their production efficiency while also enabling en-ergy to be utilized for milk production and regu-lar body maintenance, rather than being wasted by fighting health challenges. This type of information is critical for identifying targeted solutions that will enhance our methane mitigation strategies.

To successfully reduce a farm’s carbon footprint, we must look beyond one gas in one area and con-sider the balance of emissions across the entire farm. A lifecycle observation is one way of doing that, and it’s all about identifying opportunities to reduce waste and improve farm efficiency, which will trans-late to more money for the producer.

TOOL TWO: OPTIGEN®Optigen is a feed ingredient backed by years of

robust research data that works to support produc-

tion efficiency and sustainability. Optigen, a con-centrated source of non-protein nitrogen, releases nitrogen into the rumen in a slow-release form. This provides a sustained release of ammonia in the rumen in sync with fermented carbohydrate diges-tion, thus allowing for efficient microbial protein synthesis in the rumen.

In order to gather clear evidence that shows how we can use feed strategies to reduce our carbon footprint, the FAO developed a standard guideline for the environmental performance of feed addi-tives in the livestock supply chain. These standards recommend the use of data from meta-analyses and life cycle analyses. Meta-analyses make it possible to combine data from years of multiple studies to arrive at an evidence-based conclusion by using comprehensive statistical procedures. Life-cycle analyses allow us to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions along the entire supply chain or in the production cycle of a particular product. Combin-ing these two approaches demonstrates how feed-ing technologies can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and/or better sustain-ability credentials.

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Included here is an example of a meta-analysis of Optigen. The data from this meta-analysis indi-cate that, over the course of around two decades, research has shown that using Optigen is associated with a 23% reduction, on average, of plant protein sources in the diet. Soybean meal, specifically, can be reduced by about 21%, and an increase in feed efficiency of around 3% has also been documented. Additionally, diets that include Optigen and use re-duced amounts of plant protein sources have been shown to improve nitrogen utilization efficiency by 4%, leading to a 14% reduction in the total carbon footprint of the diets of animals used in milk pro-duction.

TOOL THREE: YEA-SACC®There are some products on the market — like

yeast cultures — that can help improve production efficiency while also reducing the carbon footprint of an operation. Yea-Sacc is a yeast culture based on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain of yeast. Yea-

Sacc modifies rumen activity by supporting a con-sistent improvement in the growth and activity of lactic acid-utilizing bacteria, which helps stabilize the rumen pH. At the same time, it also works to improve the digestion and utilization of nutrients. Thanks to these types of improvements, cows can absorb more nutrients for higher milk production.

Utilizing a meta-analysis approach once again, a collection of 31 studies has shown that feeding Yea-Sacc to dairy cows can lead to an increased milk yield of 1 kg/head/day, on average, and can reduce the carbon footprint and nitrogen emission inten-sity by around 3% and 5.4%, respectively. These numbers demonstrate that it is possible for milk production efficiency to increase and for the car-bon footprint and nitrogen excretion intensity to decrease simultaneously.

At the beginning of this article, we posed a ques-tion: Can we reduce the carbon footprint of milk while also improving our production and profitabil-ity? With proven tools like the ones outlined here, the answer to that question is yes: It is possible to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy production and to improve our economic returns and performance at the same time. Based on the data compiled in various meta-analyses, it is clear that there are feed-ing solutions on the market that farmers can use to reduce their emissions and increase their produc-tivity and profitability in conjunction with nutri-tional strategies that will help improve production efficiency in dairy systems.

About Dr. Saheed SalamiDr. Saheed Salami is a research fellow at Alltech. He is based in Stamford, U.K., and serves on the company’s Solutions

Deployment Team. Dr. Salami utilizes his multidisciplinary expertise in animal nutrition and environmental science to de-velop customer-focused and data-driven solutions for improving the productivity and sustainability of animal protein systems.

Dr. Salami has international experience in leading research and handling technical responsibilities related to sustainable animal nutrition and food quality. In 2021, he was appointed to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a member of its Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on methane for the FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership.

Dr. Salami received a double doctoral degree in agricultural, food and environmental science from the University of Catania in Italy and University College Cork in Ireland. He also received a double master’s degree in sustainable animal nutrition and feeding from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Ecole d’Ingénieurs de Purpan in France.

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Fats and lipids contribute a big part to the to-tal energy provided to productive animals in

their day-to-day energy expenditure. However, there are several factors that could limit lipid digestion and absorption, one of these is the age of the an-imal. Young animals (new-born piglets or broilers less than 14 days of age) have quite immature lipid digestion capabilities because their digestive organs may not be fully developed. To overcome this, nu-tritionists have started looking into the use of exog-eneous emulsifiers to allow young animals to effec-tively digest and absorb lipids and converting that to energy for growth and production.

The body produces a natural emulsifier – bile ac-ids. These are synthesized from cholesterol in the liver, and secreted into bile duct, and into the small intestines where they play a part in facilitating the absorption of dietary lipids and fat-soluble vita-mins. Most bile acids are reabsorbed in the terminal ileum and returned to the liver via the portal vein. The bile acids are up taken by the hepatocytes and subsequently transported into bile which completes their enterohepatic circulation (Figure 1).

BILE ACID – NOT JUST ANOTHER EMULSIFIER

“Young animals have quite immature lipid digestion capabilities because their digestive organs may not be fully developed. To overcome this, nutritionists have started looking into the use of exogeneous emulsifiers to allow young

animals to effectively digest and absorb lipids and converting that to energy for growth and production.”

Kayla WongTechnical SpecialistManuka Biotech

Figure 1 Recycling of bile acid. (Adapted from https://eclinpath.com/chemistry/liver/liver-function-tests/bile-acids/bile-acid-circulation/)

https://eclinpath.com/chemistry/liver/liver-

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Exogeneous bile acid can be obtained as a by-product from animal production from avian, swine and bovine sources to be used as feed ad-ditives. Avian and swine bile acid mainly consists of cholic and chenodeoxycholic acid, whereas bo-vine bile acid mainly consists of cholic acid and deoxycholic acid (Sheriha et al., 1968). Although exogeneous bile acids from different sources could have a different amino acid conjugation, pathway of bile acid recycling including bacterial deconju-gation in the ileum allows for unconjugated bile acids to return the liver and be re-conjugated in the hepatocyte.

Bile Acid Functions:1. Facilitates fat and fat-soluble vitamin diges-

tion and absorptiona. Bile acids promote fat digestion in 3 steps:i. Emulsify fats. Bile acids are biosurfactants

which allows fat to be emulsified into micro drop-lets. This greatly increases the total surface area of fat, increasing its availability for digestion by lipase.

ii. Activates lipase. Bile salt-dependent lipase cleaves triglycerides when combining into micelles to hydrolyse fat.

iii. Promote fat absorption. Only the formation

of bile acids and fatty acids, could facilitate fatty acids to reach to surface of small intestinal villi and be absorbed into the lacteals.

iv. Emulsifiers only acts in the first step in fat di-gestion, which only emulsifies the fat into micro droplets. However, bile acids can further activate the lipase and promote the digestion of fat.

HLB of Bile AcidComparing the emulsification capabilities

of bile acid and other emulsifiers using the HLB or Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance value developed by Griffin to formulate stable emulsions.

The HLB value of lipophilic emulsifier is lower than that of hydrophilic emulsifier. The intestinal track is an aqueous environment, where hydrophilic emulsifier would have a stronger emulsification effect and a higher HLB value represents better emulsification effects on oil. The HLB value of bile acids is about 18, which has excellent emulsification capabilities compared to other emulsifiers (Table 1).

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Table 1. Hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) values of common food emulsifiers. (Adapted from R. Miller, Emulsifiers: Types and Uses

in Encyclopaedia of Food and Health, 2016)

HLB value

3

3

4

4-5

5

5

6

7

8

8-10

9

11

13

15

15

18

Abbreviation

LMG

PGMS

MDGs

SMG

CSL

DATEMs

EMG

SSL

Emulsifier

Lactylated monoglyceride

Propylene glycol monostearate

Mono- and diglycerides

Mixture of Phospholipids (lecithin)

Succinylated monoglyceride

Sucrose monostearate

Sorbitan monostearate

Glycerol monolaurate

Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate

Raw soy lecithin

Diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglyceride

Polysorbate 65

Ethoxylated monoglyceride

Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

Polysorbate 80

Bile salt (endogenous emulsifier)

2. Regulates bile acid homeostasisa. Bile acid activates FXR (Farsenoid X Recep-

tor) and TGR5 (G-protein coupled bile acid recep-tor) which leads to inhibition of bile acid synthesis through various pathways.

b. Conjugation of bile acids with taurine and gly-cine is mediated by the enzymes bile acid coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase and bile acid-CoA amino acid N-acetyltransferase which is controlled by FXR.

c. Bile acid can induce transcription of the bile salt export pump (BSEP) through FXR which facil-itates bile flow and excretion of waste compounds from hepatocytes.

d. Bile acid regulates intestinal bile acid uptake by regulating the expression of sodium-dependent so-dium taurocholate co-transporting peptide (NTCP) and apical sodium dependant bile salt transporter (ASBT) via FXR dependent mechanisms.

e. Protects Liver: Bile acids activate FXR, which induces suppression of de novo synthesis, enhances conjugation and detoxification, and increases efflux both across the canalicular as well as the basolateral membrane thereby preventing hepatic accumula-tion of bile acids and liver damage.

3. Modulates glucose homeostasisa. Activation of FXR by bile acids reduces gluco-

neogenesis and increase glycogen synthesis in the liver therefore lowering blood glucose levels.

b. Activation of FXR by bile acids also regulates insulin sensitivity.

4. Improves energy utilisation via regulating lipid homeostasis *mainly through activation of FXR

a. Bile acids reduce triglyceride levels.

https://manukabiotech.com/

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b. Promotes very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) clearance.

c. Induce fatty acid oxidation.d. Regulates cholesterol homeostasis.

5. Prevents fat deposition a. Modulates energy metabolism via mem-

brane-bound bile acid receptor TGR5.b. Increases intracellular cyclic adenosine mono-

phosphate (AMP) levels.c. Prevents fat deposition and insulin resistance.d. Lower incidence of fatty liver syndrome

All in all, exogeneous bile acid cannot be com-pared apple to apples with synthetic emulsifier be-cause it is not just an emulsifier but plays multiple roles in terms of bioregulation within the body.

At Manuka Biotech, we carry high quality bile acid extracted from bovine sources from New Zealand – Lipotech BA and a combination of premium bile acid with EPA and DHA – Lipotech Omega 3 Plus. With-

in both products, bile acids are coated to ensure its potency, it is made entirely of emulsifiers therefore have secured potency since bile acid products made with carrier dilution can easily neutralised by alka-line substances in feed or destroyed by stomach acid.

About Kayla WongIn 2019, Kayla completed her master’s in animal sci-

ence at Massey University, New Zealand, researching in the area of meat science. Serves as the Technical Specialist in Manuka Biotech, a business unit of Singao based in Malaysia. Singao is the pioneer in the field of fatty acid nutricine, she hopes of bringing the best technology to im-prove animal well-being and productivity.

Before her role at Manuka Biotech, she was a dairy farm manager for a new farm of 500 cows. Working with a team of 25, they managed to improve milk yield, milk protein fat ratio, heat detection and reproductive perfor-mances of the cows. During her time at Massey University, she received a scholarship and successfully published and presented her research at the New Zealand Society of Ani-mal Production (NZSAP) conference.

https://manukabiotech.com/

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Aquaculture production has risen globally in the past decades, resulting in economic and

social growth for those engaged in this activity, con-tributing significantly to employment generation and the production of high-quality protein intended for human consumption. The growing demand for aqua-culture products, as means for high-quality protein, ended up making aquaculture a great business oppor-tunity. However, due to the intensification of the cul-ture activities for improved production, aquaculture has become increasingly reliant on the increasing use of chemical compounds for its development, chiefly

to control infectious organisms. Because of the ad-verse effect of these compounds in the environment, there is a growing need to replace these chemical compounds in aquaculture with natural bioactive compounds to reduce the danger and adverse effects that synthetic chemicals. Propolis is recognized as a promising bioactive compound for aquaculture ap-plications particularly as a feed additive.

Propolis is primordial and has been used since an-cient times. There is evidence that it was used by ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans. Bees em-

THE PLAY OF PROPOLIS: A NOVEL COMPONENT IN FISH FEED

“The growing demand for aquaculture products, as means for high-quality protein, ended up making aquaculture a great business opportunity.

However, aquaculture has become increasingly reliant on the use of chemical compounds to control infectious organisms. Because of the adverse effect of these compounds in the environment, there is a growing need to natural

bioactive compounds. Propolis is recognized as a promising bioactive compound for aquaculture applications particularly as a feed additive.”

Mahalakshmi ShankarResearch ScholarM.F. Sc, Department of Aquaculture, TNJFU-Dr. M.G.R. FCRI, Ponneri, India

Kamalii AhilanResearch ScholarM.F. Sc, Department of Aquaculture, TNJFU-Dr. M.G.R. FCRI, Ponneri, India

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ploy propolis as a "disinfection" material, which the Egyptians learned from. The first scientific paper on propolis, including its chemical characteristics and composition, was published in 1908.

WHAT IS PROPOLIS?Propolis is a gelatinous yellow pale resin made by

bees with the mixture of wax, pollen, plant exudates and an enzyme found in bee saliva, and it has anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, antisep-tic and antioxidant effects. Plant exudates, such as mucilages, gums, resins, and fluids, are acquired by bees and combined with wax, pollen, and 13-glico-sidase enzymes present in their saliva, which hydro-lyze flavonoids glycosides into flavonoid aglycones, resulting in propolis. The name propolis comes from the Greek words pro-, meaning for or in de-fence, and polis-, meaning city, as in defence of the city. Propolis is utilized by bees to seal their hives, function as a thermal insulator, and restrict the en-try of external invaders as well as the multiplication of dangerous bacteria and fungi.

WHAT IS PROPOLIS MADE OF?Propolis contains a variety of organic components,

including 45 to 55 percent resins and vegetable gums (phenolic acids, esters and flavonoids), 8–35 percent wax (primarily beeswax), 5-10 percent aromatic and essential oils (viridiflorol, tricosane, pinene, and eu-desmol), 5 percent fatty acids, 5 percent pollen, and 5 percent other organic compounds. Propolis is made up of a variety of biomolecules, including phenols, esters, and terpenes, as well as sugars, hydrocarbons, and mineral elements. In medicine, phenols are em-ployed as antiseptics. Flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, curcuminoids, stilbenes, coumarins, and qui-nines are all phenolic chemicals found in plants. The antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, and anti-inflammatory properties of propolis is due to the presence of the above compounds.

COLLECTION OF PROPOLIS Special collector traps are the most often used

harvesting method that assures propolis extraction without contamination, are installed directly on frames and beneath the roof, or at the corners of a

hive. Traps are nets made of nylon or plastic with tiny openings that encourage worker bees to load the trap with propolis. Propolis production peaks in the autumn, since bees prefer to seal all the pores and crevices in their hive before the winter cold arrives.

ROLE OF PROPOLIS IN AQUAFEEDGrowth promoter: Nutrition is crucial in aquacul-

ture since it accounts for 40-50% of the total cost of production. The antibacterial and antioxidant action of propolis components is thought to aid in intestinal health, digestion, and absorption while also boosting growth performance. The vitamins (B1, C, E) and minerals (Fe, Al, Mn) present in the propolis addition-ally promotes enzyme activity and digestive cofactors which paves way to increase the nutritional absorption and digestion, increasing fish weight. Additionally, it helps in promoting the sperm quality and fertility.

Immunostimulant effect: In aquaculture, im-munostimulatory drugs are commonly employed to boost innate immune responses. Propolis activates macrophages that regulate the non-specific immu-nity. Propolis stimulates the production of cytokines including IL-1, IL-2, and TNF-a, which activate T and B lymphocytes and it can also control macro-phage C1q synthesis as well as complement receptor activity, either directly or via cytokines, altering the immune response's early stages.

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Antimicrobial effect: Pathogens infect fish, espe-cially under an intense culture system, causing sig-nificant morbidity and death, as well as a drop in production efficiency, causing high production losses. Propolis stimulates the innate immune response or reduces parasite damage in the host tissue by encour-aging macrophages to produce microbicidal chemi-cals. The resistance activity of Gram-negative bacteria is higher than gram-positive bacteria to propolis be-cause of the presence of multidrug resistance (MDRs) pumps which expel the amphipathic poisons across the outer membrane and also the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria prevents or slows propolis penetration at low doses. The biological components of propolis, such as flavonoids, phenolic components, and their esters, ketones, and phenolic aldehydes, can prevent fungal infections. Various components pres-ent in the propolis such as quercetin, naringenin, and caffeic acid affect the cytoplasmic membrane (causing membrane potential degeneracy), inhibiting enzyme function as well as the bacterial movement.

Antioxidant activity: Daidzein, naringenin, quer-cetin, chrysin, ferulic acid, kaempferol, drupanin, pinocembrin, apigenin, caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, 3′,7- dimethyl ether, isosakuranetin artepillin C, coumaric acid aromadendrin-4′-methyl ether, pi-nobanksin 3-acetate, and baccharin are the com-ponents present in propolis responsible for antioxi-dant activity. The mechanism of action is the result of their capacity to scavenge free radicals, bind met-al ions, and reduce oxidative stress. Propolis com-ponents (caffeic acid and 3-prenyl-4-hydroxy-cin-

namic acid) exhibit unique antioxidant properties, whereas artepillin C uses irregular scavenging activ-ity to reduce the activity of free radicals.

CONCLUSIONPropolis being an amalgamation of myriad of es-

sential properties like anti-oxidant, anti-inflamma-tory, growth promoter etc. The necessity of its addi-tion as feed additive which significantly improvise the feed quality of the fishes.

References:1. Ahangari, Z., Naseri, M. and Vatandoost, F., 2018.

Propolis: chemical composition and its applications in endodontics. Iranian endodontic journal, 13(3), p.285.

2. Farag, M.R., Abdelnour, S.A., Patra, A.K., Dha-ma, K., Dawood, M.A., Elnesr, S.S. and Alagawa-ny, M., 2021. Propolis: properties and composition, health benefits and applications in fish nutrition. Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 115, pp.179-188.

3. Kuropatnicki, A.K., Szliszka, E. and Krol, W., 2013. Historical aspects of propolis research in mod-ern times. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alter-native Medicine, 2013

About Kamalii AhilanKamalii Ahilan, gravitational pull towards fisheries since childhood has paved the way to pursue her Masters in aquaculture

at Dr. M.G.R. Fisheries College and Research Institute, Ponneri. Being a tree-hugger, she certainly wanted the fisheries to be in line with sustainability. Her current works are focused on the use of insect meal (black soldier fly larvae) to replace the fish meal in aquaculture. Being moved by the quote “Awareness is the greatest agent of change”, she has conducted several seminars and spoke up on sustainability to make the people aware of the pertaining menace situation and the urge to combat back to normalcy. She has also published several reviewed and popular articles in the view of aquaculture.

About Mahalakshmi ShankarMahalakshmi is currently pursuing Master’s degree in aquaculture at Dr. M.G.R. R Fisheries College and Research Insti-

tute, Ponneri. She has a strong interest in biofloc technology. She is passionate about working on aquaponics and rearing of ornamental fishes.

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ADVANTAGES OF USING MEDIUM CHAIN FATTY ACIDS IN ANIMAL FEED

“Antibiotics were removed from feedstuffs after EU prohibited them in 2006. This put a lot of pressure on livestock producers to find alternatives to antibiotics.

As a result, current feedstuff production relies on the addition of bioactive substances, which should reduce the need for antibiotics and other medications

while also improving animal health and welfare. Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are one such supplement that can be employed in broiler and piglet nutrition.”

Replacement of antibiotics in animal feedstuffs with biologically active compounds has be-

come a hot topic in recent years. Antibiotics, coccid-iostats, and other medicinal growth promoters have been banned from animal feedstuffs due to concerns that these substances contribute to the spread of bacterial resistance. Antibiotics were removed from feedstuffs after the European Union (EU) prohibited them in 2006. This put a lot of pressure on livestock producers to find alternatives to antibiotics. As a re-sult, current feedstuff production relies on the ad-dition of bioactive substances, which should reduce the need for antibiotics and other medications while also improving animal health and welfare. These sub-stances help minimise the unfavourable impact of en-vironmental stress factors on animal immune systems and production metrics in intensive breeding sys-tems. As a result, competitive exclusion, probiotics, prebiotics, antimicrobial peptides, yeasts, and other additions are receiving increased attention in animal nutrition. Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are another supplement that can be employed in broiler and piglet nutrition. There are already a number of commercial MCFA products on the market.

Monogastric animals' fat tissue (pigs, poultry) has a structure that is extremely similar to the fat structure of the feedstuffs they eat. This indicates that the kind and supply of fat in an animal's diet can have a significant impact on the composition of fatty tissue and deposits in the carcasses. Currently, the EU's food modification policy is shifting away from large-scale, low-cost production and toward higher-cost, but hopefully safer, end food items. Clearly, current animal feed additives are vitally important for the health and well-being of human consumers of the meats produced as a result. Ac-cording to Reports and Data, the global fatty acid market is expected to register a CAGR of 4.80% growing from USD 34.68 billion in 2020 to USD 50.64 billion in 2028.

FATTY ACIDS IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL DIETSThe term fats and oils refers to lipids that are

employed in human and animal nutrition, regard-less of whether they come from animals or plants. They stimulate greater resorption of liposoluble vitamins, slow food transit through the colon, and

Paroma BhattacharyaReports and Data

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therefore permit better exploitation of the meal, in addition to their function in body energy systems (they are both a source and a store means of ener-gy). They also improve the efficiency of energy use as well as the food's acceptability. The energy value of fats and oils in food and feed is determined by a number of factors, including the carbon chain length, the specific organisation of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the glycerol molecule, the structure of free fatty acids, the structure of the food/feed, the amounts and types of triglycerides added to food/feed, intestinal flora, species, sex, and age of the human/animal.

Piglets are weaned and begin eating feed between the ages of 15 and 28 days in modern pig produc-tion. The digestive tracts of such young piglets are not yet matured, therefore they cannot use all of the nourishment available from feed, according to feed consumption statistics. This low intake results in poor calorie intake, which has a negative impact on the piglets' growth and development. Because of inadequate pancreas and intestinal lipase activ-ity, which causes insufficient fat absorption from the digestive system, long chain fatty acids (LCFA) digestibility is reduced by 65 to 80 percent in these young piglets compared to older animals. Piglets cannot manufacture enough carnitine during this

stage of development, which has a significant neg-ative impact on the transport of LCFAs into mito-chondria for energy production. Furthermore, free radicals can break unsaturated bonds in LCFAs, resulting in cascade damage to endogenous lipids and the development of peroxide. MFCA, on the other hand, is an excellent supplement for weaned piglets. Because MCFAs have an unpleasant odour on their own, their triacylglycerols (medium chain triacylglycerols; MCTs) are commonly added to animal feed. MCTs, or MCFAs, or mixes of two or all four key MCFAs as supplements for grow-ing piglets have different effects depending on the amount given. Piglet growth is also influenced by the life period at which they are fed MCFA.

Because of their low levels of produced bile salt and lipase, broilers have restricted fat absorption and digestive capability in their early days. Fat digestibility is 6% lower in young birds than in adults, but the young animals have a far higher abil-ity to absorb polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). In chicken, MCFAs have a unique nutritional value as well as metabolic and antimicrobial properties. The use of MCFA in egg production resulted in im-proved results, including tougher shells, higher egg protein quality, higher calcium content, and lower numbers of Escherichia coli bacteria.

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MCFA AND MICROBIOTA OF ANIMAL DIGESTIVE TRACT The significance of short chain fatty acids (SCFA)

and medium chain fatty acids in infection manage-ment and digestive tract health and integrity has been studied in broilers and other animals. Fatty acids are generally inhibitory to microbes, although depending on the type of fatty acid, the kind of bacterium, and the pH of the environment, various fatty acids have varied minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC).

Adding short chain fatty acids and medium chain fatty acids to feed has a number of good impacts on animal health, which can be seen when the ani-mals' health is threatened, particularly when the di-gestive tract integrity is impaired. Tests have shown that combining organic acids and MCFA reduced clinical signs of illnesses in broiler artificial necrotic enteritis. In broilers afflicted with viral malabsorp-tion syndrome (MAS), it was found that combining

SCFA and MCFA in feed boosted broiler growth and resulted in larger broiler weight at the con-clusion of the production cycle. Although it is un-known how this directly affects viruses, it is thought that SCFA and MCFA have a synergistic effect on bacteria, in which MCFA destroys microorganisms' cell walls, allowing SCFA to enter the bacterial cy-toplasm and have an antibiotic effect. When MCFA is combined with certain organic acids, fat, protein, and crude fibre digestibility can be improved. The use of MCFA and plant extracts (thymol, cinna-mon oil, and eucalyptus oil) in turkey nutrition in-creased bird weight after 15 weeks of fattening, had no effect on total feed intake, but improved feed conversion. MCFA can be used in conjunction with probiotics in animal feed.

Source: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/fat-

ty-acids-market

About Paroma BhattacharyaParoma Bhattacharya is a passionate content creator and has been a professional content writer for over half a decade.

She is currently working for Reports and Data and possesses extensive knowledge in subjects related to healthcare, technology, banking, and a wide range of other industry verticals. Her articles focus primarily on balancing relevant data with engaging storytelling. She believes in providing objective facts to help people make important business decisions.

https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/fatty-acids-market

https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/fatty-acids-market

ARTICLE


THE NEXT GENERATION FOR THE PHOSPHATES MARKET

“Due to the extreme volatility of the actual market situation, and also due to the ongoing reduction in the market supply of feed phosphates, it is necessary

to improve the product design in order to obtain phosphates with maximum efficiency and better sustainability for the future of animal production.”

The typical phosphates market establishes a different category of products commonly

referred to as Monocalcium phosphates and Dical-cium phosphates (anhydrous or dihydrate). How-ever, commercial phosphates are not comprised of a pure chemical entity. Depending on the pro-duction process and the ingredients used, the fi-nal product can be any of an array of phosphate species, some of which are the result of undesired reactions, such as dicalcium anhydrous.

As shown in Figure 1, Europe-an regulations have established classification intervals for phos-phates based on the Ca/P rate (Regulation EC 1017/2017). At a higher Ca/P rate, the incorpo-ration of dicalcium phosphate increases in the mineral compo-sition of phosphate, until reach-ing tricalcium phosphate at its highest rate.

This classification system has given rise to the coexistence of commercial phosphates that have

similar Ca/P rates and which fall into the same cat-egory, but which have different chemical composi-tions and wide variances in parameters such as water solubility, citric acid solubility, pH and the presence of other minerals. These differences in chemical com-position generate wide variations in phosphorus bio-availability and digestibility in animals.

Most of the existing research on digestibility in monogastric species demonstrates that dicalci-

Andrés DonadeuTechnical ManagerGlobalFeed

Figure 1: European regulations on phosphate classification

ARTICLE


um phosphate is less digestible than monocalcium phosphate, and anhydrous is less digestible than hydrated. Therefore, an increase in the amounts of monocalcium and hydrated forms of phosphates would lead to an increase in digestibility. Along the same line, monosubstituted phosphates, such as monocalcium and monosodium phosphates, are the most water-soluble phosphates, which suggests that increased water solubility should be associated with increased availability and digestibility.

GlobalFeed has developed a methodology based on different analytical parameters to quantify and qualify the chemical balance and total composition of phosphates. The results were evaluated to estimate digestibility values using the literature, nutritional studies and finally internal in vivo trials. Together, these parameters allow us to assign digestibility val-ues to the phosphates produced by GlobalFeed.

Due to the extreme volatility of the actual market situation, and also due to the ongoing reduction in the market supply of feed phosphates, it is necessary to improve the product design in order to obtain phosphates with maximum efficiency and better sustainability for the future of animal production.

The design of Socalphos+ allows us to combine calcium phosphate with monosodium phosphate,

the latter of which replaces the dicalcium fraction, which has been shown to lower calcium levels. This monosodium level has several advantages in terms of mineral nutrition, the most evident being an increase in phosphorus solubility in water and digestibility, followed by the inclusion of a sodium source that helps to improve the electrolytical bal-ance and reduce the acid binding capacity of the feed. This sodium level replaces the inclusion of salt, thereby reducing the level of chloride, which is known to have a negative impact on the electro-lytical balance (Na+K-Cl). Additionally, this could eliminate sodium bicarbonate, which has a high buffering effect in the gut.

In 2021, a trial was conducted by the Polytech-nic University of Valencia, Spain to evaluate the monosubstituted sodium and calcium phosphates in SOCALPHOS+ vs. conventional MCP and pure MCP on the productive performance and digest-ibility of broilers.

To measure the phosphorus digestibility of phosphates, 64 male chicks were housed in pairs in 32 digestibility cages at 15 days of age. After an adaptation period of one week, the trial was started at 21 days of age. The experimental design was divided into 4 treatments with 8 replicates per treatment, one of which did not include a mineral

ARTICLE


phosphorus source in order to evaluate the digest-ibility of the phosphorus form contained in the feed ingredients.

The feed diet consisted of a Negative Control diet without the addition of mineral phosphate (0.33% Ca and 0.2% P) which was used as the basal diet for the inclusion of the different mineral phosphates that were tested: pure MCP with 22% P, 15% Ca, 0.68 Ca/P rate and 99% water solubility; a com-mercial MCP with 22.4% P, 18% Ca, 0.80 Ca/P rate and 81% water solubility and SOCALPHOS+ with 22% P, 11% Ca, 8% Na, 0.50 Ca/P rate and 84% water solubility; to reach 0.48% Ca and 0.38% P levels in all experimental diets.

To evaluate the acid-binding capacity of the feed, the amount of HCL necessary to reduce the ini-tial pH at 3 (ABC-3) was evaluated. The diet with Socalphos + showed a lower ABC3 value than the monocalcium forms (186 vs 281 and 279 mEqH-Cl/kg), which is in line with a lower feed pH (5.9 vs 6.2 and 6.1). As shown by the crop pH value results in Figure 2, there was a significant (P<0.05) reduction in the inclusion of sodium and calcium mineral phosphates in the animals fed with Socal-phos+ (pH 5.92). The improved acidification seen with SCP+ will have positive effects on feed digest-ibility in general, and on phosphorus digestibility in particular.

Results obtained by measuring the ileal and faecal digestibility of phosphorus from the mineral phos-phates are shown in Figure 3.

The best result was obtained for MCP pure and the lowest digestibility was for MCP commercial, while Socalphos+ showed intermediate values in terms of ileal and faecal digestibility. The results of Socalphos+ digestibility suggest a better phosphorus nutrition response than that of commercial MCP in broiler diets. Both ileal and faecal phosphorus digestibility was 10% higher with SOCALPHOS+ than in commercial MCP sources.

GlobalFeed is a world leader in mineral phos-phorus nutrition for animal feed that has dedicated more than 20 years to developing efficient solutions

Crop pH was acidified (pH 5.9)with SOCALPHOS+

Phosphorus digestibility was 10% higher with SOCALPHOS+ than

with commercial MCP.Better optimization of

phosphorus.Reduces the need for phosphates

and improves environmental sustainability for the future.

ARTICLE


for feed markets around the world.

The GlobalFeed team has been working for sev-eral years on new and modern techniques defined as GlobalPhos® technology in order to improve and optimize the manufacturing process as well as the quality and efficiency of its products.

The primary goals of GlobalPhos® technology are to focus on improving phosphorus digestibility, to help optimize efficiency in the animal, to reduce feed costs and to act as a champion for global envi-ronmental sustainability.

GlobalPhos® technology produces results, including:- More soluble and digestible calcium phosphates:MCPdige / DCPdige- Combined sodium and calcium phosphates at differ-ent levels to provide digestible phosphorus / electrolyti-cal balance / low buffering capacity / acidification for monogastric species:SCP range: SCP+ / SCPabc / SCPdige

- A unique phosphate designed for aquafeed, with: op-timum balance P - Ca – Na%/ HIGH SOLUBILITY in water and digestibility at a wide range of pH levels: AQphos+- Synergic combinations of phosphorus and NNP for ruminants: Rumenphos

SPECIALISTS IN DIGESTIBLEPHOSPHORUS AND IRON

www.globalfeed.es

https://www.globalfeed.es/en/company

MARKET REPORT


Feed phosphates are used in the animal diet to ensure optimal

growth, boost performance, fertility, and bone development, and are often supplied to animals along with calcium and magnesium.

The lack of phosphorus in animal’s diet can lead to poor feed conversion, reduced growth rate of milk produc-tion, bone malformation and the threat of causing rickets. Substantial supply of phosphorous is essential for conducting necessary body function in animals.

Global Feed Phosphate Market

Phosphorous is a micronutrient that is needed by almost all life forms for the optimal growth and development of the organism within an adequate time frame. This phosphorous is provided to animals through animal feed in the form of feed phosphates. According to Research and Markets' Feed Phosphates Market Research Report, the global feed phosphates market size is estimated at USD 3.45 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach USD 4.31 billion by 2027.

By Muhammed Akatay

MARKET REPORT


Moreover, feed phosphates optimize the nutri-tional value of foods and further improve the qual-ity of meat and dairy products. For example, opti-mized tenderness in meat, high selenium content in eggs, and high calcium content in milk are some examples of beneficial changes for consumers of livestock products that are caused by the addition of feed phosphates.

Most of the feed phosphates used are calcium phosphates in different forms including monocal-cium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, and dicalci-um phosphate. They act as substitutes or additives, thereby providing supportive functions including

development of skeletal tissues, protein synthesis, energy utilization and transfer, along with mainte-nance of osmotic pressure and acid base balance. All these superior properties are expected to stimulate the global market size.

MARKET GROWTH EXPECTATIONSGrowth prospects for the global feed phosphates

market range from 3 to 4%. Different research companies offer different projections of the size of the market. For example, in Research and Markets' Feed Phosphates Market Research Report, global feed phosphates market size is estimated at USD 3.31 billion in 2021, USD 3.45 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.48% to reach USD 4.31 billion by 2027.

Data Bridge Market Research projects that the feed phosphates market will register a CAGR of 4.30% during the forecast period of 2022-2029 and is likely to reach the USD 3.52 billion by 2029.

On the other hand, according to the report of Market Data Forecast; global feed phosphate mar-ket was valued at USD 2.53 billion in 2021 and is predicted to reach USD 2.95 billion in 2026, with a CAGR of 3.3% during the forecast period.

MARKET DRIVERS & RESTRAINTSHigh nutrient requirement for poultry produc-

tion along with favorable regulatory norms in North America, rising meat and meat product con-sumption in Asia Pacific, growing pork and poultry business along with increasing livestock disease out-breaks in Europe... All of these are expected to be the main drivers that will stimulate feed phosphates market in the coming period.

According to the report of Data Bridge Market Research; the rising threat of diseases in livestock and increasing prevalence of favorable regulatory norms will influence the revenue growth of feed phosphates market. The upsurge in the demand of meat and dairy products will accelerate the market’s growth. Rapid urbanization and increasing level of

MARKET REPORT


people’s disposable income are the significant mar-ket drivers that will further flourish the growth rate. Furthermore, increase in the demand for poul-try production will bolster the growth rate of feed phosphates market. Other factors such as changing dietary preferences and growing population will positively impact the growth rate of feed phosphates market. Another significant factor includes upsurge in the demand for meat-based products, and swift industrialization will act as a key trend that will fur-ther cushion the market’s growth rate.

Moreover, the development of high quality and new raw materials and new emerging markets will further create lucrative and remunerative growth op-portunities for the feed phosphates market during the forecast period 2022-2029. Additionally, increase in

technological innovations and strong demand from various end-use industries will further propel the new growth opportunities in the future year.

However, fluctuating prices of raw materials and availability of product alternatives will derail the feed phosphates market’s growth rate. Also, the lack of phosphate reserves globally and toxicity of feed phosphates will pose major challenges to the growth of the market. The negative impact of COVID-19 on supply chain and growing environmental con-cerns will act as major market restraints and further hinder the growth rate of feed phosphates market.

The high cost of phosphate and increased use of phytase are also considered to be important re-straints that will affect the growth of the market.

"Global Market Insights Inc. predicts in its report that feed phosphate market size from poultry livestock will surpass USD 1.65 billion by 2027. According to

the report; feed phosphate is widely used in poultry feed owing to its ability to replenish phosphorous, which contributes to the formation of strong skeleton & tissue, improves metabolism, functions of the nervous, immune & reproductive

systems, and increases productivity."

MARKET REPORT


According to the Feed Phosphate Market Report of Research Nester; high cost of phosphate salts, such as monocalcium and dicalcium phosphates, has led to increase in the usage of substitutes such as phytase, which is lower in cost and can be used as a means of controlling the overall feed cost. Apart from being comparatively cost-effective, the usage of phytase in feed has many advantages and fulfills various functionalities of feed phosphates, such as enhancing digestive processes, improving bone health, accentuating body weight, and breaking down indigestible phytic acid (found in grains and oilseeds), thus aiding the release of digestible phos-phorus, calcium and other nutrients that help the growth of animals. Further, phytase promotes high-er feed intake when compared to feed phosphates, which help in the physical development of animals, leading to better performance. Lack of awareness in developing countries, instability in pricing of phos-phate, and an increased usage of substitutes are ma-jor restraints for the growth of this market.

MARKET STATUS BASED BY TYPEOn the basis of type, feed phosphates market is

segmented into calcium phosphate, sodium phos-phate, ammonium phosphate and others. The seg-ment of calcium phosphate is further sub-segmented into dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, mono-dicalcium phosphate, defluorinated phos-phate and tricalcium phosphate. Among all these types of feed phosphates, an increase in demand to the use of monocalcium phosphate in animal feeds is expected due to its high phosphorus content.

According to the Feed Phosphate Market Report of Global Market Insights Inc.; monocalcium feed phosphate market surpassed USD 770 million in 2020 and is anticipated to witness significant gains over the predicted timeframe (2021-2027). The increasing use of monocalcium phosphate in ani-mal feed supplements owing to its ability to supply essential minerals for the growth and development of animals will foster product demand. Monocalci-um phosphate is widely used in animal feed, such as livestock, pet, and poultry, due to its ability to support the development of strong bones and teeth.

Livestock and poultry farmers increasingly use monocalcium phosphate in animal feed due to its high phosphorous content compared to dicalcium phosphate.

MARKET STATUS BASED BY LIVESTOCK TYPEThe feed phosphates market, by livestock, is pre-

dicted to be dominated by the poultry segment in 2021. According to the report of Market Data Fore-cast; the poultry segment is supposed to experience the fastest expansion through 2026. Worldwide, total poultry production has increased and with such expansion in production and consumption, it has become important for meat producers to focus more on quality.

Global Market Insights Inc. predicts in its re-port that feed phosphate market size from poultry livestock will surpass USD 1.65 billion by 2027. According to the report; feed phosphate is widely used in poultry feed owing to its ability to replenish phosphorous, which contributes to the formation of strong skeleton & tissue, improves metabolism, functions of the nervous, immune & reproductive systems, and increases productivity. Phosphate is used to metabolize calcium in chickens and has a high consumption in poultry compared to oth-er meat sources. The increasing use of monocalci-um phosphate and dicalcium phosphate in poultry farming is anticipated to boost product demand from poultry livestock application.

MARKET STATUS ON REGIONAL BASISFrom a regional perspective, it is possible to say

that there is an ongoing race between North Amer-ica, Europe and Asia-Pacific region. According to some sources, North America dominates the mar-ket, while some sources point out that Europe will dominate the market in the coming years.

For example, according to the report of Research Nester; North America feed phosphate market driv-en by the U.S. and Canada is projected to have the largest share owing to rising demand for more convenience and processed foods which are main-

MARKET REPORT


ly meat based including beef and pork. Asia Pacific is anticipated to have a significant growth on the back of increasing healthcare expenditure and nu-tritional supplement. Meat consumption is highly linked to higher incomes and as a shift, the food consumption of animal protein sources is likely to increase. Expanding GDP and rising disposable in-come strengthen the purchasing power of people, resulting in higher preferences for pork, poultry and beef products in their daily lives.

Europe stands out in the report prepared by Mar-ket Data Forecast. According to the report; the Eu-ropean feed phosphates market is predicted to be the largest in 2021. The region's market is driven by the consumption of feed phosphates, as it is a major

producer of livestock. Meat is one of the import-ant segments of the European agricultural sector. Policies developed by the EU encourage pastoralists to use healthy and nutrient-rich food additives and balance the impact of their production on the envi-ronment, thus stimulating the expansion of the feed phosphates market.

Again, according to the same report, South Amer-ican market is predicted to grow at the highest CAGR from 2022-2027. Annual livestock produc-tion in this region has increased, which has subse-quently driven the call for compound feed. After Asia-Pacific, Latin America has Brazil and Argentina with steadily escalating herds, which can potentially lead to higher call for feed phosphates. The United

ADDCON GmbHAG Chemi GroupAliphosBariteWorldBASFBIOMIN HoldingGuizhou Chanhen Chemical CorporationCorbionDe Heus Animal NutritionEastman ChemicalEcophos GroupEuroChem Group Fosfitalia GroupGlobalFeedGFS Chemicals, Inc.Groupe Roullier ImpextracoJ.R. Simplot CompanyJefo NutritionJinnuo ChemicalKemin IndustriesMa'aden Phosphate CompanyNOAH Technologies CorporationNovus InternationalNutrien Ltd.

OCP GroupPerstorp HoldingPhosAgro Group of Companies Phosphate Resources LimitedPhospheaPotash CorpPrayon S.A.Quimpac S.A.Reephos Chemical Rotem TurkeySelko Feed AdditivesSichuan Chuan Heng Chemical Sichuan LomonSichuan Mianzhu Sanjia FeedSichuan Shucan ChemicalSinochem Yunlong SinofertThe Mosaic CompanyTimab Industries Trouw NutritionUnited Phosphorous LtdWengfu GroupYara International ASAYunan Phosphate Chemical

Major Players:

MARKET REPORT


States is a major contributor to the North Amer-ican industry, but the region’s call for phosphates has declined due to alternatives and substitutes such as feed phosphates with incorporated phytase and depleted grains. This has contributed to a fall in the prices of feed phosphates in the area. In Eastern Eu-rope, Russia has recently experienced an escalating call for feed phosphates.

MAJOR PLAYERS IN FEED PHOSPHATE MARKETMost of the companies in the feed phosphate mar-

ket have similar product types and use the same type of production process to produce feed phosphate from rock phosphate, which is a finite resource. Com-panies in the feed phosphate market are primarily en-gaged in expanding production capacity and merger & acquisition strategies for business expansion.

Resources:• Research and Markets; Feed Phosphates Mar-

ket Research Report by Form (Granule and Pow-der), Livestock, Type, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Fore-cast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19; April 2022; https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5337678/feed-phosphates-market-research-re-port-by-form

• Research Nester, Feed Phosphate Market Segmen-tation By Type (Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate & Others); By Application (Livestock, Poul-

try, Aquaculture & Others) – Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2027; 7 April, 2022; https://www.researchnester.com/reports/feed-phosphate-mar-ket/1595

• Data Bridge Market Research, Global Feed Phos-phates Market - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2029; Feb 2022; https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-feed-phosphates-market

• Industry Research, GLOBAL FEED PHOSPHATE MARKET INSIGHTS AND FORECAST TO 2028; 13-Jan-2022; https://www.industryresearch.co/glob-al-feed-phosphate-market-19924610

• Market Data Forecast; Global Feed Phosphates Market Size, Share, Trends and Growth Analysis Re-port – Segmented By Type (Dicalcium, Monocalcium, Mono-Dicalcium, Defluorinated and Tricalcium), By Livestock (Ruminants, Swine, Poultry and Aquacul-ture), By Form (Powder and Granule) and Region - Industry Forecast of 2022 to 2027; January, 2022; https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-feed-phosphate-market

• Global Market Insights Inc.; Feed Phosphate Mar-ket Size, By Product (Monocalcium Phosphate, Trical-cium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ammonium Phosphate, Defluorinated Phosphate), By Livestock (Poultry, Cattle, Aquaculture, Swine, Pet), Indus-try Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trend, Covid-19 Impact Analysis, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2021 – 2027; September 2021; https://www.gminsights.com/indus-try-analysis/feed-phosphate-market

https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-feed-phosphate-market

https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-feed-phosphate-market

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/feed-phosphate-market

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/feed-phosphate-market

https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5337678/feed-phosphates-market-research-report-by-form



https://www.researchnester.com/reports/feed-phosphate-market/1595



https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-feed-phosphates-market

https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-feed-phosphates-market

https://www.industryresearch.co/global-feed-phosphate-market-19924610

https://www.industryresearch.co/global-feed-phosphate-market-19924610

NEWS


BioMar, Denmark-based global leader in sustainable aquaculture feeds, acquired AQ1 Systems, a leading producer of acoustic feeding technology for the shrimp farming industry.

Following the successful entrance into the shrimp

feed market, the board of Bio-Mar approves the acquisition of Tasmania-based AQ1 Systems, the world’s leading producer of acoustic feeding technology for the shrimp farming industry.

BioMar has during the last years intensified research and advisory services, embracing the complex interconnection be-tween feed solutions, environ-ment, and shrimp performance. In early April, yet another step

was taken connecting the dots as BioMar has announced the ac-quisition of AQ1.

AQ1 will continue as an inde-pendent company with its own commercial set-up, business sys-tems, and distribution channels, servicing both BioMar customers and customers with other feed providers. Existing AQ1 customers will not experience any changes to their service and agreements with AQ1. Ross Dodd will continue heading AQ1 after the acquisition.

Strengthening the core feed

business with innovative tech solutions, launches a new chap-ter in the journey of BioMar. The aim is to create new synergies be-tween farming technologies and feed solutions.

BioMar acquires intelligent feeding technology AQ1 Systems

As consumers’ interest in the environment

and nutrition rises, food-tech companies join the race to invent meat alternatives. In 2021, alternative seafood companies received $175 mil-lion in investment globally, increasing 92% from 2020. A South Korean startup called CellMEAT, which de-velops cell-based shrimp, has secured $8.1 million (10 billion KRW) Series A funding to compete with 120 companies around the world that produce al-ternative seafood.

The new round of funding, which brings its to-tal raised to $14.1 million, will help CellMEAT continue the research and development of its lab-

grown shrimp, ramp up pilot production of its prototype shrimp to 10 kilograms per day from 5 kilograms and expand its offerings to other culti-vated seafood, including crustaceans like lobsters and crabs, CellMEAT

co-founder and CEO Giljun Park said in an inter-view with TechCrunch.

CellMEAT intends to enter Singapore, the only country to approve alternative meat products for sale. It aims to commercialize its cultivated shrimps as early as 2023, targeting B2B and B2C consum-ers, Park continued. CellMEAT is also eyeing the U.S. after entering Asian countries, Park noted.

South Korean lab-grown shrimp producer CellMEAT bags $8.1M Series A funding

NEWS


Evonik publishes first edition of MetAMINO® ATLAS

Evonik, one of the world leaders in specialty chemi-

cals, has published the first edi-tion of the MetAMINO® ATLAS. The report displays the results of 15 performance trials investigat-ing the relative nutritive value of DL-methionine vs. liquid MHA-FA and MHA-Ca in animal diets.

“For cost-effective purchas-ing, feed formulation and animal production, precise knowledge about the relative nutritive value of DL-methionine compared with liquid MHA-FA and MHA-Ca is essential,” says Dr. Jan-Olaf Barth,

head of the Efficient Nutrition product line at Evonik. “With the MetAMINO® ATLAS, we want to support our business partners in making knowledge-based pur-chase decisions for sustainable and economical livestock operations.”

The trials were conducted in eleven countries on five conti-nents under different climatic, geographic and farm conditions - in experimental settings as well as at commercial farms with broiler chickens, laying hens, swine and aqua species.

“Across all trials and all spe-

cies, we found that compara-ble animal performance criteria were achieved when 100 units of MHA-products were replaced with 65 units of MetAMINO®,” says Nils Niedner, product man-ager MetAMINO®.

Evonik has published the first edition of the MetAMINO® ATLAS. The report displays the results of 15 performance trials investigating the relative bioavailability of supplementary methionine sources in animal diets.

ForFarmers nominates Chris Deen as CEO

The supervisory board of ForFarmers N.V. nominat-

ed Chris Deen as member of the Executive Board of ForFarmers, to be appointed by the general shareholders meeting. Upon his appointment, Deen will hold the position of Chief Executive Offi-cer (CEO), starting as of 1 July 2022. This requires convening an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, which is expected to take place in June 2022.

“We are pleased to nominate Chris Deen as CEO. His broad and international experience in the food sector is characterised by ini-tiating and implementing success-ful transformations within leading companies in quickly changing

and challenging markets. He has an engaging and decisive personal-ity. We are of the opinion that he fits well with the other members of the executive board and the execu-tive team and that he has the skills and experience to positively influ-ence the development of ForFarm-ers,” said Jan van Nieuwenhuizen, chairman of the supervisory board of ForFarmers.

Chris Deen (55) is currently CEO of Aviko, one of the four largest potato processors in the world and subsidiary of cooper-ative Royal Cosun. Chris Deen has a degree in business econom-ics and information management from Amsterdam University.

The proposed appointment of

Chris Deen relates to the cur-rent CEO, Yoram Knoop, step-ping down after the AGM on 14 April. From 14 April until 1 July, Roeland Tjebbes will temporarily take on the CEO role next to his CFO responsibilities.

Chris Deen

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Leaders of the global aquaculture industry will come together on June 13-15 in Norway for AquaVision 2022, the leading international aquaculture business conference to be held by Skretting and Nutreco.

Skretting announced that AquaVision 2022 will take

place June 13 to 15 in Stavanger, Norway, as society is getting back to normal and travel restrictions are easing. Leaders of the global aquaculture industry will meet in Stavanger for inspiration and in-sight into the future of blue, sus-tainable food.

“At the conference industry leaders will share the vision, we will learn how to navigate the fu-ture and expand the possibilities of the aquaculture value chain,” Skretting said in a statement. “With global markets increasing-

ly demanding verifiable, sustain-able and fully traceable products, it is clear that aquaculture has a critical role to play in feeding a fast-growing global population.”

The conference will address the profile of sustainable aquaculture with relevant decision makers. The focus will be on sustainability throughout the supply chains, all the way to the consumers’ table.

AquaVision 2022 seeks to chal-lenge leaders from the worlds of business, food, science, policy and academia to share new knowledge, new thinking, new technologies, and to discuss how best to deliver

tangible, positive action that will meet the blue food demands long into the future.

Organised by Skretting and parent company Nutreco since 1996, AquaVision brings leaders and decision makers from across the world together.

AquaVision 2022 to be held in June

This year, Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) organises the Feeds & Nutrition course for

the 11th time. The Feeds & Nutrition course is a yearly recurring course that is specially designed for livestock specialists. The 11th edition will be held 13-17 June 2022 at the Inntel Hotels in Zaandam, the Netherlands.

The goal of the Feeds & Nutrition course is to share scientific knowledge in such a way that participants can implement this knowledge directly into daily work.

To achieve this, 13 different modules are offered from which the participant can compose their own tailor-made program. Each module covers a specific theme: In addition to the species-specific modules

(nutrient evaluation, applied nutrition and feed formulation), there are two modules with a species transcending topic. Thus, these different modules allow the participant to Mix & Match their own programme to their individual needs and interests.

Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) will hold the 11th edition of the annual Feeds & Nutrition courses on 13-17 June 2022 in the Netherlands.

SFR to hold 11th edition of Feeds & Nutrition course in June 2022

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The modules are presented by researchers and consultants from SFR, together with other experts from the field. More than 120 participants from all over the world working in the feed industry are expected. The setting of the course stimulates par-ticipants to share experiences in combination with theoretical background.

The modules will be held over the course of one week and will be given in English. Registration is required before June 1st, 2022. The Feeds & Nutri-tion will be organised at the “Inntel Hotel” in Zaan-dam, the Netherlands. The complete programme and additional information can be found on the SFR website.

Elanco breaks ground on state-of-the-art campus

Elanco Animal Health In-corporated unveiled plans

for its new global headquarters featuring environmentally-sus-tainable, employee-focused de-sign and a state-of-the art inno-vation center.

The company – which grew from a small division of Eli Lilly & Com-pany to a $4.7 billion independent global animal health leader – plans to enter its seventh decade by breathing life into a long-idle site close to its birthplace.

The planned 220,000 square foot six-story office structure and con-nected innovation and collabora-tion buildings will occupy 40 acres.

Influenced by new concepts of working post-pandemic, the cam-pus is designed to create a more comfortable, casual work environ-ment and its design also supports Elanco’s sustainability pledge.

Construction on the facility is expected to commence in the coming months and take ap-proximately two to three years to

complete. Elanco’s campus is also de-

signed to serve as the foundation of a planned animal health epi-center in Indianapolis.

Professor Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize winning econ-

omist, will be keynote speaker at the world’s premier aquaculture business conference, AquaVision, in Norway, 13-15 June 2022.

With economic policy and glob-al growth or downturn playing an essential role in demanding times, Professor Stiglitz will address the impact of COVID-19, issues with increased raw material costs, inflation and increased interest. At the conference, business lead-ers will search for answers to how sustainable economic growth and

increased seafood production can be achieved.

In 2001, Professor Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in eco-nomics for his analyses of markets with asymmetric information. He was a lead author of the 1995 Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2011 TIME named Pro-fessor Stiglitz one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Professor Stiglitz was Chief Economist and Senior Vice-Pres-ident of the World Bank from

1997-2000. In the last 15 years, he has written a series of books that have had enormous influence in shaping global debates. Among his awards are more than 40 honorary doctorates, including from Cam-bridge and Oxford Universities.

Nobel winner Joseph Stiglitz to attend AquaVision 2022

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Aqua-Spark invests in Kuehnle AgroSystems

Kuehnle AgroSystems ("KAS"), an innovative Hawaii-based microalgae development com-

pany, has closed a Series A funding round with new investor, Aqua-Spark. As the pioneer fund for sus-tainable aquaculture, Aqua-Spark is investing sig-nificant resources to support the transfer of KAS' pioneering technology to industrial scale.

As an algae strain and ingredients development company, KAS has patented a novel platform pro-cess for the sustainable fermentation production of multiple economically relevant algae. For their lead product, this process is combined with KAS' unique non-GM strain of Haematococcus pluvialis to en-able KAS to produce high levels of natural astaxan-thin, affordably and at scale.

Astaxanthin is commonly used as a pigment and antioxidant in aquafeed for salmonids and shrimp, and as a highly potent antioxidant and anti-inflam-matory with many documented health benefits in human nutraceuticals. These markets combined are

estimated to be valued at around $1 billion per an-num. Among pipeline products enabled by KAS' pat-ent is a source of highly nutritious human protein and essential fatty acids from Chlamydomonas algae.

In the wild, salmonids and shrimp consume as-taxanthin from plankton and zooplankton, which gives them the antioxidants they need to thrive and enhances their pigmentation to produce an appeal-ing pink color. To ensure farmed salmonids develop a color similar to wild salmon, astaxanthin alterna-tives are used as a feed additive.

Hawaii-based microalgae development company Kuehnle AgroSystems (KAS) has closed a Series A funding round with new investor, Aqua-Spark.

FEFAC and ITC announced that five more schemes of-

fering responsible soy products to the European feed market have successfully passed the inde-pendent benchmarking process against the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines 2021.

This brings the total number to 20 responsible soy schemes which are compliant with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines 2021, showing the strong com-mitment of supply chain partners

to strengthen and support the European feed industry’s efforts to foster the mainstream market transformation of the use of re-sponsibly produced soy products.

19 out of 20 schemes also com-ply with the specific desired cri-terion on conversion-free soy, meaning they offer responsibly produced soy grown on land that didn’t come at the expense of any (illegal or legal) conversion of nat-ural eco-systems (i.e. including non-forest native vegetation in the

Cerrado Biome) as from a specific cut-off date (December 2020 as the latest possibility). All schemes having successfully applied and passed the benchmarking pro-cess are displayed in the updated FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines Benchmarking Tool on ITC Stan-dards Map. The tool includes a fil-ter system for schemes providing conversion-free soy, which allows users to select between the differ-ent supply chain models and two periods of cut-off dates.

20 soybean schemes pass benchmarking process against FEFAC guidelines

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UK-based SugaRich announced that it has

agreed to acquire the former food processing business of Duynie France, located in Pannecé, which will operate under the SugaRich brand.

This transaction accelerates SugaRich’s strategic ambitions to grow its international footprint and positions the group as one of the largest European businesses in the former foods sector.

Following the exchange, SugaRich can confirm that Duynie SASU has decided to concentrate its business on the direct supply of moist and liquid co-product feeds to French livestock farmers. This brings Duynie SASU’s business model in line with its sister companies trading across Europe under the brand of Duynie Feed.

“It is clear that consoli-dation in the food and feed sector is accelerating and consistent with our growth strategy. We will look for opportunities to develop our business for the long term by

growing our presence in new territories and deliv-ering our innovative approach to surplus foodstuffs to an even wider customer base across Europe,” said Alex Keogh, Managing Director, SugaRich.

“The SugaRich ethos is to provide a low environ-mental footprint animal feed, and this acquisition supports that value. What we start with in France is an impressive business and one that will be central to our European growth, leading the way in alterna-tive feeds,” added Andrew Newton SugaRich CEO.

SugaRich acquires former foodstuffs processor of Duynie FranceUK market leader in former foodstuff processing, SugaRich, has joined forces with French feed powerhouse Duynie France to garner strong position in European former foods sector.

New research demonstrates methane reduction benefits for Anpario’s Optomega product range

An in vitro study to assess the effect of Anpario’s Op-

tomega range on gas and methane production when supplemented in the dairy herd ration showed that both products in the range helped lower cumulative gas pro-duction over a 24-hour period.

The study was carried out by the University of Reading in as-sociation with independent feed additive manufacturer Anpario. Optomega Algae and Optomega Plus were supplemented at 100 g/cow/day and 160 g/cow/day re-spectively and gas pressure read-

ings were taken at regular inter-vals. Methane analysis was carried out using gas chromatography.

The results of the trial showed that alongside the main fertility benefits associated with supple-mentation, both Optomega prod-ucts helped to lower cumulative gas production over a 24-hour period. Compared to control di-ets, the cumulative methane out-put was 10.8% lower in Optome-ga Plus supplemented cows and 6.6% lower in cows fed diets sup-plemented with Optomega Algae.

“To put the results into context,

for a 200-cow dairy herd, the low-er methane output could support a reduction in carbon footprint of up to 80 tonnes per year of CO2-equivalents with Optome-ga Plus, and up to 51 tonnes per year with Optomega Algae,” says Dr Wendy Wakeman, Anpario’s global technical director.

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Arla Foods and Royal DSM have teamed up to start a large-scale on-farm pilot programme with the methane reducing feed additive Bovaer® on 10,000 dairy cows across three European countries.

Arla Foods, DSM start on-farm pilot to reduce GHGs from dairy cows

European dairy cooperative Arla Foods and global purpose-led science-based company,

Royal DSM, are set to start a large-scale on-farm pilot with the methane reducing feed additive Bo-vaer® on 10,000 dairy cows across three European countries. Long-standing global research and on-farm trials show that Bovaer® can reduce in meth-ane emissions by around 30 per cent with contin-ued high animal welfare, supporting the companies’ commitment to sustainable dairy production.

Arla Foods’ farmer owners are among the most climate efficient dairy producers in the world with an average CO2e emission of 1,15kg per kg of raw milk. They are committed to accelerate their re-duction of greenhouse gas emissions in this decade, and in line with Arla Foods ambitious sustainabil-

ity targets across its value chain, the cooperative is set to pilot the use of the new feed additive Bovaer® with 10,000 dairy cows across more than 50 farms in Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The feed ad-ditive could reduce methane emissions by around 30 per cent.

Throughout the summer and fall of 2022, Arla Foods will work with its farmer owners to ensure a diverse group of farms for the pilot programme. During the on-farm pilots, farmers will receive Bo-vaer® from their feed suppliers and mix it into the feed for their dairy cows. Arla will collect milk sam-ples for analysis and comparison to milk from dairy cows not fed the feed additive. If preliminary find-ings are as expected, Arla Foods plans to double the pilot project to include 20.000 cows in 2023.

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) has announced that

it hired seafood industry veteran Mike Kocsis as chief systems of-ficer, a new position within the nonprofit organization. Kocsis will oversee GSA’s information technology and certification op-erations departments and report to GSA CEO Brian Perkins.

Kocsis has nearly 20 years of supply chain and operations ex-perience in the seafood industry, holding leadership roles with some of the leading U.S. seafood brands, including High Liner

Foods, King & Prince Seafood and Gorton’s Seafood.

“I’m excited to be a part of GSA and its mission-driven team,” says Kocsis. “I’m proud of the or-ganization’s deep commitment to environmental and social respon-sibility. I look forward to work-ing with my new teammates and engaging with our global partners to build trust in seafood.”

Kocsis is deeply interested in le-veraging technology to drive en-vironmental and social responsi-bility in global supply chains. He holds a bachelor of science in lo-

gistics and international business from Penn State University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

GSA hires industry veteran Mike Kocsis as Chief Systems Officer

Mike Kocsis

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Chr. Hansen steps into meat alternatives arena

Chr. Hansen, after launching the VEGA™ Culture Kit for dairy alternatives in 2021,

is stepping into the meat alternatives arena with the VEGA™ SAFEPRO® range – a new offering de-signed to keep plant-based alternative proteins safe and fresh for longer. The VEGA™ SAFEPRO® range consists of three cultures that can be applied alone or in combination to undergo fermentation, which helps stem the growth of yeast, mold and contami-nants such as listeria.

“We are delighted to offer a solution that will help meet global demand for foods supporting the increasingly popular flexitarian lifestyle,” says Zdenek Cech, Business Development Manager for Plant Based Meat Alternatives at Chr. Hansen. While plant-based meat alternatives are in greater demand than ever, flexitarian consumers have high

standards, expecting great taste, healthy ingredients and minimal processing, all without the additives they prefer to avoid in their foods.

The new range is the culmination of years of re-search and testing, featuring strains that have prov-en their ability to help stem the growth of contam-inants and crowd out yeasts, molds and pathogens in plant-based chicken strips, or in cooked, ready-to-eat products.

Chr Hansen, one of the bioscience leaders, has extended its VEGA™ portfolio with a fermentation-enabled solution to help keep plant-based meat alternatives safe and fresh.

https://www.feedandadditive.com/subscribe/

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Hendrix Genetics and Coraqua announced that they have signed a strategic partnership for Troutlodge egg production in Peru. The first domestically grown eggs will be available to Peruvian farmers by November 2024.

Hendrix Genetics, Coraqua sign strategic partnership for Troutlodge egg production

Hendrix Genetics and Coraqua signed a stra-tegic partnership, securing access for Peru-

vian farmers to high health, high quality Troutlodge eggs. By growing elite Troutlodge stocks from egg to mature broodstock in Chichillapi, the eggs will be grown their entire life cycle in the unique condi-

tions of the high Andean area. The first domestical-ly grown eggs will be available to Peruvian farmers by November 2024.

The strategy for domestic production in key mar-kets has been accelerated by Hendrix Genetics in recent years. The high health and biosecure breed-

ADM to expand alternative protein capacity with $300m investment

ADM, a global leader in nu-trition, announced that it

will invest approximately $300 million to significantly expand its Decatur, Illinois, alternative pro-tein production, as the company continues to add capacity to meet strong demand growth. ADM will further enhance its alternative protein capabilities by opening a new, state-of-the-art Protein In-novation Center, also in Decatur.

The production increase rep-resents a significant expansion of ADM’s alternative protein capa-bilities. The project – which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025, subject to all applicable approvals and per-mits – will significantly strength-en ADM’s ability to meet growing global demand by increasing soy

protein concentrate capacity and nearly doubling extrusion capaci-ty at ADM’s Decatur complex.

The project is only the latest to expand ADM’s global alterna-tive protein production capacity. Last year, the company acquired Sojaprotein, a leading European provider of non-GMO human nutrition protein solutions. Be-tween the two investments, ADM will increase its global alternative protein production capacity by more than 30%.

The Protein Innovation Cen-ter will further expand ADM’s cutting edge Decatur-based in-novation complex, joining the company’s Food Application Center and Animal Nutrition Technology Center and enhanc-ing the company’s ability to work

closely with customers to develop custom solutions to meet their needs. The new Decatur Innova-tion Center will bring together labs, test kitchens, and pilot-scale production capabilities to power new innovation, from novel and diversified ingredients, to more sustainable and efficient process-ing, to unique and differentiated texture, taste, appearance and nutrition solutions.

ADM announced an investment of around $300 million to significantly expand its Decatur, Illinois alternative protein production to meet strong demand growth.

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Johan den Hartog, GMP+ International’s founder and Managing Director up until 2021,

has been appointed Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau, a Dutch Royal decoration for people who have rendered outstanding service to society. Johan received the honor because of his fierce dedication to and advocacy for feed safety, spanning over four decades.

Den Hartog was awarded the decoration and ac-companying ribbon on stage at the Berlin Congress Center, site of the three-day Global Feed Safety Summit. The ribbon was presented by Peter Ver-meij, Agricultural Counsellor of the Dutch Embas-sy in Germany, who lauded Johan’s service in both public and private life. “Johan’s many activities are of special value to society.”

According to Vermeij, Den Hartog succeeded in ‘an almost impossible task’ when he brought the Dutch feed chain together in the early nineties to establish Good Manufacturing Practices. These guidelines would later become the global GMP+

Feed Certification scheme. “Johan is working tirelessly to take the scheme

to new heights,” Vermeij said. “His efforts over the past four decades greatly contributed to making The Netherlands a world leader in feed safety systems.”

Den Hartog was visibly taken by surprise. “I am speechless,” he uttered when called on stage. “I am incredibly grateful. I did what I thought needed to be done,” Den Hartog said, referring to the found-ing of the scheme. He thanked God, his wife, chil-dren, and his GMP+ team.

Johan den Hartog appointed Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau

ing programs have established Hendrix Genetics as a supplier of choice for salmon, trout and shrimp farmers worldwide. With the increasing disrup-tions in international and intercontinental logistics, Hendrix Genetics has responded by setting up local grow out operations for its Kona Bay shrimp brand in Ecuador, Indonesia and India.

The strategic partnership with Coraqua follows the same strategy but is the first of its kind for Troutlodge. Trout farmers in Peru will benefit from the increased access to local high-quality products and customer service; but also customers in oth-er Troutlodge markets will benefit with increasing capacity for production. Because of increasing de-mand, Troutlodge is currently operating on a wait list for new customers, which will be relieved as the new operations in Peru come online.

“In the last two years, we’ve seen Troutlodge eggs becoming even more popular in demand with the

increased resistance to Bacterial Cold Water Disease (BCWD) and with the increasing supply difficulties that have been seen from several producing countries. This next step in our long lasting cooperation with Coraqua is a great step forward to increase the availabil-ity of our eggs to Rainbow Trout farmers worldwide, and shows our commitment to be at the forefront of a successful and thriving Trout industry globally,” said Keith Drynan, General Manager, Troutlodge.

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AquaBounty, a land-based salmon producer, broke ground on its state-of-the-art salmon farm in Ohio, USA.

AquaBounty, a land-based salmon producer innovat-

ing to enhance productivity and sustainability in aquaculture, cel-ebrated breaking ground on the construction of its first 10,000 metric ton Atlantic salmon farm in Pioneer, Ohio. AquaBounty was joined at the groundbreak-ing event by partners CRB, In-novasea, local and government officials, and key Ohio economic development leaders.

AquaBounty expects the project cost to be in the range of $290 million to $320 million, including a reserve for potential contingen-cies of $30 million. The Company anticipates commercial stocking of salmon eggs to commence in late 2023. Once in full operation,

the farm is expected to bring more than 100 new jobs to the region.

CRB, an international leader in sustainable engineering, architec-ture, construction, and consulting solutions to the food and beverage and life sciences industry, will lead the design and construction of the facility for AquaBounty. Innova-sea, a global leader in technolog-ically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish track-

ing, is designing the Recirculat-ing Aquaculture Systems (“RAS”) technology for the new farm.

AquaBounty offers a consistent supply of salmon raised in the U.S. in a safe, secure and sus-tainable way. AquaBounty stra-tegically locates its farm facilities within easy reach of key U.S. markets to accelerate delivery of fresh and safe Atlantic salmon to consumers.

AquaBounty begins construction of state-of-the-art salmon farm

Heat stress is becoming a major concern for high producing animals in all areas of the

globe. Heat stress can have negative consequenc-es on feeding behavior, growth performance and animal welfare. Recent microbiota studies by Lal-lemand scientists help producers understanding how feeding the live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisi-ae boulardii CNCM I-1079 can help alleviate the effects of heat stress through positive microbiota modulation.

Scientists have shown a relationship between the gut microbial composition and the pig’s metabolic adaptation to heat stress. In turn, feeding behavior, energy utilization, and, thus, growth performance are preserved (Labussière et al. 2022).

A trial was conducted in partnership with IN-RAE Pegase (France) to evaluate heat stress inci-dence on swine energetic metabolism and feeding behavior.

Ten finishing boars were housed for 20 days in

Live yeast helps pigs cope with heat stressLallemand Animal Nutrition announced the results of a new study. According to the study; live yeast helps pigs cope with heat stress through gut microbiota modulation and improved feeding behavior.

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respiration chambers under thermoneutrality (sev-en days at 22°C) then under heat stress conditions (seven plus six days at 28°C). They were fed either a diet with or without the live yeast Saccharomyces c. boulardii CNCM I-1079 (LEVUCELL SB).

Thanks to high-troughput sequencing tech-niques (16S metabarcoding), this study has also provided new insights on the key role of the diges-tive microbiota under thermal stress conditions. As confirmed in recent publications (Xia et al., 2022; Xiong et al. 2022), short-term and chronic heat stress challenge has an impact on the microbiota composition.

Caroline Achard, Ph.D, Research Scientist at the Lallemand Monogastric Center of Excellence explains: “In our study, heat stressed pigs notably showed increased levels of Clostridium sensu stric-to group, Romboutsia and Ruminococcaceae taxa. Levucell SB supplementation attenuated some of these effects while it increased the abundance of the beneficial Lactococcus lactis bacteria and Subdoli-

granulum genera.”“Interestingly, during heat stress, higher levels

of beneficial species such as Ruminococcus Bromii and Lactococcus lactis, were positively correlated with better dry matter intake and energy retention. R. bromii has been described as a keystone species promoting the growth of other microorganisms able to degrade resistant starch, while L. lactis may beneficially interact with the host immune system. Altogether, this may explain the higher energy re-tention observed under heat stress,” she concluded.

In addition, thanks to the use of respiratory cham-bers, this trial evaluated the benefit of Saccharomy-ces c. boulardii CNCM I-1079 on pig metabolism. Indeed, under heat stress, pigs tended to eat less and divert their energy metabolism from growth to en-suring thermoneutrality.

As a result, growth performance was better pre-served when feeding the live yeast under heat stress: average daily gain was increased from 1.14 to 1.28 kg/d (P=0.03).

Marubeni Corporation and Proximar Seafood

AS have reached an agreement that Marubeni will be the exclu-sive distributor in Japan for all the Atlantic salmon produced by the closed recirculating aquacul-ture system (RAS) which Proxi-mar is constructing in Japan.

The agreement covers sales of all volumes produced by Proximar for the Japanese market and has an initial term of 10 years. Both par-ties will be actively involved in the marketing efforts, with the aim to build a strong premium sustain-able seafood brand.

Marubeni, with its subsidi-ary Benirei Corporation at its core, has a certain market share in Japan for handling wild and sea-farmed salmon and has in-vested in Danish Salmon A/S in Denmark, which is one of the world's largest RAS-based Atlan-tic salmon producers, since April 2020. As the exclusive distribu-tor for domestic Atlantic salmon produced by Proximar in RAS, Marubeni will expand its envi-ronmentally friendly food busi-ness and contribute to the stable supply of sustainable food with a reduced environmental impact.

In Japan, the demand for At-lantic salmon is growing, and Japanese consumers have a strong preference for freshness and ap-preciation of local produce. In recent years, consumer awareness related to sustainability has also been increasing.

Marubeni, Proximar team up for fresh Atlantic salmon in JapanMarubeni and Proximar announced an exclusive sales and distribution agreement for fresh Atlantic salmon in Japan.

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Atria's carbon footprint-labelled chicken products receive innovation award

Atria's chicken products, which have a carbon foot-

print labelling on their packaging, have been awarded in an innova-tion competition organized by the European Cooperative Society Cogeca. The prize for significant innovation was awarded in the “Traceability and Consumer In-formation” series. The award was presented in Brussels on April 27. The focus of the competition in 2022 was on cooperative innova-tions that promote sustainability.

At the end of 2021, Atria was the first food company in the world to introduce a carbon foot-print label for its chicken prod-ucts on consumer packaging. The traceability of the meat raw mate-rial to the farm has made it possi-

ble to mark the carbon footprint on a single product package. This year marks the 10th anniversa-ry of the introduction of a farm origin label on the chicken meat package - the first in the world.

The award was given to Atria and its largest owner cooperatives, Itikka Cooperative and Lihakunta.

“Calculating the carbon foot-print in our contract produc-tion farms (cattle, pigs, broilers) has shown that the Atria way of producing meat can withstand international scrutiny in climate matters. At the same time, the calculation has provided produc-ers with concrete tools to reduce the climate impact of their farm and verified the effectiveness of the long-term work done earlier

in the chain from a climate per-spective. Atria's example as an in-dustry developer not only secures the future of the Atria chain, it also creates consumer confidence that food production offers solu-tions to the climate issue,” says Risto Lahti, Managing Director of Itikka Cooperative and Li-hakunta.

There is reason to believe that the colour of farmed

salmon fillets has become pal-er during the past ten years. Is that true? And why? Nofima researchers are asking fish farm-ers these questions in a new re-search project.

“If we can find the main rea-sons for poor pigmentation in commercially pro-duced salmon, the industry could work on produc-tion improvements in a more targeted manner,” says Trine Ytrestøyl, senior researcher at Nofima.

There is not much documentation available about the extent and prevalence of poor pigmentation. This

will be done about this during the “Knowledge Mapping Pig-mentation” project, which will continue until 2024. It is being funded by the Norwegian Sea-food Research Fund (FHF).

In order to obtain details about the extent of the problem and developments in pigmentation,

the researchers will be collecting data from commer-cial production facilities from as far back in time as possible and from different regions and countries.

Nofima will also invite those concerned to attend several open seminars on pigmentation during the project period.

Are salmon as pink as they used to be?In a new research project, experts at Nofima are looking for the reasons why the colour of farmed salmon fillets has become paler in recent years.

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FrieslandCampina aims net climate-neutral dairy by 2050

As part of its integrated Nourishing a better plan-

et sustainability programme, FrieslandCampina published its climate plan ‘On the way to cli-mate-neutral dairy’. Friesland-Campina is aiming to produce net climate-neutral dairy by no later than 2050. The climate plan contains clear targets and concrete actions, with a checkpoint being a significant reduction in green-house gas emissions by 2030.

“FrieslandCampina is keen to give people throughout the world daily access to good and affordable food, produced in balance with the planet. Unsurprisingly, then, reducing our greenhouse gas emis-sions is one of the priorities en-

shrined in our Nourishing a better planet sustainability programme,” says Hein Schumacher, CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V.

In its climate plan, Friesland-Campina focuses on the entire value chain. Within its own op-erations, the company has set it-self a target of a 63% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2015. The tar-get in the raw materials supply chain and in the supply of prod-ucts, such as packaging, procure-ment of basic dairy and sugar, is a 43% reduction. For the produc-tion of milk at the member dairy farms the target is a 33% reduc-tion in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2015.

FrieslandCampina is commit-ted to achieving the goals of this climate plan and is expecting an additional investment of approx-imately 1.5 billion euros until 2030. FrieslandCampina’s cli-mate targets are currently being validated by leading internation-al institute Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

In its recently published climate plan, FrieslandCampina has announced that it aims to produce net climate-neutral dairy by no later than 2050.

Applications to Nu-treco’s 2022 Young

Researchers Prize are now open to all PhD students and post doctorate researchers in their first- and second-year of study working in animal nutrition, livestock production, aquaculture and veterinary sciences research. The award challenges young academics from across the world to showcase their innova-tive solutions for sustainable and environmental-ly-conscious farming practices, with three winners receiving a total of €25,000 in prize money to fur-ther their research.

All submissions will be judged against how well they address at least one of the following challeng-

es facing the industry: Nov-el ingredients, antimicrobial resistance and reduction of greenhouse gases

To apply, applicants must be completing their PhD or in

their first or second year of post doctorate research. Submissions that refer to research ideas without re-sults or implementation will not be considered.

Final submissions are required by 11pm CET on Friday June 24. The final shortlist of up to 10 can-didates will then be decided by our judging panel of leading industry experts. Winners will be an-nounced at a ceremony in the Netherlands in early October 2022, with first, second and third award-ed €12,000, €8,000 and €5,000, respectively.

Applications open for Nutreco Young Researchers Prize

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Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 16 May 2022

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Transcript of Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 16 May 2022