First sources of sustainable soy for feed identified

There has been a positive response from soy value chain partners on a new benchmarking tool for soy sourcing, according to the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC), with 8 programs passing review against its Soy Sourcing Guidelines.
The programs that fully comply with the Guidelines are AAPRESID-AC (a soy producer association in Argentina); traders and processors, ADM Responsible Soybean Standard, Cargill Triple-S and Cefetra CRS 3.1; FEFAC members AIC FEMAS (Responsible Sourcing Module) of the United Kingdom and the Belgian compound industry feed association (BEMEFA); and other organizations, ISCC EU & ISCC PLUS and RTRS.
FEFAC and its partner, International Trading Center (ITC) expressed their pleasure at the initial response of soy value chain partners who readily took up the invitation to submit their programs to the customized benchmarking system for responsible soy programs. More than a dozen program owners inquired about the benchmarking facility.
“We are very pleased with this result,” said Angela Booth, chairperson of the FEFAC Sustainability Committee. “Several of the above-mentioned program owners have put significant effort into aligning their schemes with the requirements of the benchmarking review. It is now possible for interested market partners to start sourcing in line with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing guidelines.”
To build on the transparency and robustness of the process, the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines, the online ITC benchmark tool including a guidance document about the benchmark process and the approved program can be found online.
In August of 2015, FEFAC published the first version of its Soy Sourcing Guidelines to inform European feed producers who wish to source “responsible soy” – in other words, that which has been produced more sustainably from the environmental, social and economic points of view.

DuPont highlights the value of in-feed antibiotic alternatives

Dr. Yueming Dersjant-Li, senior scientist from the animal nutrition division of DuPont Industrial Biosciences, unveiled research at AMENA 2015 that shows how feed additives can be used to achieve similar or greater production value to commonly used antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs). This comes at a time when the reduction of AGPs is a key consideration for domestic and import markets.
Her talk entitled, "A combination of direct fed microbials and multi-enzymes improve nutrients digestibility, gut health, broiler performance and welfare," covered:

• Why bird gut health is important and the factors involved in achieving /maintaining it.
• Research that shows the important part that enzymes such as xylanase, amylase and protease, and Bacillus spp probiotics, can play in establishing and maintaining gut integrity. She also demonstrated that positive results are amplified when these additives are used in combination, particularly in challenge situations.
• The economic benefits that Mexican poultry producers can achieve through reducing in-feed antibiotics and introducing enzyme and probiotic combinations.

Ricardo Khatchadourian, regional industry leader for animal nutrition in Latin America, commented, “We hear a lot in the press about large markets such as the US or China managing the challenge of reducing AGPs, but this is also a very real problem for poultry producers in Mexico, too. We face increasing consumer pressure to produce higher quality, safer meat, not only for local consumption, but also for export markets. Our goal in sharing this research around our award-winning enzyme and probiotic combination is to help our customers achieve improved profitability by meeting these high standards with reduced levels of in-feed antibiotics. ”  
DuPont is also supporting Dr. Ermias Kebreab, professor of Animal Science at The University of California, Davis, spoke on the topic: “Modeling for nutritional requirements of Ca and P in Pigs.”
Copies of the presentations made by Dr. Kebreab and Dr. Dersjant-Li are available upon request; please send your details to info@animalnutrition.dupont.com, stating which presentation/s you want to receive.

Advancia explores amino acids research

More than 90 participants attended the 9th Advancia International Seminar, which was held in Prague, Czech Republic, on Aug. 24 and organized by Adisseo. Advancia is the Scientific and Technical Community that gathers scientists and nutritionists to share research progress on sulphur amino acids. The seminar was held prior to the WPSA 20th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition.
“We have decided to focus our 2015 Advancia on the interaction between amino acids, redox balance, immune function and product quality.” said Dr. Pierre-André Geraert, Director of Innovation Marketing for Adisseo.
Prof. Walter Bottje, University of Arkansas, first set up the frame of redox balance and its importance in explaining mitochondria metabolism and its relationship with feed efficiency. He further illustrated what proteogenomic studies can reveal on amino acid, redox balance and feed efficiency benefits. Then, the key antioxidant potential supported by selenoproteins through the selenocysteine amino acid (SeCys) was presented by Dr. Mickaël Briens, Expert Micronutrients and Antioxidants, Adisseo, France. He reviewed the large spectrum of selenoproteins in chickens and other animals, with roles not only as antioxidants but also effects on immune and other functions.
Prof. Sammy Aggrey, University of Georgia, and one of the Rhodimet Research Grant laureate 2012-2014, made an update on recent research of sulphur amino acids and immunity. Methionine deficiency showed a strong impact on immune capacity linked to the redox involvement of methionine and cysteine. Dr. Sophie Tesseraud of INRA Tours, France, further focused on the impact of methionine deficiency on protein metabolism regulation. Methionine deficiency appeared more an example of low availability in dietary methionine that can be met depending on the quality of the raw materials.
Dr. Mario Estevez, University of Estremadura, Spain, concluded the Advancia showing the importance of antioxidant factors on the quality of the meat products considering not only lipid oxidation but also protein oxidation related to meat nutritional value and aspect.
Prof. Mingan CHOCT, University of New England, Australia, and Prof. Peter Surai, Scottish Agricultural College, UK, concluded the Advancia seminar with a round table dedicated to exchanging practical recommendations for optimal formulations.

Unlocking the full power of canola meal

A new era of opportunity has emerged for Canadian canola meal as a premium, highly sought feed ingredient across livestock sectors around the world.
One of the keys to unlock its full potential lies in groundbreaking scientific advances to understand and capture the hidden nutritive power of dietary fiber, said Dr. Bogdan Slominski of the University of Manitoba, a featured speaker at the International Rapeseed Congress, July 5-9 in Saskatoon.
Three key approaches include breeding for superior yellow-seeded canola, utilizing new dehulling options and harnessing the power of new multi-carbohydrase enzyme formulations designed to break down fiber and enhance nutrient utilization for monogastric animals such as pigs and poultry.
"The dietary fiber story is really where a lot of the secret lies to truly maximize the feed value of canola meal," says Slominski, a leading expert in carbohydrate chemistry and new feed ingredient evaluations. "The more we understand about the composition of dietary fiber and the options to address it, the more success we can achieve to benefit producers, industry and the end-use customer. Today is an exciting time with lots of advances showing excellent promise."
As canola production has rocketed ahead over the past decade, primarily in Canada but also in the U.S. and other key jurisdictions, the potential has risen for more livestock operations to take advantage of canola meal as a valuable feed protein source. The main advantages of canola meal typically include good protein content, good amino acid profile, high oil content and a complex carbohydrate matrix, along with good selenium and phosphorous content. Like many vegetable protein sources, canola meal is limiting in lysine but has high levels of methionine and cysteine.
However dietary fiber is also significant component that presents an 'X Factor' with implications for nutritional value, processing approaches and feeding strategies, says Slominski.
"Our latest knowledge from research studies confirms the dietary fiber component of canola meal is actually quite high," he explains. "This is a consequence of the small size and also the high oil content of canola seed, which is roughly 42 to 45 percent. In fact, the neutral detergent fiber and total dietary fiber values of canola meal are higher than those of soybean meal."
Certain processing approaches such as pre-press solvent extraction and use of the desolventizer-toaster can further increase the dietary fiber content, he says. Based on the recent surveys conducted in Canada, the content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and total dietary fiber (TDF) of canola meal averaged 29.6 and 38.0 percent dry matter (DM), respectively, and ranged from 27.1 to 33.4 percent for NDF, and from 34.8 to 41.9 percent for TDF.
However science and technology advances are set to help manage this component, to support higher demand and value for canola meal, says Slominski.
Superior quality characteristics of newly developed yellow-seeded B. napus canola and canola-quality B. juncea mustard have been demonstrated, he says. Although canola meal from these sources is significantly lower in dietary fiber, studies have shown similar growth performance parameters in broiler chickens and turkeys to those fed conventional canola meal and soybean meal, when diets were formulated based on digestible amino acids and available energy contents.
"This indicates that all types of canola meal could effectively replace soybean meal in poultry rations," says Slominski. "Also, that the development of low-fiber canola would result in quantitative changes as evidenced by increased oil, protein, and sucrose contents, rather than qualitative changes due to decreased fiber content."
With hull removal, when evaluating the meal from the tail-end dehulling process using sieving technology, a significant increase in protein content of the dehulled versus standard meal (from 36.8 to 42.0 percent) and a substantial reduction in the content of dietary fiber  (from 30.0 to 21.4 percent) were noted, he says. However, when diets were balanced for major nutrients and fed to young broiler chickens and weaned pigs, no difference in growth performance was observed. "This indicates that most of canola fiber is simply a diluent with minimal effect on nutrient utilization."
One of the most promising and fresh areas of advancement is the new higher power of certain feed enzyme formulations to unlock more nutrients from otherwise indigestible fiber, says Slominski. "Recent studies and literature reviews show that substantial gains in nutrient utilization are possible for all species with properly formulated and applied enzyme supplementation. Also, this approach can make feasible the use of full-fat canola or off-grades of canola seed that can represent an economic, well-balanced source of protein."
Because canola meal is a complex feed ingredient with multiple hard-to-digest components, research trials by Slominski and others indicate that multi-carbohydrase formulations are more effective than single enzymes. Specifically, Slominski says fiber components of canola meal, including non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and glycoproteins, may serve as substrates for multi-carbohydrase enzymes and support the release of additional energy. This is documented by increased apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of 100-150 kcal/kg of canola meal.
"Multi-carbohydrase technology represents the leading-edge of our science-based knowledge on the most effective use of feed enzymes," says Slominski. "It leverages what we have learned from many years of research to offer a much more comprehensive and sophisticated option than traditional approaches."
Dr. Bogdan Slominski has received the Synergy Award for Innovation from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada as well as the National Research Council Award for Innovation in Industrial Research (with Canadian Bio-Systems Inc.). He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Canadian Poultry Research Council and is a member of the Poultry Science and World's Poultry Science Association.

Find out the real value of trace minerals

There’s no doubt that the cost of production is always an obstacle, and increases in feed ingredient costs have nutritionists closely monitoring every feedstuff put into a diet.
Micronutrients such as trace minerals are often overlooked, or discounted in value, due to their low inclusion levels. Trace minerals have been known to play a role in tissue and structural health, enzyme activity, immune function and oxidative status.  However, today’s research shows that when the right source of organic trace minerals are considered, they can have a direct impact on production parameters that directly increase profitability.
Learn more about the cost value of trace minerals by attending, “The Real Value of Trace Minerals in Driving Performance,” a webinar sponsored by Novus International and presented by WATT Global Media. The webinar will be held March 12 at 9 a.m. CDT.
Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4360251163250831106?linknumber=website to attend.
By attending this webinar, you’ll learn:


• Undefined mineral requirements and challenges with trace mineral nutrition and how these can be overcome
• Challenges in production and how they can be addressed with trace mineral nutrition
• Chelated trace minerals can be used as a tool to improve animal productivity and performance
• How to link chelated trace minerals to actual return on investment


Featured speakers
Speakers for this webinar will be Dr. Merlin Lindemann, professor at University of Kentucky, and Cassio Villela, swine marketing specialist at Novus International.
Lindemann received his Ph.D. in 1981 from the University of Minnesota; his dissertation was on digestive enzyme development in the young pig.  He held a faculty position at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1981 to 1994, and then moved to the University of Kentucky in 1994, where he is professor of animal and food sciences. Lindemann has lectured in more than 35 countries on a variety of topics related to general swine production and nutrition as well as specific topics related to his research efforts. He has worked in aspects of nutrient/waste management in relation to the environment and diet composition (e.g., altered source and level of N, P, Cu, and Zn) for more than 20 years. He is involved in numerous professional societies, on multiple national and international collaborative research projects, and has served as an associate editor for the Nonruminant Nutrition section of the Journal of Animal Science. He received recognition as the AFIA Nonruminant Nutrition Research Award recipient in 2001 – the highest award for research within his species discipline by the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS). He also received in 2008 the ASAS Animal Management Award. In 2010, he received the Cooper Award for Distinguished Research from the U.K. College of Agriculture. He was co-chair of the Digestive Physiology of Pigs meeting which was held for the first time in the United States in May 2012. He also served on the 11th Subcommittee on Swine Nutrition of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council to review and revise the Nutrient Requirements of Swine publication. In 2014, he received the ASAS Cromwell Award in Mineral Nutrition and was recognized as an ASAS Fellow in the research category.
Villela is the swine specialist of global marketing at Novus International. He received his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, and is a senior year Master’s student at the Animal Sciences - Swine Nutrition graduate program of the University of Minnesota. Prior to working at Novus International, Villela was a research assistant at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, University of Missouri and University of Minnesota, participating of several swine nutrition and management trials, as well as commercial operation interactions. Working at Novus international, he has been engaged with mineral nutrition solutions to increase efficiency of swine businesses globally.

Cargill gives $150,000 for PED virus feed research

As the first anniversary of confirmation of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus in the United States nears, the National Pork Board continues to build an arsenal of information based on its nearly $2 million in Pork Checkoff-funded research funded to date. This work will be aided by a decision by Cargill's Animal Nutrition and Pork Businesses to donate $150,000 for additional PED virus research directed by the National Pork Board.
"Cargill is committed to supporting research priorities related to PEDv," said Douglas Cook, director of innovation at Cargill's Provimi North America business, which includes the Akey brand, in Brookville, Ohio. "Cargill's Animal Nutrition and Pork businesses are pleased to provide the National Pork Board with funding to be used for PEDv feed-related research priorities to advance knowledge on this critical topic for everyone in the pork industry."
Paul Sundberg, National Pork Board's vice president of science and technology, said this investment is a welcome addition to the series of funding coming from groups outside of Pork Checkoff that will help further leverage Checkoff-funded research into the costly disease.
"Our main goal with this round of research is to find answers to PEDv and feed-related questions as quickly and efficiently as possible," Sundberg said. "We appreciate the funding by Cargill and will continue to collaborate with all pork industry stakeholders to get practical results for farmers to use to save their pigs."
The top research priorities for this group of projects are:
• To investigate the effectiveness and cost of treatments that could be used to mitigate the survival of PED virus and other viruses in feeds
• To conduct contamination risk assessments at all steps within the feed processing and delivery chain
• To develop a substitute for the currently used swine bioassay procedures
• To continue to investigate the risk of feed systems and other pathways for pathogen entry into the U.S.

Evonik opens animal feed analytical center in Singapore

Evonik Industries has opened its first analytical center for animal feed in Singapore. The multi-million U.S. dollar investment will complement the specialty chemicals company network of analytical centers for feed amino acids in Hanau (Germany) and Beijing (China), according to the company.
The center will provide a full range of amino acid analytical services to regional and global feed manufacturers. "Asia is the fastest-growing animal and feed production region of the world, and we felt it was essential to position this lab in Singapore in order to better support our customers in this important region," said Dr. Alfred Petri, senior vice presidentof  sales and marketing in the Health and Nutrition Business Unit of Evonik. "This investment drives our commitment of being a strategic partner to our customers." With the analytical center, Evonik has increased its technical presence in the region to a total of 20 nutritionists, chemists and engineers.
The range of services provided by the new center include wet chemistry analysis of amino acid content in raw materials, compound feed, premixes and physiological samples, wet chemistry analysis of supplemented amino acids and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy analytical services for prediction of amino acid content in raw materials. In addition to providing nutrient analysis of feed and feed ingredients, the analytical center will offer feed manufacturers the opportunity to be trained in amino acid analytics and to learn how to best apply this knowledge into production for more consistent, high-quality feed leading to improved animal production, better sustainability and increased profitability, according to Evonik.

Feed conference calls for paper submission

The FIAAP Asia conference focuses on feed ingredients and additives.

Papers are now being accepted for FIAAP Asia. The fifth in a series of conferences focusing on the ingredients and additives used in animal feed, pet food and aquafeed, FIAAP Asia will be held April 9, 2014 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center in Thailand.
Presentations must deliver new information to the international feed industry and relate to advances in animal feed ingredients and additives. Topics must have practical applications and should fall into the following categories:

• Functional ingredients for animal health and growth, their environmental impact, the manipulation of finished animal products and the optimization of available raw materials
• Feed additives that optimize physical quality, food chain safety and environmental impact
• Regional feed markets and market directions
• Traditional and new sources of proteins or carbohydrates
• Diet design and nutrient requirements specifically for conditions in the Asia Pacific
The deadline for presentation submissions is September 30, 2013. Visit the conference website for conditions of acceptance and further details or email: info@feedconferences.com.

Study finds feed ingredient may suppress Salmonella

The intestinal microbial fermentation of poultry may be alternatively shifted to suppress growth of the pathogens Salmonella arizonae and Salmonella heidelberg by feed ingredient Original XPC, according to research using an in vitro poultry intestinal model. Original XPC is manufactured and marketed by Diamond V, a supplier of all-natural, microbial, fermentation-based feed additives.
Two experiments were conducted. In the first, the level of acetate, butyrate and total volatile concentrations increased in vitro in conjunction with the inclusion of Original XPC, and the growth of Salmonella arizonae was suppressed significantly. In the second experiment, the concentrations of acetate, propionate, butyrate and total volatile fatty acids likewise increased, and the growth of Salmonella heidelberg was suppressed significantly.
The research was presented as a poster at the recent annual Poultry Science Association meeting. Previous research demonstrated suppression of Salmonella enteritidis with Original XPC.
Increased concentrations of volatile fatty acids in the small intestines has been linked to reduced colonization by pathogens such as Salmonella. The volatile fatty acids butyrate is of particular interest in animal agriculture because feeding butyrate has multiple known benefits to gut and overall health. Most notable among these are decrease of the inflammatory response, suppression of pathogen growth and morphological improvements in the intestinal mucosa. Recently, research showed that adding exogenous butyrate to an in vitro intestinal model challenged with Salmonella typhimurium resulted in inhibited growth of the bacteria.
The experiments presented at the Poultry Science Association meeting had similar methodology. Under anaerobic conditions, predigested turkey diet was combined with fecal inoculum and either a control grain or Original XPC. The test tubes were challenged with either Salmonella arizonae or Salmonella arizonae and then incubated, after which the contents were analyzed for volatile fatty acids by gas chromatography. The test was replicated five times in the Salmonella arizonae experiment, 10 times in the Salmonella heidelberg experiment.
In the Salmonella arizonae experiment, intestinal microorganisms were sourced from the fresh excreta of 10 young turkeys, and Salmonella arizonae was originated with a young turkey in a commercial operation with re-occurrence problems. In the Salmonella arizonae experiment, the intestinal microorganisms were sourced from the fresh excreta of 12 laying hens; Salmonella arizonae originated with a human being with an egg-associated illness. 

Alltech releases 2012 global feed survey numbers

Aidan Connolly, vice president of Alltech, released the results of Alltech’s global animal feed survey in a webinar January 28 during IPPE week. The survey is Alltech’s second global animal feed survey, with the first having been released in early 2012 for the previous year. In the 2012 report, global feed production was listed as being at 873 million metric tons.

Marked increase
The 2013 survey was conducted in December of 2012 and included information collected from 134 countries. The report showed an increase of 10 percent over the previous year’s report. However, Connolly noted that the real underlying growth was probably four to five percent over 2011 because this survey contained new data, including 1) New sources of information, globally; 2) New numbers not included in 2011; and 3) More specific categories to further break down species share.
According to the report, global animal feed production for 2012 was 959 million metric tons. Connolly noted that information for the survey came from Alltech’s information and information from local animal feed industry associations. Alltech employs 520 salespeople who visit more than 26,000 animal feed mills globally.
He also noted that numbers may not be as accurate for less developed countries, but that this fact had little impact on the overall data. He also noted that the there was some variance between the definition of feed, feed mills and species among countries.

Tonnage by species, region
Global feed tonnage by species in 2012 came out as follows:
-Poultry 411 million metric tons
-Ruminant 254 million metric tons
-Pig 218 million metric tons
-Aqua 45 million metric tons
-Pet 20 million metric tons
-Equine 11 million metric tons
Global feed tonnage broken out by region was as follows:
-Asia 350 million metric tons
-Europe 208 million metric tons
-North America 199 million metric tons
-Latin America 137 million metric tons
-Middle East/Africa 54 million metric tons
-Other 11 million metric tons

Number of animal feed mills, globally
The report also gave the top ten countries by number of feed mills reported. In order, they are China, with 10,000; USA, with 5,251; Brazil, with 1,237; India, with 862; Argentina, with 800; Spain, with 700; Russia, with 500; Mexico, with 430; Hungary, with 370; and the UK, with 340. The average tonnage per feed mill was calculated to be 36,555 metric tons.

Main findings
Connolly noted that nearly half of manufactured feed is for poultry, at 43 percent, with 60 percent of poultry feed dedicated to broilers.
Aquaculture feed was calculated to be at 44 million metric tons, up from 29 million metric tons that was reported last year. Pet food was reported at 20 million metric tons. Connolly noted that 40 percent of pet food production is currently in the U.S., but that Brazil is growing fast in this area.
A summary of the presentation, including graphs, may be downloaded from www.alltech.com/sites/default/files/2013-feed-tonnage-report.pdf.

Alltech launches research alliance with top Chinese universities

Global animal health company Alltech has launched a $2.5-million Alltech–Chinese University/Institute Research Alliance with leading Chinese universities and academic research institutes. Agreements were signed in October at a press conference in Beijing and at ceremonies at the Institute of Quality Standard and Testing Technology for Agri-Products – Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, South China Agricultural University, Northwest A&F University and Jiangnan University.
As part of a 2011 Global Feed Tonnage Survey conducted and released by Alltech, it was shown that China is now the largest feed market in the world. As such, Alltech is putting significant resources into China, including transferring Dr. Mark Lyons, one of its senior vice presidents, to China in January 2012. Another senior vice president, Aidan Connolly, visits China approximately once a month to support Alltech’s operations in the country.
“Issues such as mycotoxins, feed and food safety and the environmental impact of our industry are strongly present in China," said Lyons. "Also, in times of the highest ever raw material prices in history, Chinese animal producers still need to be profitable by reducing feed costs and increasing animal performance. One of the biggest questions for China is how the country can improve the feed conversion rate and, at the same time, decrease the dependence on crop imports. Alltech’s investment of more than $2.5 million to the Chinese Research Alliances over the next five years clearly indicates our commitment to find sustainable solutions to these challenges together with some of the world’s best universities."

The research alliances at each university will focus on specific key areas that address emerging challenges to animal agriculture in China, including:
• Alltech – IQSTAP Feed Toxicology Research Alliance: Mycotoxin testing methodology development and application
• Alltech – ZJU Animal Nutrition and Feed Science Research Alliance: New feed additive evaluation and solution development
• Alltech – NWAFU Animal Science Research Alliance: Application of animal metabolic chamber in the control of greenhouse gas emission
• Alltech – SCAU Animal Nutrition Control Research Alliance: Nutrigenomics in yellow feather chicken
• Alltech – JNU Food Research Alliance: Programmed Nutrition on the regulation of meat quality

The research alliances will be run by the joint Alltech/University/Institute Management Committee, responsible for the programs’ preparation, justification, monitoring and outcome review. This strategic, long-term partnership will be critical for the consistency of future scientific studies and will be the basis for successful breakthrough in scientific research. These alliances are expected to be the catalyst for future advances in agricultural technologies.

AB Agri researches insect-derived poultry, pig feed protein options

A project focusing on using insect-derived feed protein as a replacement for expensive soybean meal and fishmeal in poultry and pig diets is being spearheaded by the parent company of British poultry and pig compound feed manufacturer ABN, AB Agri.
The project involves entomologists, biochemists and nutritionists, combining the expertise within ABN with that of scientists at the Food and Environment Research Agency. Insect larvae will be grown on organic waste materials, then processed for use in animal feeds and initially evaluated in poultry. “With global protein supply currently struggling to keep up with worldwide demand, and protein prices sky-high this year as a result, there’s a real need to develop new, sustainable alternatives,” said ABN Technical Director Angela Booth. “This project is an exciting opportunity to see if the highly digestible protein in insect larvae could help meet that need. As a bonus, the organic waste substrate is reduced in mass by around 50 percent, and can be used as a valuable fertilizer.”
The aim is to have a viable pilot-scale production system up and running by the end of the three-year project, which is jointly funded by AB Agri and the Technology Strategy Board. In addition to overcoming the technical production challenges, a strong focus will be placed on evaluating the feed’s nutritional value and its suitability for use as an animal feed, especially in relation to consumer acceptability.

Orange peels in cattle feed may fight E. coli, Salmonella

Adding orange peels to cattle feed may reduce the prevalence pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella, in cows' gastrointestinal tracts, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.
Researchers found that sheep fed orange peel pellets resulted in a 10-fold reduction in Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in the animals' intestinal contents.
The ARS study brought together two other, separate studies: one focusing on the anti-microbial properties of citrus oils and another investigating the potential uses of citrus wastes as animal feed. Citrus peels contain a chemical that is toxic to pigs and poultry, but cows, with their four stomachs, have no trouble digesting the peels, according to the study. The researchers' next move is to field-test the orange-peel-infused feed in cattle around the U.S.

Animal Feed Forum webinars available free on-demand

The Online Animal Forum: Feeding the Globe archive is open now through July 6, 2011. Sign up or sign in now to view the five on-demand webinars, designed specifically for poultry, pig and feed industry professionals.

As of April 20, 2011, more than 1,300 professionals from around the world registered to attend Online Animal Forum: Feeding the Globe. Sign up or sign in to take advantage of the following
informative, focused sessions:

Innovations from R&D in animal agriculture by Dr. Leo den Hartog, Director R&D and Quality Affairs, Nutreco, Netherlands

What animal breeding can contribute by Dr. Pieter Knap, Manager of Genetic Strategy, Genus/PIC International, Germany

Directions to better feed utilization by Stefaan Van Dyck, Director of Research and Development, Kemin AgriFoods, Worldwide

World feed ingredients outlook - impacts of China, Energy (Ethanol) and Speculation by Tim Brusnahan, Richard A. Brock & Associates, Inc., USA

The Role of Eggs in Meeting World Food Needs by Dr. Simon Shane, Editor, Egg Industry, USA

Still unfamiliar with what a “virtual forum” is? Click here for a three-minute tour of WATT’s virtual event platform.

Don’t miss out on this valuable e-learning opportunity. Sign up or sign in now to view the five educational presentations — available online, on-demand through July 6, 2011

Soil-dwelling nematodes unaffected by GM maize, according to research

According to a study conducted by Sebastian Höss of the Institute for Biodiversity in Regensburg, Germany, soil-dwelling nematodes are unaffected by a certain genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis maize cultivar containing three different Bt proteins.
The nematodes, which are essential to the soil nutrient cycle, showed a negative reaction only to levels of Bt proteins far higher than would be found in the soil of a typical Bt maize field, said the study. Practical trials were conducted over three years to determine whether the nematode communities found in the fields of Bt maize were any different from those found in conventional maize fields, with the results that the Bt maize being tested had no impact on the nematode communities.

2011 Alltech annual symposium to address today's challenges

Alltech Inc. will hold the 2011 International Animal Health and Nutrition Industry Symposium from May 22 to 25 in Lexington, Ky. The program is attended by a broad cross section of the International and North American feed and food industries.
The theme of the 2011 Symposium will be “Changing the Game.”
“Today’s challenges signal that it is time to rewrite the play book,” stated Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “Raw materials are becoming rare materials. Least-cost rations offer one examples of failed strategies. Sustainability is questionable with conventional practices and consumer confidence is kept at bay.”
The Symposium will address issues relating to feeding up to 9 billion inhabitants of the world by 2050. Special focus sessions will be devoted to aqualculture, beef, dairy, equine, poultry, pig production, pet foods, traceability and communication in agriculture. A focussed discussion will involved the technology to maximize the release of nutrients from DDGSs and other feedstuffs.
For further information, access the Alltech website.