VOL 3. ISSUE 4. 2008

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDAFEED TECHNOLOGY UPDAFEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATETETES O L U T I O N S F O R T H E G L O B A L F E E D I N D U S T R Y

REDUCING FEED COSTS WITH ACIDIFIER Acidifiers help lower FCR while maintaining animal performance as a solution to rising costs

A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTIC GROWTH PROMOTERS IN POULTRY NUTRITION Galibiotic is a specific fatty acid mixture that has been shown to stabilize the microflora and prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria when added to poultry diets

WHO IS IN THE HORSE FEED? A cautionary tale

INSIDE

V O L U M E 3 . I S S U E 4

S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E G L O B A L F E E D I N D U S T R Y

F E E D T E C H N O L O G Y U P D AF E E D T E C H N O L O G Y U P D AF E E D T E C H N O L O G Y U P D A T ET ET E

Above

Regulating the intestinal gut flora of poultry without the use of AGPs

Cover

Neglecting traceability in horse feeds can have dire consequences

(Photo by courtesy of ARS USDA)

REDUCING FEED COSTS WITH ACIDIFIER Acidifiers help lower FCR while maintaining high animal performance as a solution to rising ingredient costs go

A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTIC GROWTH PROMOTERS IN POULTRY NUTRITION Galibiotic is a specific fatty acid mixture that has been shown to stabilize the micro-flora and prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria when added to poultry diets go

HIGH-TECH FOR SUPER COWS 86,000 head of cattle in air-conditioned barns in the midst of the Saudi Arabian desert receive feeds containing additives blended on a Buhler premix system go

BOLT ‘N’ GO CHAIN AND FLIGHT SYSTEM The Bolt ‘n’ Go system is all about making life easier for the end user go

WHO IS IN THE HORSE FEED? A cautionary tale go

CALL FOR UNITED VOICE FOR HORSE FEED COMMUNITY Equine feed stakeholders need say in framing regulations go

MEETINGS go

EUROPEAN FEED PRODUCTION MAKES RECORD GAINS IN 2007 Animal feed production in the EU reached 150 million tonnes, up by 3.4% on the previous year go PRODUCT NEWS: Qualitative Test for Aflatoxin Contamination;Prosol creates new functional products based on nucltides; Dairy and Beef Rumen Management Program; Nutrigenomic Breakthrough For Alltech go SUPPLIERS' NEWS: Aova And Merrick’s Announce Agreement; Orego-Stim Market Expansion; Wenger Manufacturing Establishes Mediterranean Dicvision; No Room for Salmonella Complacency says Kiotechagil Probiotic additive Award for Quality and Excellence; Buhler Acquires Aeroglide go

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

CONTACTS

EDITORIAL & ACCOUNTS Suzi Dominy

P.O. Box 161081 Honolulu, Hawaii, 96816, USA.

Skype: suzidominy linx@hawaii.rr.com

ADVERTISING Andrew West

Phone: +44 (0) 1737 763501 Skype: andrew.west222

Fax: +44 (0) 1737 762996 info@linxpublishing.com

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Julia Nixon

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — May/June 2008 © 2008 Linx Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Read disclaimer.

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Acidifiers help lower FCR while maintaining high animal performance as a solution to rising ingredient costs

F eed prices have jumped to a record high and further increase is on the horizon. On the one hand there are diminishing supplies, mainly due to poor crops in many producing countries and on the other increas-

ing demand due to corn use for food and feed industries and bioethanol production. The discrepancy between supply and demand is not expected to lessen in the near future. Livestock producers were already facing heavy losses due to the high cost of production, making it near impossible to pass on the additional increased feed costs to farmers. One possible solution is to reduce feed consumption but to keep animal performance at an opti-mum. Feed conversion ratio is one of the main factors delivering profitability: improving FCR leads to cost savings. The benefit of acidifiers in poultry production is demonstrated by the following calculation. Data is based on a 5% FCR improvement, which is the average benefit of worldwide use of Biotronic acidifier from Biomin, Austria. All parameters are constant, except the FCR, which has an influence on feed intake and therefore on feed savings. For the clear view further benefits of acidifiers were not consid-ered in the calculation. Table 1: Effect of acidifier in poultry production

Control Trial group with acidifier

No. of birds 10,000 10,000

Days to market 38 38

Initial body weight 40 40

Final weight (g) 2 100 2 100

Daily weight gain (g) 54 54

FCR 1.80 1.71

Feed intake (kg/bird) 3.708 3.523

Total feed intake (kg/10 000 birds) 37 080 35 226

Nataliya Roth

FEED ADDITIVES

Reducing feed costs with acidifier

FEED ADDITIVES

As shown in Table 1, total feed intake of broilers in the trial group with acidifier was de-creased by 1.854 kg, because of reduced FCR from 1.80 to 1.71. Feed prices differ depending on the country, but an increase in price is worldwide. Table 2 shows the difference in cost savings due to reduced feed intake at two price levels. The two price levels are the market prices of feed for poultry in December 2006 and December 2007. Table 2: Benefit of acidifier at different levels of feed costs

In both cost regimens, the inclusion of acidifier reduced the total feed cost per 10,000 birds. It is evident that, as the feed cost increases, the benefit of acidifier increases mark-edly (Figure 2). It can be seen in the example that feed costs increased by 36% but cost savings due to incorporation of acidifier increased by 214%. Figure 2: Cost savings due to use of acidifier for 10 000 broilers at different levels of feed cost

Feed cost: € 250/t Feed cost: € 340/t

Control Trial group with acidifier

Control Trial group with acidifier

No. of broilers 10 000 10 000 10 000 10 000

Feed consumption (kg) 37 080 35 226 37 080 35 226

Feed cost € 9 270 € 8 806.5 € 12 607.2 € 11 976.84

Difference in feed cost € 463.5 € 630.36

Cost of acidifier (€3 /kg)*

€ 317.03 € 317.03

Cost savings € 146.47 € 313.33

* 3€/kg is a higher level of acidifiers price range; inclusion rate: 3 kg/t

FEED ADDITIVES

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

€ 0

€ 50

€ 100

€ 150

€ 200

€ 250

€ 300

€ 350

Cost

savin

gs

for

10 0

00 b

roilers

Savings at lower feedcost (€ 250/t)

Savings at higherfeed cost (€ 340/t)

As mentioned, feed costs vary depending on the country and there will be further price increases. Therefore one more example (Figure 3), shows the influence of different feed cost levels on cost savings. Data for calculations were the same as shown in the example above (10 000 broilers, FCR improved from 1.8 to 1.71) Figure 3: Influence of feed cost increase on cost savings Conclusion Acidifiers markedly improve FCR and therefore help farmers to save money. Feed cost calculations incorporating FCR optimization due to feed supplementation with acidifier highlights this effect. The noticeable outcome of this calculation is a profit difference between higher and lower feed cost. The multiple effects of cost savings were observed. This means the higher the feed costs, the greater the benefit that can be gained by the use of acidifiers.

FEED ADDITIVES

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

For more information, contact Nataliya Roth DI (MSc), Biomin GmbH, Austria.

FTU

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FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Galibiotic is a specific fatty acid mixture that has been shown to stabilize the microflora and prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria when added to poultry diets; it has a positive effect on the intestinal health and on the overall health status of the chicken.

T he ban in the EU on the use of all antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in animal feeds results in important challenges for the European poultry

producers as far as the regulation of the intestinal gut flora is concerned. Poultry performance and feed efficiency are closely interrelated with the quantitative and qualitative microbial load of the host animal, including the load in the alimentary tract and in the environment. The most important effect of AGP is the stabilization of the intestinal microflora resulting in less problems with necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens. In order to be a valuable alternative to growth promoting antibiotics, the proposed product must show a similar mode of action. MODE OF ACTION The antibacterial effect of the product is based on the following principles:

• Disruption of the structure of the bacterial cell membrane. The specific fatty acids with their amphoteric character can lodge in the cell membrane of the bacterium and thus change its permeability so that the bacterial cell leaks and dies.

• The active ingredients of Galibiotic in their undissociated form can penetrate through the bacterial cell membrane and then lower the pH of the cell content so that the bacte-rial cell dies.

• The active ingredients of Galibiotic prevent the adhesion of bacteria to the intestinal wall. The consequence is that bacteria cannot colonize and are washed out. This is most probably induced by inhibition of the lipolytic activity (enzyme production) of bacteria (Grippa et al., 1999).

Katrien Deschepper and Joost Ameye

FEED ADDITIVES

A sustainable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in poultry nutrition

POULTRY HEALTH

ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT Galibiotic has been specially developed to control the intestinal microflora of poultry. It has been shown that the antibacterial effect of it is 5 to 10 times higher compared to traditionally used short chain fatty acids against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. As a result, Galibiotic is able to stabilize the microflora and avoids the develop-ment of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, Salmonella… SALMONELLA CONTROL WITH GALIBIOTIC IN POULTRY Short chain fatty acids (formic, acetic, propionic and butyric acid) are commonly used in the poultry industry to control Salmonella. Although fecal shedding of Salmonella can be decreased, short chain fatty acids have undesirable effects. The acid resistance of Salmo-nella typhimurium was enhanced upon exposure to short chain fatty acids. On the other hand, feed supplementation with acetic and formic acid results in an in-creased colonization by Salmonella enteritidis of caeca and internal organs compared with birds receiving non-supplemented feed (Van Immerseel, 2004). This means that care should be taken when short chain fatty acids are used to control Salmonella in poultry. After short chain fatty acid exposure, it seems that Salmonella bacteria are driven to intra-cellular compartments of the intestine. In this case bacteriological examination of the cloacal swabs and litter samples could be negatively while the animals are carrying the

POULTRY HEALTH

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

“It is known that carrier animals can excrete the bacteria intermittently

under certain stress conditions and can contaminate unexpectedly the other

birds in the flock “

Table 1. Zootechnical performances of broilers receiving feed with an antibiotic growth promoters vs. Galibiotic Feed + antibiotic growth

promoter Feed + galibiotic

N° of broilers Body weight (g) Age (days) Daily weight gain (g/d/b) FCR 1500 g Mortality (%)

785000 2058 40.20 51.10 1.524 6.50

779000 2118 39.70 53.40 1.459 4.00

bacteria inside their organs. It is known that carrier animals can excrete the bacteria inter-mittently under certain stress conditions and can contaminate unexpectedly the other birds in the flock (Ducatelle et al., 2000). Galibiotic was used to evaluate its efficacy for reducing the abundance of Salmonella enteritidis in the intestinal tract and in some internal organs in young chickens. The trial was performed by Dr. ir. Filip Van Immerseel of the University of Ghent, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The use of Galibiotic decreased the excretion of Salmonella enteritidis as measured in the cloacal swabs. Even more interesting was the lowered number of Salmonella enteritidis in the intestinal organs after supplementation with Galibiotic. This means that Galibiotic de-creases the invasion. These invasion-decreasing properties are serotype independent (Van Immerseel, 2004). Based on these data, Galibiotic was used by a Dutch feed pro-ducer to solve the problem of Salmonella. Four farms suffering from Salmonella (java and typhimurium) during several cycles included Galibiotic in the broiler feed. The growth promoter avilamycine was replaced by Galibiotic. Salmonella was determined using the overshoe method and by bacterial counts of caecum content. Besides this, tech-nical data were collected and compared with the technical performances of two previous cycles on the same farm, with a growth promoter added to the feed. The technical performances are summarized in Table 1. It was clearly demonstrated that Galibiotic has a positive effect on daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio and resulted in a lower mortality. The use of Galibiotic during two cycles resulted in a complete eradication of Salmonella. During the first cycle, Galibiotic lowered the infection pressure. This continued during the second and third cycle, resulting in Salmonella-free flocks. It is clear that the success of Salmonella control programs does not solely depend on the use of a single measure.

POULTRY HEALTH

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

The more ‘hurdles’ incorporated to reduce the spread of Salmo-nella, the more success may be expected. Adding Galibiotic offers poultry farmers an opportunity to build an extra hurdle against Salmonella, and it seems it is the ultimate ‘hurdle’ Salmonella stumbles over. CLOSTRIDIUM CONTROL WITH GALIBIOTIC IN POULTRY (LANCKRIET ET AL., 2007) The effect of Galibiotic on Clostridium was in-vestigated by means of a challenge model. On days 19 till 22 all individual broilers were orally inoculated with Clostridium perfringens type A, in combination with Paracox 8 vaccination on day 20. Para-cox 8 vaccination as well as the addition of 30% fishmeal in the diet were used as predis-posing factors to induce necrotic enteritis. Lesion scores for necrotic enteritis were deter-mined on days 22 till 26. Following treatments were applied: (1) control diet, (2) control diet with Galibiotic at 1 kg/tonne of feed. From this trial it was concluded that the percentage of animals with a positive lesion was significantly reduced with 45 % by the addition of Galibiotic.

POULTRY HEALTH

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Table 2. Effect of Galibiotic and an antibiotic growth promoter on the morphology of the small intestine of male broilers at 42 days of age

Duodenum Ileum

Treatment

Crypt depth (µm)

Villus length (µm)

V/C Crypt depth (µm)

Villus length (µm)

V/C

1: control 2: control + avilamycine 3: control + Galibiotic

479.5a1 398.5ab 304.0c

1855.0 1943.3 1925.8

4.04a 5.13ab 6.53c

228.0a 246.3a 197.3ab

643.8 739.3 751.8

2.94a 3.12a 3.91b

1 Values followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other (P<0.05)

EFFECT OF GALIBIOTIC ON INTESTINAL HEALTH The effect of Galibiotic on villus length (V), crypt depth (C), and V/C is shown in Table 2, on the previous page. The height of the villi is related to the absorption capacity of nutri-ents by the enterocytes. The higher the villi, the better the absorptive capacity of the small intestine. The crypts of Lieberkühn are responsible for the formation of new enterocytes. Migration of enterocytes to the top is in balance with loss of enterocytes at the top due to apoptosis and damage. When an important loss of enterocytes due to the presence of important numbers of pathogenical bacteria occurs, the crypts will show an increased depth (personal communication Decuypere, J.). Also Sakata (1987) demonstrated that an increase in bac-terial activity in the gastro-instestinal tract was associated with a change in the morphol-ogy of the gut wall. It has been demonstrated that the addition of Galibiotic to the poultry feed results in higher villi, and increased V/C. The higher V/C for Galibiotic supplemented feeds is indica-tive for a lower turnover rate of the intestinal mucosa. It is indeed generally accepted that an increased villus length, in combination with lower crypt depths causes a lower migration of enterocytes along the villi and decreases enterocyte loss from the villi. This results in improved digestive and absorptive capacities of the small intestine. EFFECT OF GALIBIOTIC ON TECHNICAL PERFORMANCES OF POULTRY Trials at numerous research institutes have shown that the addition of Galibiotic to the feed has a positive effect on body weight and feed intake. Technical performances collected from customers worldwide consistently show higher body weights of the chicks, lower mortalities and better FCR (table 3). From field trials it is also concluded that the addition of Galibiotic results in dry litter, reduced use of antibiotics, im-portant reduction in case of IBD or Mg passage, eradication of Salmonella and a reduced mortality due to colibacillosis. EFFECT OF GALIBIOTIC ON THE PERSISTENCY OF LAYING HENS In a trial with laying hens from 45 to 55 weeks of age it has been demonstrated that Gali-biotic has a significant beneficial effect on daily egg mass and on feed conversion Huyghebaert et al., 2007). This trial showed that at high performance, Galibiotic is a very promising tool for laying hens. It is suggested that the efficacy of Galibiotic is even more important at lower laying performance (e.g. with advancing age of the flock) and/or imbalances of microbial-related physiology of the gastro-intestinal tract.

POULTRY HEALTH

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

“It is known that carrier animals can excrete the bacteria intermittently

under certain stress conditions and can contaminate unexpectedly the other

birds in the flock “

CONCLUSION The addition of Galibiotic to poultry diets results in a stabilization of the microflora and prevents the development of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens and E.coli. Furthermore, it has been clearly demonstrated that Galibiotic has a positive effect on the intestinal health and on the overall health status of the chicken and allows the control of Salmonella. Therefore, it can be concluded that Galibiotic is a sustainable alter-native of antibiotic growth promoters in poultry diets.

POULTRY HEALTH

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Table 3. Effect of Galibiotic on technical performances of broilers (field trials, worldwide) Number Age

(days) Mortality

(%) BW (g)

Feed intake

(g)

FCR EPEF

Brazil Control + avilamycine Control + galibiotic Iran Control Control + galibiotic Ireland Control Control + galibiotic Philippines Control + avilamycine Control + organic acids Control + galibiotic South Africa Control+organic acids/etheric oils Control + galibiotic

450 450 9940 9760 164070 101506 2500 2500 2500 506380 253440

40 40 55 55 40,95 41,06 38,42 38,50

3,11 4,68 3,21 1,80 3,12 4,04 3,64 6,71 5,55

2769 2883 2250 2440 2160 2230 1,718 1,695 1,744 1,800 1,880

4342 4453 3390 3300 3360

1,594 1,569 2,39 2,12 1,82 1,83 1,972 1,944 1,924 1,80 1,76

157 187 282 291 242 262

The article is based on a presentation made by the authors at the Aquafeed.com Conference, Feed Ingredients & Additives Asia Pacific (FIAAP), held in Bangkok, Thailand, March 5, 2008. All mentioned literature and further information can be obtained on request from the authors: Joost Ameye, sales and marketing manager and Katrien Deschepper general manager nutrition sciences, Vitamex NV., Belgium.

FTU

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

86,000 head of cattle in air-conditioned barns in the midst of the Saudi Arabian desert receive feeds containing additives blended on a Buhler premix system

A lmarai is the world’s largest integrated dairy group. Set up in

1976 by Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, the Saudi enterprise expanded at a breathtaking pace. Whereas sales revenues had amounted to 2.8 billion Saudi riyals in 2006, the corporate headquarters in Riyadh has budgeted a turnover of 3.8 billion SAR or some US$1 billion for the current year. 86,000 HEAD OF CATTLE, 140 PRODUCTS The cattle farms of Almarai are all located in the midst of the Saudi Arabian desert in a corridor between the cities of Al Kharj and Harrad some 150 kilometers southeast of the capital Riyadh. The various farms accommodate a total of 50,500 dairy cows and 35,500 heifers of the German Holstein race. The 86,000 animals are kept in fully automated and air-conditioned barns. They are cared for around the clock by specialists and monitored by veterinarians. In all, Almarai employs over 8,000 people. Milking is also done fully automatically and under extremely hygienic conditions. Each of the 86,000 cows is milked four times a day on the various farms. The Almarai milk cows achieve a very high level of productivity under these highly mechanized conditions, pro-ducing an average of 12,400 liters of milk annually. The group’s production facilities process these enormous volumes of milk into over 140 different dairy products. The company’s fleet of 1000 trucks supply them daily to some 34,000 stores in the countries of the GCC region (Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council) out of numerous distribution centers. Almarai is the acknowledged market leader in the Arabian Peninsula, holding a market share of about 50% in fresh milk.

FEED ADDITIVES

High-tech for super cows

CASEBOOK

FEED PRODUCED IN-HOUSE The Almarai Group manufactures its own feeds for its 86,000 animals. They are based on corn (maize) flakes, which Almarai also produces in-house on two large flaking systems. To this are added hay from locally grown alfalfa, oilseed extraction meal, molasses, and a pre-mix made up of various minerals and additives. Since March 2007, these highly enriched feed additives have been manufactured on a state-of-the-art premix system supplied by Buhler. Jürg Solenthaler, area manager of the Buhler Feed & Oil business unit, has fond memories of the contract awarded by Almarai to construct the large-scale plant in the middle of the desert close to Al Kharj. “Initial contacts took place in 2002. We were awarded the final order in September 2005. One year later, we started with the installation work. In January 2007, we started up the entire installation and began training the staff. In March 2007, the plant was handed over to Ramakrishna Setty K.T., which is in charge of premix production at Almarai.” EIGHT METRIC TONS PER HOUR The new premix plant operated by Almarai is a fully automated installation that was completely supplied by Buhler. Every hour, it allows eight tonnes of feed additives to be blended. The plant consists of the raw materials receiving (intake) section, a large number of storage bins for holding the up to 30 ingredients of the Almarai premixes, the grinding line for preparing the carrier substance, the blending and mixing unit as the heart of the premix system, and the bagging and packaging section including a palletizing line. The complete plant is computer-controlled and housed in a 32-meter-tall steel structure built by the customer.

CASEBOOK

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

The new premix plant allows the establishment of a TQM system, fully integrates all the processing operations, ensures fast response times and

minimizes inventory levels

The micro-dosing unit allows computer-controlled admixing of extremely small quantities

This high-tech plant manufactures the “mineral tablets in a powdered form” for the bovines in one-ton batches, explains Jürg Solenthaler. “The plant must be permanently up and running, since fresh premixes are produced every day.” CUSTOMER VALUE Depending on the specific formulation, up to 30 ingredients are fully automatically blended. “Our system is capable of automatically blending even the tiniest quantities,” explains Jürg Solenthaler. “On the one hand, this allows permanent product retracing, and on the other hand it en-ables the guaranteed accuracy to be achieved.” For its premix plants, Buhler guarantees a mixing accuracy with a variation coefficient (CV) better than 5%. Now that the new premix plant has gone into service, Almarai can shut down its former, manually operated installation near Riyadh, which had ceased to satisfy the capacity and quality requirements. In addition, the relocation of premix production to the farms slashes transportation costs. Last, not least, the increased capacities allow Almarai to gain inde-pendence of third-company supplies. Beside ensuring an improved premix quality level, the new premix plant also makes or-ganization easier for Almarai. It allows the establishment of a Total Quality Management (TQM) system, unites all the processing operations at a given local site underneath a single roof through full integration, ensures fast response times, and minimizes inventory levels.

CASEBOOK

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

For more information contact: buhler.uzwil@buhlergroup.com and reference Feed Technology Update May/June 2008.

FTU

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FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

The Bolt ‘n’ Go system is all about making life easier for the end user: ease of use, inexpensive and above all low maintenance and down time.

T he Bolt ’n’ Go chain and flight system is a revolutionary assembly method for drop forged and round link con-

veyor chain systems. The link and flight assembly is made easier by attaching the flight to the chain link using a standard bolt and nut, with a high case hardness and high tensile hollow pin. Traditional chain systems have used pins and circlips. The problem with this system is that during any main-tenance repairs on the chain, the whole chain would have to be lifted out of the conveyor to conduct re-pairs. This results in large down time in production and high maintenance costs. With the Bolt ‘n’ Go system, to conduct repairs such as to change flights or pins can be done inside the conveyor, without even taking the tension out of the chain. Instead of welded flights, we are using bolt on flights, and again these can easily be changed without any fuss. Another problem with traditional systems using pins and circlips, is that circlips can come off in some circumstances, causing the chain to become disconnected, and again down-time. With the bolt n go system, the pins, chain and flights are secured using a secured lock nut, which securely holds the system together in a consistent manner, but also facili-tating easy and safe removal when required.

By Dave Wolstencroft

FEED ADDITIVES

Bolt ‘n’ Go chain and flight system

PRODUCT HANDLING

Traditional pin and circlips arrangement with welded flight

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CHS SAVES ON MAINTENANCE TIME

One of the first installations to use this system was in November of 2006 at CHS, Superior, WI, USA. The facility handles several commodities, including wheat and soybeans, at the rate of around 70,000,000 bushels per annum. They have several drag conveyors which use drop forged chain, with the traditional pin and circlip assembly. While this has proved a reliable assemble method for them, it has proved time consuming when changing out bent or broken chain flights. Bill Hoffer, Head of Maintenance said of the system “We installed 4B’s new Bolt ‘n’ Go chain, and I am pleased with the results. The Bolt ‘n’ Go chain is very easy and fast to install and maintain, as you eliminate the need to separate the chain each time while installing a new flight. Also there is no need to slacken off the chain or re-tension while changing flights. This alone will save untold hours on the routine maintenance of these conveyors” He goes onto to say “the Bolt ‘n’ Go system has been in service for well over twelve months, is running great and no problems”. AVAILABLE SYSTEMS The Bolt ‘n’ Go chain system is available for 102, 142 and 142mm heavy metric link ranges. Steel or nylon flights are available. The Bolt ‘n’ Go steel flights are not required to be as thick as the welded variety, due to the fact that the welded flights are so thick as to compensate for the weld only. The steel bolt n go flights are very strong as have a consis-tent construction, and anything over 400mm width, a further steel backing plate is used for extra strength and resistance. The heavy duty nylon flights again bolt straight through the pins, with no need to bolt on or slide over existing steel flights. The nylon flights also have excellent wear, strength and resistance capabilities.The Bolt ‘n’ Go pin / bolt assembly system can also be used with the traditional welded flight system, to replace the traditional pin and circlip arrangement. This like the bolt n go flight system is very easy to change over to for the maintenance team on site.The Bolt ‘n’ Go system is also available for round link chain, whereby the system works under a similar system of nylon flights being bolted directly to the chain, in this case with-out pins.

PRODUCT HANDLING

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Bolt ‘n’ Go chain system installed and running successfully at CHS

For more information, contact Dave Wolstencroft, 4B Group Product Manager – Chain at

e:4b-uk@go4b.com or visit www.go4b.com FTU

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

A cautionary tale

H ealth-conscious equestrians have learned to pay as much attention to what is in their horses’ feed as in the food on their own tables. Like grocery store packaging, the label

on a bag of horse feed lists the ingredients from the highest percentage to the lowest. What the labels do not say, however, may be the most important variable of all: the source of the ingredients. The issue of “who” is in the horse’s feed—known as traceability—was at the crux of an alert in May involving certain Purina horse feeds. Contaminated grain resulted in a voluntary recall after aflatoxin was found in Purina horse feeds that had been distributed to dealers in 17 states on the Unites States east coast. Purina immediately notified those dealers, who removed the affected lot numbers from their stock. But traceability could go only so far. Many customers had transferred feeds they had purchased into their own containers and had discarded the bags on which the lot numbers were printed. All they could do was watch their horses, wait and hope. (To date, Purina says there have been no confirmed cases of aflatoxin-related horse illness from its recalled feeds.) Traceability in that case was further complicated because neither consumers nor feed manufacturers knew the answer to the key question: Where had the tainted ingredient come from? A Purina spokeswoman said the company traced the contamination to “a single ingredient from a single supplier.” Although it ceased using that supplier, Purina did not disclose its identity or the ingredient at is-sue. The possibility remained, therefore, that manufacturers of other brands of horse feeds could have purchased the same ingredient from the same supplier. That prompted nationwide efforts in the feed industry to determine the nature and source of the af-fected ingredient. Some feed manufacturers and dealers said they had heard the culprit was peanut hulls (feed ingredient byproducts sometimes contained in less expensive brands of horse feed). Those reports, however, were unconfirmed, and the company that supplied the contaminated ingre-dient to Purina has remained anonymous.

By Darlene Ricker

FEED ADDITIVES

WHO IS

IN THE HORSE

FEED?

QUALITY CONTROL

QUALITY INGREDIENTS PAY The incident raised awareness among horse owners about the importance of knowing “who” is in the feed they give their horses. While several types of mycotox-ins can harm horses, aflatoxins are known to be particularly dan-gerous. Affected horses may show signs such as feed refusal, fever, weight loss, sluggishness and bloody diarrhea. Worse, the toxicity can be cumulative. At levels greater than 50 ppb (parts per billion), aflatoxins can cause liver and kidney damage, jaundice, birth defects, tumors and can suppress the immune function. Even at non-critical levels, they can detract from a horse’s performance, condition and appearance. Some have suggested mycotoxins may also contribute to colic. These threats can be reduced by buying feed from manufacturers of premium horse feeds, which utilize ingredients that inhibit the effects of mycotoxins. (See side-bar opposite.) Traceability is also easier to de-termine with such manufactur-ers, many of whom add to their feed name-brand products avail-able only from proprietary sources. TRACEABILITY ESSENTIAL Not all feed companies, however, are as careful about where ingre-dients are purchased from and subsequent quality testing of ingredients and additives coming into their facility, said Dr. Amy Gill, an equine nutrition consult-ant in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. “Consumers need to be aware of this fact and ask questions if they are unsure of the quality control measures in place for their brand of feed. If the answers don't suffice, find another brand. Purchasing feed from a reputable manufac-turer lessens the chance of contamination,” she said. Traceability and ingredient sourcing are the sole responsibility of the feed manufacturer and are

QUALITY CONTROL

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

MYCOTOXINS: PREVENTIVE FEEDING Given the difficulty of traceability in grain, what can be done to protect horses from mycotoxins? “One precaution is to routinely add a mycotoxin binder to all manufac-tured feeds,” said Dr. Amy Gill, an equine nutrition consultant in Lexing-ton, Kentucky, USA. While that has not yet become the norm, makers of premium horse feeds recently began including mycotoxin-fighting prod-ucts in their formulas. Gill noted such additives are designed to “prevent mycotoxins from ex-erting their effect in the digestive tract by binding to them and render-ing them inert. When fed on a daily basis with the normal [grain] ration, the risk of mycotoxin poisoning is greatly reduced.” Researchers in Canada examined the effects of these additives—referred to as yeast cell wall polymers or mycotoxin adsorbents)—in 2002 and 2003. Clinical trials were conducted at the University of Guelph’s Equine Centre in conjunction with its Department of Animal and Poultry Sci-ence. The Canadian feeding trials were done on nine sedentary mature mares divided into three groups, one of which was a control. The second group received fusarium mycotoxins in the daily grain ration (a blend of wheat and corn). The third group was fed contaminated grain supplemented with a mycotoxin adsorbent. In comparing the groups, researchers found the mycotoxin effects were lesser in the horses given the mycotoxin adsorbent. They reported the supplement alleviated a typical mycotoxin effect: reduced feed in-take. In addition, fewer metabolic changes generally associated with mycotoxin poisoning were observed in the group that received the my-cotoxin adsorbent. While feeding contaminated grain increased enzymes associated with liver damage, researchers found that adding the my-cotoxin adsorbent lessened the severity of their effects. The results of the study, written by Trevor Smith, H.V.L.N. Swamy, Susan Raymond, were published by the American Society of Animal Sci-ences (J. Anim. Sci. 2003. 81:2123-2130). The research was supported in part by the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Assn.; the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food; the Rural Job Strat-egy Fund; and Alltech, a global animal nutrition company based in Nicholasville, Ky.

“Sure, it’s easier to buy a bag of sweet or complete feed, but

how do you know from week to week what’s in there?” — Richard Ketch, owner of Equine Transitions

based upon the quality control measures a company has in place to prevent contamination of feed made in its facility, she added, noting that manufacturers are not required by law to divulge the source of any ingredients. While cases of horse feed contamination have been rare, even general nutrition concerns underscore the importance of traceability in horse feeds. Does it really matter which company manufactured the selenium, for example, contained in some complete and supplemented feeds? As with numerous other feed ingredients, all selenium is not created equal. A feed whose label lists selenium as an ingredient may contain the organic or inorganic form. Organic selenium is far more bio-available—and therefore provides more effective nutrition—to horses than inorganic types. If the label doesn’t specify the source of its selenium or any other component, consumers can inquire whether the feed contains the specific name-brand product they desire. Should the answer be no, one can change to a higher-end feed manufacturer whose formula includes the name brand. Another option may be to research whether the product can be purchased separately and top-dressed, as can some organic digestive aids available in feed stores or online. Taking such extra steps is worth the effort to hands-on horse trainers like Richard Ketch, owner of Equine Transitions in Lexington, Ky., who has long mixed his own feeds for his string of Thor-oughbred racehorses. His feeding program is based on whole (unprocessed) grains, such as rolled oats and barley, and in-dividual organic supplements he uses to “tweak” the recipe for individual horses. “I am the front-line defense for my own health, and I am the same for my horses,” said Ketch. “Sure, it’s easier to buy a bag of sweet or complete feed, but how do you know from week to week what’s in there?” His is a point well taken. Aside from premium horse feeds, whose formulas remain constant, many manufacturers use least-cost formulation to keep their products attractively priced. That means they use whichever substitutable feed ingredient byproduct is least expensive at the time. One week it may contain peanut hulls, the next week corn screenings, perhaps the following month a soy byprod-uct. Such variations greatly complicate traceability, making it difficult—if not impossible—to ascertain exactly what—and “who” is in your horse feed.

QUALITY CONTROL

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Darlene Ricker is a freelance writer and has written for The Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.

For further information about this article, contact Manoella Alves at Alltech.

FTU

Suppliers! Don’t let your great product news disappear Send us your new product information and case studies to: info@linxpublishing.com . . . and get noticed!

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress delegates

said industry should have a say in framing regulations

F rom April 18-19, 2008 veterinarians and scientists met with the feed industry and equine professionals at the 4th European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress (4th EEHNC) at Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), Wageningen, The Netherlands. 150 participants from some 15 countries discussed topics related to

feed and health of horses. The two-day program consisted of invited speaker sessions, posters and mini reviews and workshops. Overwhelming interest was shown in a workshop dedicated to “Current European legisla-tion regarding animal/horse feedingstuffs and future perspectives”. At this workshop, eng. Diederik Standaert reviewed current European legislation regarding animal/horse feedingstuffs and provided details of the draft proposal for a new regulation which will replace some of the current legislation. He highlighted major changes that this new regulation, which will apply from 2010, pro-

FEED ADDITIVES

Call for united voice for horse feed community

MEETINGS

PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE Nick Hartog gave a very informative presentation in this session regarding the role of the

National Animal Supplement Council (NASC). A founding member of the NASC Board of Directors,

he provided an example of how the horse feed and supplements industry had influenced the

decisions of the FDA in the USA. He outlined the NASC-monitoring system for evaluating safety

and quality of raw materials that are used by members. In Europe, most feed producers have

implemented the GMP system which warrants quality and traceability of raw materials.

Pat Harris gave a short presentation regarding the NRC subcommittee looking at “Safety of

Dietary Supplements for Horses, Cats and Dogs”. This committee is due to report later in 2008.

The proceedings of the European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress are available as a booklet

that contains reviews of the invited speaker sessions and extended abstracts from the free

communication session.

Information about the congress and order information regarding the proceedings can be obtained

from http://www.equinecongress.com

poses. This proposal for new EU-legislation has been discussed with “the industry’ during the last two to three years and is currently out for consultation. The European horse feed industry however, has not been specifically involved in these discussions, because there is no official lobby group for the European horse feed community. Eng. Diederik Standaert suggested that the horse feed community might wish to con-sider forming an official group, as part of FEFAC (Federation of European feed manu-facturers). This would potentially enable the horse feed community to more effectively influence European decisions. If a few key players in the horse feed and supplement industry initiated such a group then potentially other companies would fol-low. This proposal was supported by the partici-pants in the final discussion of the Congress. Please, contact Peter Bollen at pe-ter.bollen@nutriquine.com if you are willing to take part in this initiative.

MEETINGS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Amanda Waller from Guelph University received the free communication award and a 500 Euro cheque from Peter Bollen, president of the EEHNC, for her abstract entitled “The effect of electrolyte supple-mentation after prolonged moderate intensity exer-cise on muscle electrolyte contents and glycogen resynthesis in Standardbreds” The study of Waller and Lindinger suggests that horses receiving electrolyte supplementation directly after prolonged exercise and before a meal is pro-vided have an increased muscle glycogen recovery and plasma hydration status compared to a control group receiving no supplementation.

Amanda Waller award winner

Kansas State University in association with ASA – IM, is organizing a five-days Short Course on Feed Manufacturing Technology from June 23-27, 2008 at Hotel GRT Grand, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. This course will cover sections on ingredients, feed formulation, feed manufacturing, proc-ess controls and feeding of animal feeds. Some problem solving exercise, video and panel discussion will also be included to facili-tate interaction and better understanding. The course is designed for persons with or with-out feed milling experience so as to provide exposure to the real of animal feed manufac-turing. It will also be of interest and value to people who are directly or indirectly involved in feed milling. The agenda of the short course has been designed by experts from the Department of Grain Science and Industry at Kansas State University, the American Soybean Association – International Marketing, and other India-based industries and institutions. The program will be supported by Jiangsu Muyang Co. Ltd., China and coordinated by As-socom – India. For Details please contact: Assocom – India Pvt. Ltd.: e: email@assocom-india.com

KSU FEED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SHORT COURSE FOR INDIA

Geelen Counterflow held their first Counter-flow dyer and cooler training in April 2008. Plant managers and production managers of petfood and aquafeed plants travelled to Ro-ermond, Netherlands from Italy, Germany, Vietnam, Indonesia, Peru, Honduras, Argen-tina, Japan and USA. Representing companies such as Skretting, Veronesi and Cargill, they had recently taken delivery of their new counterflow dryers and coolers. They came to the course to learn how to fine tune their drying and cooling process. Sander Geelen, managing director of Geelen Counterflow explained why the course was set up: “Even the most fuel efficient car can be driven with high fuel consumption, for example if you drive it in first gear all the time. It’s the same with dryers. Even though today in our dryers we can offer the equivalent of “cruise control” and the “fuel consumption indicator”, we still need our customers to learn how to operate our dryers efficiently”. During the three day course, participants were trained in subjects such as mass- and en-ergy balance, moisture uniformity, energy efficiency, automatic moisture control and preventative maintenance. The course also included interactive sessions on how to calcu-late energy consumption, take accurate moisture samples and calculate financial savings. At the end of the course, participants gave an average score of 9.3 on a scale of 10. The next Counterflow Dryer and Cooler training will again be in Roermond, Netherlands in the spring of 2009.

MEETINGS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

CUSTOMERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ATTEND GEELEN COUNTERFLOW DRYER AND COOLER COURSE

RABOBANK TO REPORT ON THE COST OF PRODUCTION OF KEY PROTEINS AT AQUAVISION Rabobank will present a report at Aqua Vision 2008 on the impact of the price increases of global commodities and on the cost of production of key proteins. The report will investigate the impact of the price increases of global commodities (fish meal and oil, corn, wheat, barley, rapeseed seed and soy bean meal). It will also look in to the cost of production of six key proteins - three animal proteins (pork, chicken and beef) and three farmed marine proteins (salmon, shrimp and pangasius).

The focus is mostly on European production costs (except shrimp and pangasius) up to whole animal level (no processing). The report will be the presented as the Key Note Speech at the conference and the report will be distributed to all delegates at the conference. The 7th World Business Conference on Aquaculture, AquaVision 2008, will take place September 29th - October 1st 2008 in Stavanger, Norway.Discounted registration closes June 30, 2008. Full details and registration.

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Animal feed production in the EU reached 150 million tonnes, up by 3.4% on the previous year

I n 2007 compound feed production for the EU-27 (excluding Greece, Malta and Luxembourg) reached 149.8 million tonnes (m/t), i.e.

3.4% higher than the figure for 2006 (145 m/t). This is the highest annual growth rate registered in almost 20 years. Romania and Bulgaria account for some 3.5 m/t. To this approximately 1.5 m/t, representing the estimated produc-tion of Luxembourg, Malta and Greece have to be added to obtain a complete picture of the compound feed production in the EU-27. PIG FEED The key factor that influenced the com-pound feed market was the dramatic price increase for all key feed materials, with two main consequences:firstly the high cereal prices encouraged farmers to put their cereals on the market rather than using them on the farm and secondly livestock produc-ers facing a huge increase in feed costs, which they could not pass on to consumers of ani-mal products, turned to the most efficient feed - industrial compound feed. This was particularly notable in the pig sector, which explains the 3.6% increase in pig feed production for 2007 on an EU basis. All EU-15 Member States experienced a growth in pig feed production, although on differ-ent scales (from +0.3 and +0.7% respectively for Denmark and Spain up to 8 and 11% for Germany and Austria). Poland registered a spectacular 23% growth, while the Czech Re-public and Hungary went down by 11%. Spain remains the first EU producing country for pig feed with 9 m/t, but Germany has almost closed the gap between both countries with 8.8 m/t. POULTRY FEED With regard to poultry feed, the market share of industrial compound feed versus home mixing is much higher than for pig feed. This is why the evolution of compound feed pro-duction is more closely correlated with the development of both poultry meat and egg pro-duction. In this regard the increase in poultry feed production is largely influenced by the

FEED ADDITIVES

EUROPEAN FEED PRODUCTION MAKES RECORD GAINS IN 2007

MARKET REPORT

recovery of poultry consumption in countries such as France and Italy, which were seri-ously affected by the Avian Influenza crisis. These two countries, with gains of 3.4 and 4.2% respectively, however recovered only half the tonnage they lost in 2006 compared with 2005. On a European level, poultry feed production is increasing insignificantly, i.e. up 2.6% from 2006, but only up by 0.9% compared with 2005. France is still by far the leading pro-ducing country for poultry feed. CATTLE FEED The most significant increase is for cattle feed with an increase of 5.3%, but as with poultry, 2006 was a “bad year” for industrial cattle feed production. For some countries, the increase may be explained by the high feed ingredient prices, which traditionally leads cattle farmers to prefer compound feed rather than straight feedingstuffs. As in 2006, Ireland’s performance was the opposite of other countries in 2007, with a drop of 11%, which follows a 16% increase in in 2006 vs. 2005. The disappointing results in 2007 may be explained to some extent by the fact that it was impossible to import corn gluten feed from the USA due to the applica-tion of the zero tolerance policy for the pres-ence of non-EU approved events, which par-ticularly affected Ireland. Total compound feed production for 2007 is estimated 3.4% higher than in 2006, with France, Germany and Spain remaining the three leading producers.

MARKET REPORT

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

FEFAC, the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation, represents 21 national

Associations in 20 EU Member States as well as associations in Switzerland, Turkey, Croatia and Norway with observer/associate member status. The European compound feed industry employs over 110,000 persons on approximately 4,500

production sites. Farm animals in the EU-27 consume an estimated 470 million tonnes of feed a year, of which 150 million tonnes are produced by compound feed

manufacturers. Turnover of the European compound feed industry

is estimated at €50 billion for 2007.

51st FEFAC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Keeping European Feed & Livestock Production Competitive (June 6, 2008, Brussels, Belgium.)

Download presentations from the public session:

EU Feed & Food sector Response: • Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General, COPA-COGECA

• Mella Frewen, Secretary General, CIAA • Jean-Michel Aspar, COCERAL President

• Robert Madelin, Director General, DG SANCO

Research & Competitiveness of the EU livestock production:

• EU aquaculture & fish feed challenge: Alberto Allodi, Chairman of FEFAC’s Fish Feed Committee

• Innovative feed additive solutions: Hadden Graham, FEFANA President

• Research on new feed ingredients: Willy De Greef, EuropaBio Secretary General

• Key drivers for the competitiveness of the EU livestock & feed industry: Silvio Ferrari, ASSALZOO

President

Total compound feed production for 2007 is estimated 3.4% higher

than in 2006, with France, Germany and Spain remaining the three

leading producers

OUTLOOK FOR 2008 According to FEFAC, the following factors are expected to influence the development of compound feed production in 2008: • Feed material prices: as in 2007, prices of feed mate-

rials are expected to remain high. EU livestock farmers, in particular pig producers, can no longer support a 50% production cost increase and need to pass it on to con-sumers, otherwise a significant number of pig holdings will close in 2008;

• The reduction in pig production: in 2007 pig meat production reached the top of the cycle and the production in 2008 is expected to decrease, hence a likely reduction in feed demand.

• The 2% increase in dairy quotas for 2008/09 should in principle result in a higher demand for feed and especially compound feed, as dairy farmers may not have had time to adapt and increase the number of animals; therefore, the only solution for them to increase their production could well be to increase animals’ yields.

• The full recovery of the Avian Influenza crisis for countries which have not seen a complete return of the market to the pre-crisis levels.

As a consequence, FEFAC experts foresee for 2008 a 1% and 2% increase respectively for cattle and poultry feed and a reduction of pig feed by 1-2%, hence a total stagnation in production. FTU

MARKET REPORT

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Vicam has expanded its line of mycotoxin test kits to include a one-step, qualitative strip test for the detection of aflatoxin. AflaCheck is a qualitative, one step, competitive immunoassay method for the detection of aflatoxin. AflaCheck provides a reliable and inexpensive first step for testing for the presence of aflaxtoxin without the use of expensive equipment or reagent chemicals. “AflaCheck is a vital screening test for grain producers, elevators and proc-essors who want to ensure that their product is within acceptable limits for aflatoxin prior to use, storage, delivery and processing,” comments Dr. Stephen Powers, Director of Research and Development for VICAM. “We are pleased to provide this highly reliable, rapid and economical testing solution to our customers in time for their busy harvest season. AflaCheck will save time and money for our customers by providing a reliable and low-cost

screening step that fits easily into their current quality assurance protocol.” Aflatoxin is a potent liver toxin known to cause cancer in animals and humans. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established action levels of 20 parts per billion (ppb) for grain and feed products and 0.5 ppb for milk. The European Union has also established regulations limiting the levels of aflatoxin in various commodities including animal feed, processed cereals and groundnuts. Commodities imported into these regions are subject to inspection, testing and potential rejection or destruction if lev-els are above the acceptable established limits. AflaCheck provides fast and accurate, yes or no results for the presence of aflatoxin at levels as low as 10 ppb, with an alterna-tive testing protocol for detecting levels in excess of 20 ppb. This convenient test is easy to use and provides reliable results in as little as 3 minutes, in the field or in the lab, and without the use of expensive equipment or reagent chemicals.

Italian company, Prosol, a private producer of natural nucleotides for dietary food applications, has launched a new range of nucleotide-based products for aquaculture. Based on well known independent scientific literature, these products pro-vide a certain source of Free 5’ Nucleotides (F5N). It has been proved that only nucleotides in free form enhance the immune system's response to stress factors. NUCLEO 5 PRIME is the newborn in the Prosol range, developed from the company's deep knowledge in nucleotide extraction technology. In response to feed producers requirements, NUCLEO 5 PRIME offers: • Expertise in production • Constant ratio among free 5’ nucleotides

FEED ADDITIVES

Qualitative Test for Aflatoxin Contamination

PRODUCT NEWS

Prosol creates new functional products based on nucleotides

• Precise amount of free Single nucleotides • Determination of free 5’ nucleotides in each batch • GMP+ certified • Optimal ratio quality/price NUCLEO 5 PRIME is obtained in its free form by enzymatic hydrolysis of yeast’s Ribonucleic Acid. NUCLEO 5 PRIME is then spray dried and provided in two different concentration: 40% F5N and 6% F5N content. Prosol produces free nucleotides for baby food and human supplements as well as other products for flavor enhancement and glutamate substitution.

PRODUCT NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Dairy and Beef Rumen Management Program

Lallemand Animal Nutrition has developed an educational tool for dairy and beef producers, technicians, herd managers and students: the Rumen Man-agement Program CD-Rom. Using animated graphics and videos, this multimedia tool explains the inner workings of the rumen, and describes the problems that can occur during the life cycle of dairy or beef cattle and the impact on health and perform-ance. It also provides solutions for managing the rumen successfully, which will help in preserving animal health and profitability.

Using animated graphics and videos, this multimedia tool explains the inner workings of the rumen, and describes the problems that can occur during the life cycle of dairy or beef cattle and the impact on health and performance. It also provides solutions for man-aging the rumen successfully, which will help in pre-serving animal health and profitability. This CD-Rom complements the recently launched website exclusively dedicated to rumen health and management: www.rumen-health.com. The website provides technical and educational background about the rumen, as well as basic information and regular updates about rumen specific live yeast, its action in the rumen and applications for rumen management. Because Lallemand Animal Nutrition has focused on rumen and live yeast research for many years, in partner-ship with leading research centers and Universities, it has built an important database of scientific knowledge and field expertise. The Rumen Management Program CD-Rom and www.rumen-health.com are some of the tools the company invests in developing in order to share this knowledge. It is hoped that it will help producers, technicians and herd managers to better understand and manage the rumen, the cornerstone of ruminants health and performance. To get your free copy of the Rumen Management Program CD-Rom, click here For more information, contact Vincent Usache.

PRODUCT NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Alltech, a global leader in animal health and nutrition, has announced its first breakthrough in the science of Nutrigenomics: EconomasE. Using his knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress and intracellular signalling cascades, combined with the science of Nutrigenomics and the DNA microarray, or gene chip, Dr. Ronan Power, director of Alltech’s Nutrigenomics Center, was able to identify beneficial gene expression events in pathways associated with oxidative damage, metabolic stress and macro-molecular repair mechanisms. Using these genes as a framework, Power was able to create EconomasE, which will enable animal nutritionists to significantly reduce the level of in-creasingly expensive ingredients, such as antioxidant vitamins, added to ani-mal diets without compromising performance. “I believe EconomasE is just the beginning of what we will uncover through the work of Dr. Power and his team at our new Nutrigenomics Center,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “Dr. Power’s understanding of gene expression profiling and its impact on key biochemical pathways within cells and tissues is leading Alltech into a whole new understanding of animal nutrition for optimal health and perform-ance.” Power is the architect of Alltech’s Nutrigenomic research program, examining the effect of nutrition on gene expression. He received a B.S. in Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Ireland. He completed his Post-Doctoral training in Cell Biology at the prestigious

Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where his work focused on signal transduction biochemistry and, in particular, the molecular cross-talk mechanisms that exist between cell membrane-associated receptors and the nuclear transcriptional apparatus. Working with Alltech since 1991, Power was awarded the Alltech Scientific Medal of Excellence this year. Nutrigenomics Facility Alltech cut the ribbon on its Center for Animal Nutrigenom-ics and Applied Animal Nutrition at its corporate headquar-ters on April 20, 2008. The first facility of its kind in the world, the center is dedicated to the study of the effect of nutrition on gene expression and represents a 20,000 square foot expansion of the company's existing research facility. The Nutrigenomics laboratory employs the latest technolo-gies to generate databases detailing the effects of nutrition on gene expression profiles in the tissues of various spe-cies. The databases will be analyzed to determine the health and performance status of livestock and the best

PRODUCT NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

NUTRIGENOMIC BREAKTHROUGH FOR ALLTECH

(l-r): Becky Timmons, director of quality assurance, Alltech; Dr. Karl Dawson, director of worldwide research, Alltech; Steve Beshear, Governor of Kentucky; Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder, Alltech; and Dr. Ronan Power, director of research, Alltech, cut the ribbon on Alltech's Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition.

nutritional interventions for peak production potential. "I, along with everyone at Alltech, am very excited about the potential of this incredible facility, the first of its kind anywhere in the world," said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. "The ability to comprehend nutrition at the most basic level - gene expres-sion - really makes us stand apart and will give us a much greater under-standing of the nutritional needs of our animals," In addition to Nutrigenomics, the facility will house the company's research initiatives at its global headquarters, including the study of Functional Gly-comics, Solid State Fermentation, Rumen Function and Ecology, Aquacul-ture, Organic Trace Minerals and Biorefining. In coming years, the facility is expected to require 40 additional research professionals to be fully staffed. To help address this need, in 2007, Alltech formed a partnership with the University of Kentucky (UK) to advance research in the field of nutrigenom-ics. As part of this partnership, Alltech gave UK a $900,000 grant that will, in part, help to place faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture at the company's Nutrigenomics facility.

SUPPLIERS’ NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Aova Technologies, Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin, and Merrick’s, Inc. of Middle-ton, Wisconsin, announce a worldwide exclusive distribution agreement for the BIG CALF product line. Under the terms of the agreement, Merrick’s will be responsible for market-ing and sales of Aova’s patented technology—branded as BIG CALF—to the bovine calf marketplace. Additional terms of the agreement include a joint research and development effort for the bovine calf marketplace as well as Aova’s utilization of Merrick’s manufacturing.

AOVA AND MERRICK’S ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT

OREGO-STIM MARKET EXPANSION

William Stewart from Meriden Animal Health Limited recently supported Ghazi Brothers as they introduced Orego-Stim to the Pakistan Poultry market. Ghazi Brothers the leading company based in Karachi have been appointed by Meriden Animal Health Limited as the sole distributor of Orego-Stim in Pakistan. The trends in the Pakistan market are now changing and beginning to follow the feed additive laws and regulations within the EU. Therefore there is now a growing need for natu-ral alternative feed additives of which Orego-Stim is the origi-nal breakthrough product.

Meriden Animal Health Limited has also appointed a Regional Sales Manager who will be based in the head office in the UK, to cover the Eastern Europe region. Daniel Palcu will boost Meriden’s commercial team servicing Euro-pean intensive livestock producers. The new position has arisen due to the increase in sales of Orego-Stim and the other natural sus-tainable feed additives in Meriden’s product range. Daniel has 10 years experience in the poultry industry and an MSc in Sustainable systems in animal production nutrition.

Find out more about Orego-Stim on the company’s new dedicated website exclusively for the product. With full details of each of the Orego-Stim de-rived products on offer, the website is a comprehensive point of reference for existing customers and those looking to incorporate Orego-Stim into their systems, whether for commercial livestock production, smallholdings, the breeding of top quality racing pigeons and show quality budgerigars, or the maintenance of good gut health in pets. The website allows access to product brochures and stockists and offers a ‘Question and Answers’ facility whereby users can contact Meriden staff with enquiries and information requests.

SUPPLIERS’ NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

Aquafeed.com

Celebrating 10 years as the aquaculture feed industry’s leading information provider

INFORMATION l CONFERENCES l CONSULTING l EXECUTIVE PLACEMENT

Sifting the news so you don’t have to.

Aquafeed info all in

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WENGER MANUFACTURING, INC., a leading supplier of extrusion processing systems for the feed- and food- processing industries, has created a new Wenger Mediterranean Regional Division (WMRD). Nigel Lindley will serve as Regional Manager of the new division. Carl Eidsforth will be re-sponsible for customer service and support for those countries within the Mediterranean branch: Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, U.K. & Ireland. Lindley and Eidsforth will coordinate directly with Wenger’s main office in Sabetha for parts sales and all other sup-port functions. “Market differences in product specification, perception or taste may require dedicated

process-operating parame-ters, or special processing equipment,” Lindley said. “The Wenger Mediterra-nean Regional Division has been established to ensure our customer service in both equipment supply and technical re-sources have a regional application and con-sistency, to best meet customer needs.” Wenger designs and manufactures premium extrusion systems and dryers used for pro-ducing cereals, snack foods, pasta, pet food, aquatic feeds, and specialty livestock feeds.

SUPPLIERS’ NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

WENGER MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHES MEDITERRANEAN REGIONAL DIVISION TO ENSURE FAST, LOCAL RESPONSE

GLOBAL INGREDIENT SUPPLIER, Chr. Han-sen, has been awarded the Grand Prix at International Veterinary Exhibition. The product awarded is the probiotic feed additive Rumenal. Rumenal is developed by the company Medipharm, which Chr. Hansen acquired in January 2008. Rumenal is a die-tary supplement used to prevent unbalance of the mineral and energy metabolisms and to support the general state of health of dairy cows. Medipharm/Chr. Hansen, represented by

Petr Mican, Managing Director, Czech Re-public and one of the drivers in developing Rumenal, was congratulated on their pio-neering work within probiotics for improving animal production by the Czech Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Petr Gandalovic during the Animal Vetex in Brno, Czech Republic. “Rumenal provides several advantages to professional farming. It represents a unique composition of biological components for fast recovery of the rumenal microflora. It enhances the general well-being of the dairy cows and helps prevent eliminate problems after calving like e.g. dehydration. Further-more it increases milk production and the general energy metabolism in dairy cows,” explains Lenka Stankova, Product Manager, Animal Health & Nutrition, Chr. Hansen. The product has first been launched in the Czech Republic, where results are good. On farms where Rumenal is used after-calving complications have dropped

PROBIOTIC ADDITIVE AWARD FOR QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE

from 2% in average to 0,1-0,5%. The first of many Rumenal is part of a strong existing and fast developing product portfolio of natural ani-mal health and nutrition products from Chr. Hansen and Medipharm. And more will fol-low. “We have identified clear synergies and set

our aim high. Together Chr. Hansen and Medipharm will provide the market with the world’s best natural silage additives and fur-ther develop and grow the already unique combination of expertise within feed probiot-ics”, explained Jan Kuhlmann, Vice Presi-dent, Animal Health & Nutrition Division, Chr. Hansen.

SUPPLIERS’ NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

WHILE THE UK HAS made significant strides in reducing salmonella contamination, feed is still a clear potential route for transferring salmonella to poultry according to bio-security experts at Kiotechagil. The exact level of risk posed by feed con-tamination is very low according to the Vet-erinary Laboratories Agency with just 0.6% of poultry meals and 0.4% of poultry extru-sions testing positive for Salmonella in 2006. However farmers need to be aware that sal-monella can enter poultry farms through drinking water, mites and wild animals and this is particularly important in free-range operations and for layers and breeders where housing can become infected. “This is a genuine concern as even if the smallest amount of salmonella is ingested this can potentially multiply inside a bird’s digestive system and any infected faeces will rapidly escalate the salmonella count,” says Kiotechagil’s chief technical officer Murray Hyden. In the UK salmonella is believed to be re-sponsible for around 15 percent of all cases of food poisoning with one of the key diffi-culties being that infected chickens have no identifying characteristics as these chickens can go on to lay eggs or to be used as meat. “Feed additives can be used throughout the production chain to combat salmonella,” says Murray Hyden. “Organic acids, well known for their anti-bacterial properties, are the basis of these additives. Some such as Salkil, which was the first blend of organic

acid to use a carrier matrix, can be added both to clean feed to protect against con-tamination as well as to contaminated feed to rapidly reduce salmonella. “In addition, because Salkil includes a min-eral carrier matrix, the product passes slowly through the whole of a bird’s intestine and providing a platform for the healthy bac-teria to proliferate and in doing so excludes salmonella throughout the intestines and not just the early part,” emphasised Mr Hyden. To complete the biosecurity threats Kiote-chagil also supply a DEFRA approved drink-ing water disinfectant and a natural chemical free treatment against mites and insect pests for the poultry farmer.

NO ROOM FOR SALMONELLA COMPLACENCY SAYS KIOTECHAGIL

THE UZWIL, SWITZERLAND-BASED Buhler Technology Group has acquired all the shares of the U.S. firm Aeroglide Inc. through the signing and closing of a defini-tive agreement with Compass Diversified Holdings (CODI). Aeroglide, a mechanical engineering firm that is a market leader in the field of drying and other thermal processes, is active in the food, feed, and industrial sectors. Aeroglide has supplemented the Buhler product range for years as a supplier. The acquisition will enable the future joint development of optimally matched solutions. Buhler will operate Aeroglide as an autono-mous center of competence in the form of a business unit. Aeroglide, formerly a family-owned com-pany, can look back upon a success story of over 60 years that has maintained a leading market position, especially in recent years. With approximately 230 employees, the company generated sales revenues in 2007 of US$64 million. The company, which is headquartered in Ra-leigh, North Carolina, is active worldwide and operates sales sites in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Aeroglide supplies various ther-mal processes and produces specialized pro-

duction systems. Aeroglide has established an international reputation especially in the drying of foods, feeds and of industrial prod-ucts. Aeroglide and Buhler have maintained a close business relationship for years. The drying systems of Aeroglide, which are based on belt conveyor technology, com-plete Buhler’s portfolio especially in the field of extrusion. The acquisition of this long-standing supplier creates the basis for joint development of optimally matched, complete industrial solu-tions. The combination will open up new opportunities for customers of Buhler and Aeroglide alike. Buhler plans to maintain Aeroglide’s operations as an autonomous center of competence for thermal process and drying technology at the company’s ex-isting site in Raleigh. Buhler is a global leader in process engineer-ing, especially production technologies for making foods and engineering materials. Buhler is present in over 140 countries and has some 6900 employees. In fiscal 2007, the Group generated sales of CHF 1770 million. Compass Diversified Holdings is a leading acquirer and manager of middle market businesses in the North American economy and is listed on the Nasdaq under the sym-bol “CODI.

SUPPLIERS’ NEWS

FEED TECHNOLOGY UPDATE — MAY/JUNE 2008

BUHLER ACQUIRES AEROGLIDE

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