Evonik aims to help keep sows, laying hens and dairy cows healthy with a new plant-based product. The product, called PhytriCare® IM, consists of selected plant extracts with a high flavonoid content. Flavonoids are known for their anti-inflammatory effects. The product is available immediately throughout the EU. Approvals in other countries have been initiated.

“Healthy animals are in the interest of us all,” says Dr. Gaetano Blanda, head of the Animal Nutrition business line at Evonik. “The farmer benefits from higher productivity and the consumer can enjoy meat, eggs, or dairy products safe in the knowledge it is coming from healthy animals.” 

Since the prophylactic use of antibiotics has been banned in Europe, many farmers are looking for alternative solutions to keep their animals healthy and productive. In addition to probiotics, various other product classes have become established, including phytogenics. Evonik Animal Nutrition adds plant-based PhytriCare® IM to its probiotics-based Gut Health Solutions portfolio. 

Farm animals – like all living creatures – are exposed to a variety of stress factors and respond by activating the body’s defense mechanisms. If the stress continues at a higher level for a longer period, it can lead to chronic inflammation. As a result, animal’s welfare suffers. The animal then uses an increased share of its energy and nutrients for the immune system rather than for beneficial activities, such as growth and performance – sometimes for months or years. Consequently, production efficiency decreases and the animal’s ecological footprint increases.  

“PhytriCare® IM was developed to prevent an overshooting of inflammatory reactions in sows, laying hens and dairy cows,” adds Nicholas Guthier, head of EMEA Region & Global Key Accounts at Animal Nutrition. “After all, female animals are particularly stressed by reproductive processes anyway.”

Evonik and Dr. Eckel rely on the natural anti-inflammatory effect of flavonoids in PhytriCare® IM. Some of these secondary plant constituents, numbering around 8,000, have been shown to influence certain biochemical processes in animals that are associated with inflammation. 

PhytriCare® IM is a blend of carefully selected plant extracts covering a wide range of flavonoid subclasses. This blend targets a broad spectrum of inflammatory pathways to modulate, but not suppress, the inflammatory response.

The plant parts are well-chosen, gently processed and produced at Dr. Eckel. This ensures a final product of consistent quality with a minimum content of ten percent flavonoids. 

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The Animine scientific team participated in the Sustainable forage for net-zero in livestock production meeting and the team believed that, this event held in London, was the right moment to present Animine’s latest research outcomes on the calibration of the new AniGun^® tool, based on the X-Ray Fluorescence technique.

One of the main limitations in precision formulation is that forages are extremely variable in mineral content and can contain antagonists that reduce the availability of some minerals (i.e Cu, S, Mo and Fe). A quick and accurate assessment of the macro (P, Ca…) and micro-mineral (Zn, Cu, Mn…) composition in the ingredients of the ration is also extremely important to avoid nutritional imbalances, economic losses, and environmental impacts. For these reasons, Animine set the goal of providing analysis of minerals in forages with a portable device, usable on the field.

For the calibration, samples of forages (grass, hay and grass silage) were collected. Forage macro and minerals mineral content was directly determined by AniGun^® and in parallel samples were analyzed by wet chemistry technique (ICP-AES) in the INRAE lab.  

The AniGun portable analyzer represents a promising device for quantifying the mineral content of forages. It will provide fast and accurate results, which will allow users to reformulate mineral supply, in many cases decreasing supplementation levels. This will also save costs and reduce the amount of minerals being returned to the environment.

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ADM Launches New Sweetening Feed Solutions for Piglets

ADM has announced the launch of two products under its SUCRAM range, an in-feed sweetening solution for livestock species. Developed by ADM’s global feed additives business, Pancosma, SUCRAM M’I Sweet and SUCRAM Specifeek are sweeteners designed to improve the palatability of feed for young animals – particularly weanling pigs. Palatants and sweeteners are useful nutrition solutions to improve feed intake and enhance efficiencies for producers while also supporting animal health and well-being.

“Significant diversity exists between the sweet taste receptors among different species, impacting the perception of sweetness,” said Fabio Catunda, ADM Global Swine Commercial Director. “What is sweet for one species may not be perceived as sweet in another species due to these inter-species differences. This is critical to understand when developing effective sweetening products such as SUCRAM.”

An ongoing collaboration between ADM’s nutrition experts and molecular physiology and biochemistry scientists at the University of Liverpool is expanding industry knowledge of the function of sweet taste receptors in animals. These new additions to ADM’s SUCRAM range were specifically developed to activate the swine sweet taste receptors, with a focus on piglets at weaning. In-feed sweeteners have demonstrated to be an effective attractant to encourage feed intake at the weaning stage, as piglets make the transition from liquid to solid feed.

Both SUCRAM M’I Sweet and Specifeek are saccharin-free and, as part of the product development process, were tested in an in-vitro swine sweet taste receptor model. After years of research, these products also may have functional benefits in encouraging feed intake during a stressful period, optimizing nutrient absorption and supporting gut health and maturation to promote ongoing growth and performance in pigs.

SUCRAM products are available across the globe in more than 45 countries. Specifeek and M’I Sweet will initially be launched in Europe.

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Alltech Introduces Egalis™ Range of Silage Inoculants

Alltech is proud to introduce Egalis™, a new range of high-quality silage inoculants that maximise nutrient quality retention and reduce dry matter loss so producers will have more and better silage to feed and fewer concerns about wasting feed. Egalis controls and drives forage fermentations through the use of highly efficient homolactic bacteria and elements that inhibit fungal growth.

“The Egalis range of products brings together decades of expertise in fermentation, utilising bacteria strains specifically selected to maximise nutrient and dry matter protection,” said Matthew Smith, vice president at Alltech. “Together with our on-farm support teams and range of services, Alltech helps to improve fermentation to produce superior-quality silage, enabling producers to hold onto more of what they grow, from field to feed passage.”

The Egalis range of silage inoculants available in Europe includes:

Egalis™ Ferment

Suitable for use on all forages, Egalis Ferment efficiently and rapidly drives fermentation to a stable, final pH. It is comprised of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus, which work synergistically to rapidly lower the pH to the required final pH irrespective of the dry matter content or the buffering capacity of the forage. Benefits include maximising nutrient protection, reducing dry matter loss, and having more and better silage to feed.

Egalis™ Rapid

Specifically formulated for all types of maize/corn and sorghum silage, Egalis Rapid drives lactic fermentation and simultaneously maintains dry matter, digestibility and palatability. It is formulated using the very rapidly growing Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus. Benefits include protecting more dry matter, promoting digestibility in the final silage and optimising the efficiency of dairy cows and beef cattle.

Egalis™ Stability

Suitable for use on all forage types, particularly in the event of heating due to aerobically challenged or high-dry-matter silage, Egalis Stability helps inhibit the growth of yeast and mould and enhances the stability of the silage during feeding. It is formulated using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus in combination with the highly antifungal potassium sorbate. Benefits include helping silage stay cooler in the bunker, in the total mixed ration (TMR) and in the feed passage, protecting more dry matter, and promoting digestibility and energy in the animal.

For more information on Egalis, visit: www.alltech.com/en-ie/egalis.

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