Author: bodvfeed

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by strains of specific fungal species under suitable atmospheric conditions. Mycotoxins can contaminate feed during cultivation, storage, and transport, causing an impact on livestock that consume infected feed. Different mycotoxins are produced by the same fungal species that may have additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects with other toxins and infectious agents. This reduces the productivity of animals and impacts the farm profits. Furthermore, certain mycotoxins can be transferred through animal-derived food products, posing a risk to human health.

According to the World Mycotoxin Survey, mycotoxin threats in livestock feed are a global concern. In the edition for January–December 2024, multiple mycotoxins were detected, with more economic impact than in the previous year. Notably, the global prevalence of T2 has increased from approximately 22% to 23%, while that of zearalenone has increased from 52% to 60%, leading to economic losses to farmers. Both ZEN and T-2 are highly stable compounds, capable of resisting heat, storage conditions, and standard feed processing techniques. Their ability to survive harsh environmental and industrial conditions makes them particularly dangerous, as they remain active in feed and continue to exert toxic effects on animals and eventually humans.

Zearalenone

Zearalenone is one of the critical toxins produced by Fusarium fungal species, mainly present in cereal grain-derived products. Zearalenone resembles estrogen and its derivatives and might interfere with estrogen receptors. This leads to decreased fertility, litter size, changes in serum progesterone levels in females, decreased spermatogenesis, libido, testosterone levels, and testicular weight in males. Zearalenone impacts conception, ovulation, implantation, the development of the fetus, and the viability of newborn animals at higher doses.

T-2 toxins

T-2 is from the trichothecene class of mycotoxins, and its toxicity depends on age, dosage, and species. The T-2 toxin produced by Fusarium tricinctum has been linked to a toxicosis in animals fed moldy feed. T-2 toxin inhibits protein and DNA synthesis and weakens immune responses. It mainly targets rapidly dividing cells in the immune system and gastrointestinal tract. Clinical symptoms include feed refusal, weight loss, growth retardation, diarrhea, intestinal hemorrhages, oral lesions, vomiting, and, in severe cases, death.

Management of zearalenone and T2 toxin

Zearalenone and T2 toxin are stable thermally and chemically, making it difficult to eliminate them from feed by using common mycotoxin management techniques, such as heating, fermentation, or irradiation. Other traditional methods, such as chemical degradation or physical separation, might lead to nutrient degradation, palatability issues, and feed safety. To overcome these challenges, mycotoxin binders are widely used in animal nutrition as a practical, safe, and economical solution.

A mycotoxin binder for animal feed is a substance that is used in small quantities to entrap mycotoxins in the gastrointestinal tract. They help to prevent the toxin from entering the animal’s bloodstream via the gut, preventing further damage to animal health. Mycotoxin binders can be inorganic or organic. Inorganic binders, like clays and activated carbon, primarily bind mycotoxins through electrostatic and van der Waals forces, while organic binders, such as yeast cell walls and cellulose, often utilize more specific binding mechanisms, like hydrogen bonding. 

These binders trap harmful toxins without affecting feed nutritive value and animal health. Mycotoxin binders for animal feed are a cost-effective solution to minimize economic damage and improve livestock productivity.

 

*References on request*

Animal feed producers all over the world try to achieve better nutrient utilization and animal performance by optimal use of resources. Their primary concern is improving the feed mill efficiency and production parameters in order to ensure profitability. The moisture retention in feed is an important indicator associated with feed weight variation which has great economic significance in today’s competitive environment. Although initially, feed raw materials have an average moisture content of 12%, its hammer-mill-crushing, grinding, and ingredient mixing stages let moisture evaporate and thereby decrease the initial moisture content often below 11%. As a result, the moisture content of the finished product is usually between 0.5 – 1% lower than the initial moisture content of the raw materials. This loss needs to be recovered to retain 12% moisture in the finished feed.

Importance of Moisture Retention in Feed

The moisture content of the feed product not only affects the internal and external product quality of the feed but also has a direct impact on the output rate and economic benefits of the product. Optimizing moisture content in the feed is key to ensuring safe, nutritional, high-quality, and consistent animal feed. Sufficient moisture in mash feeds improves particle adhesion, heat transfer, and, ultimately, better pellet quality. Also, selling feed products at moisture content lower than what is necessary leads to unnecessary weight loss of the finished product. Hence, optimization of moisture content in animal feed is of high importance.

Key Aspects of Moisture Optimization in Feed

• Nutrient stability: Controlling moisture levels helps prevent the degradation of essential components during storage and transportation.
• Mould and microbial growth: Excess moisture in feed can create a favourable environment for the growth of moulds, bacteria, and other microorganisms.
• Pellet quality: The moisture content affects the binding and durability of the pellets, influencing their resistance to breakage and dustiness
• Storage stability: It is important to optimize moisture levels to prevent caking, clumping, and the development of off-odours.
• Palatability: Optimising moisture levels can enhance palatability, making the feed more appealing to animals and encouraging proper consumption.

Techniques for Moisture Retention in Feed: Benefits and Challenges

Steam Conditioning the feed is one of the methods of feed processing for maintaining appropriate moisture levels. In this method, the feed is exposed to high-pressure steam. This steam improves moisture retention, particle binding, and removal of pathogens in the feed. However, due to the need for specialized equipment, high energy consumption, skilled labour, and maintenance, significantly increases production costs. Additionally, much of the added moisture is lost during the cooling and drying stages, resulting in inefficiencies.

In contrast, powdered moisture retention solutions along with the combination of humectants and moisture retaining additives offer a cost-effective alternative by eliminating the need for expensive infrastructure and energy-intensive processes.

RETENTIO is an effective option to improve moisture retention in the finished feed. It reduces the surface tension of water, allowing better penetration and improved distribution. The addition of RETENTIO ensures that the water is evenly distributed throughout the feed material and does not remain only on the surface of the particles. The humectants present in RETENTIO play a vital role in moisture retention in the feed. Also, the activated propionates in RETENTIO, have synergistic mould-inhibiting properties which further assures a long-lasting antifungal effect.

“Efficient Feed Moisture Retention with Retentio”

*References on request

Livestock-producing farmers face the challenge of producing high-quality, healthy products to meet the growing demand for animal protein. They are dependent on animal feed for their animals to perform well and gain weight subsequently leading to increased demand for animal feed. Resource scarcity, environmental factors, and rising feed prices have significantly impacted animal feed production. To meet this high demand for animal feed, efficient use of available feed resources, enlargement of the feed resource base, and a search for novel feed resources, particularly those not competing with human food, are important for sustainable livestock farming.

The increasing processing of fruit and vegetables has led to higher quantities of agricultural by-products. According to a report by Eurostat (2020), around 57 million tonnes of agricultural by-products are produced annually. Around 10% comes from the processing and manufacturing sectors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The by-products like Peels, rinds of fruits, and pomaces contain bioactive components that can be beneficial to improve the quality of animal feed. Unfortunately, a significant portion of these by-products is often discarded, contributing to resource loss and environmental challenges associated with dumping. Therefore, new strategies are needed to utilize these agricultural by-products effectively.

One promising solution to this challenge is the reuse of agricultural by-products, particularly fruit and vegetable peel.  These by-products can replace traditional feed resources in an animal’s diet, due to the presence of nutritive bioactive compounds.  This can help to decrease the scarcity of animal feed resources and reduce environmental impact due to excessive by-product production.

 

The Potential of Peel Powders

Many fruits and vegetables have been increasingly grown mainly for food and other industrial uses. Large quantities of by-products are produced from the processing of these products one of the main components of which is peels. Although a by-product, peels are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and can be used to enhance the nutritional profile of animal diets.

Citrus peel powder, rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, enhances the nutritional value of animal feed. Bioactive compounds like flavonoids and limonoids provide antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits.

Tomato peel powder is an agro-industrial by-product loaded with proteins, fats, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants like lycopene and polyphenols. The higher content of lycopene in tomato peel powder helps to reduce inflammation, acts as an antioxidant, improves fertility, and strengthens the immune system.

With its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, pomegranate peel powder is used in medicinal, nutraceutical, and food preservation applications. It acts as a natural meat preservative, extends food shelf life, and is a substrate for industrial enzymes like cellulase and pectinase.

 

Enhance Animal Health and Performance with Peel Powders

Peel powders offer a cost-effective solution for maintaining balanced animal nutrition while using agricultural by-products. Rich in bioactive compounds like flavonoids, lycopene, and beta carotenoids, peel powders enhance immunological health and overall well-being. Their high fiber, protein, and essential micronutrient content provide the necessary dietary components for animals that,

Benefit of peel powders in animal feed

Peel powders derived from agricultural by-products are a sustainable, cost-effective, and nutritionally beneficial solution for animal feed production. By repurposing these by-products, the livestock industry can reduce its dependency on traditional feed resources addressing the challenges of both food waste and feed resource scarcity.

 

*References on Request*

The recent increased demand for animal-origin protein has led to an intensification of animal production. Different methods are used to improve the production, Antibiotics are one of them. The overall use of antibiotics has increased recently to improve productivity and profitability. Additionally, antimicrobials are used in huge proportions for treating specific diseases or infections in animals, during stress conditions, to improve immunity, or as general growth promoters.

While the use of antibiotics is crucial, its overuse or misuse leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The increased AMR can impact the effectiveness of antimicrobials against pathogens. This might fail treatment, and increase the severity of the disease impacting animal welfare and eventually leading to economic losses. The excess use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals increases the risk of the spread of AMR toward important pathogens in human beings consuming these food products. It can be transmitted via the food chain or environmental factors. According to the WHO report of 2019, it is assessed that AMR was directly responsible for approximately 1.27 million global deaths and was indirectly responsible for around 4.95 million deaths.

India has taken a significant step to reduce the impact of AMR by introducing new regulations. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released an amendment on 17 October 2024 stating that the use of some antimicrobials for the production of animal-based food products is not permitted. Also, the authority has changed the Maximum Residual Limits of antimicrobials in food-producing animals. These new regulations will be enforced from 1 April 2025.

According to old regulations, the use of antibiotics was forbidden only during food processing. However, the new rules prohibit the use in the entire production cycle. This supports the efforts of FSSAI to enhance food safety and reduce AMR. Along with meat, poultry, eggs, and aquaculture products, antibiotics are also banned in milk, and milk products to improve food safety.

Antibiotics that have been completely prohibited to use in food animal production:

Classes of antibiotics

• Glycopeptides,
• Nitrofurans,
• Nitroimidazoles

Specific antibiotics

• Carbadox,
• Chloramphenicol,
• Colistin,
• Streptomycin (and its metabolite dihydrostreptomycin),
• Sulphamethoxazole,

The amendment also updates the list of tolerance limits of antimicrobials and other veterinary drugs in food from animal sources. Specifically, six new antibiotics, amoxicillin, cephalexin, gentamicin, penicillin G/ benzylpenicillin, sulfamethazine, and sulfadimethoxine have been added to the existing list of antibiotics.

The ban on antimicrobial use and strict testing by the authorities can help to reduce the spread and impact of AMR. By prohibition of antibiotics, India aims to support the global efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce the risk of AMR and promote sustainable food production.

Along with prohibitions of antibiotics, there is a need for the development of new alternatives for growth and disease prevention in animals. Natural products can be good alternatives for the same. Natural components like plant-based phytochemicals, essential oils, probiotics, and other bioactive compounds show antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties supporting overall welfare while maintaining food safety.

Incorporating natural solutions and maintaining regulatory compliance into animal farming practices can help reduce AMR while protecting animal health.

In countries like the United States, where beef is a staple in the culinary culture, the beef quality is crucial. When included as part of a healthy and varied diet, beef can provide a rich source of high biological value protein and bioavailable essential nutrients. Their principal constituents are proteins (containing amino acids essential to human health) and fats including saturated fatty acid, unsaturated fatty acid, cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and phospholipids with a substantial contribution of vitamins mainly those of the B complex and minerals primarily iron and zinc.

Understanding the Importance of Beef Quality

Nowadays consumers are very much aware of nutrition and health resulting in increased demand for healthier meat products that are low in fat, and cholesterol. This is mainly due to the relationship between the consumption of saturated fats (SFA) and high serum cholesterol with related increase in probability of acquiring diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease.

Beef quality is predominantly assessed by factors such as colour, tenderness, and flavour, with marbling being the most critical attribute. Balancing lean growth and marbling is essential for price optimization in beef markets. If the producer wants to compete in beef cattle industry for long term, the efficient production of palatable lean beef must be a primary objective. Beef meat is considered lean when 100 grams of beef contain less than 10 grams of fat, less than 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol.  Marbling is defined as the appearance of visible white flecks or streaks of Intramuscular fat that have a positive relation with sensory traits of meat, which include its  juiciness, colour, tenderness and taste.

USDA Standards

Different grades of beef mainly indicate the amount, regularity, and quality of marbling or fat interlaced within the muscles. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grading system features eight different grades for beef. Across almost every cut of beef carcass, Prime has the highest marbling content  while choice is an easily accessible option.

Industry faces Various challenges to design and develop new technologies that will allow production of lean beef with appropriate marbling. This will require higher lean tissue deposition and extensive redirection of feed energy from fat to protein deposition through all phases of growth.  Growth regulators function by reducing fat deposition. Due to significant relationship between fat deposition and marbling exists, a reduction in marbling and resulting quality grade can be expected when fat is reduced. However, its impact on acceptability, shear force, palatability, and tenderness is less than expected.

FACTORS AFFECTING BEEF COMPOSITION –

Among other factors, body composition can be influenced by managing nutrition of animal. The control of feed intake is a particularly exciting and rapidly growing field.  Changes in the diet of ruminants can lead to major differences in composition of edible tissues.  Various phytochemical feed additives, are used to improve marbling and promote lean meat production.

 

MYOGENA – The Phytogenic Feed Supplement for Lean Beef production

MYOGENA is a phytogenic supplement for lean beef production that helps to maintain healthy body condition score, lean muscle gain, and appealing carcass qualities. It acts as protein optimizer and improves protein turnover along with the upregulation of fat metabolism.

How Does Myogena Work?

MYOGENA stimulates insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which enhances skeletal muscle accretion in beef cattle, leading to improved growth rates and increased carcass weight. On the adipose and muscle cell receptors, MYOGENA triggers lipid and protein mobilization and metabolism, that channelizes intra muscular fat deposition and supports lean muscle development. It helps in lean beef production, improves FCR and dressing percentage in beef cattle.

As the beef industry evolves, MYOGENA is essential for staying competitive and delivering exceptional quality to consumers.

MYOGENA – where quality, health, and profitability meet!

*References on request*