R & D https://benisonmedia.com/category/r-d/ Magazine for Grain and Feed Industry Thu, 25 Jan 2024 07:12:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 Seaweed Oil Extract for Livestock Methane Reduction https://benisonmedia.com/seaweed-oil-extract-for-livestock-methane-reduction/ Thu, 25 Jan 2024 07:12:14 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=13489 Symbrosia, a Hawaii-based cleantech startup that uses seaweed to drastically reduce livestock methane emissions, is excited to announce a study with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Cornell CALS), supported by Danone North America, a leading food and beverage company. Designed by Associate Professor Joe McFadden, the study aims to prove the effectiveness […]

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Symbrosia, a Hawaii-based cleantech startup that uses seaweed to drastically reduce livestock methane emissions, is excited to announce a study with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Cornell CALS), supported by Danone North America, a leading food and beverage company. Designed by Associate Professor Joe McFadden, the study aims to prove the effectiveness of an Asparagopsis-based seaweed oil extract for reducing livestock methane emissions compared to Symbrosia’s existing freeze-dried seaweed products.

Dr. Mallory Honan, Symbrosia’s product and animal science lead, spoke about the thoroughness of the study. “The study is more in-depth than any previous, accounting for animal and human food safety, energetics, manure composition, and gas emissions. Additionally, it will observe unique milk characteristics beyond lactose, protein, and fat, assessing changes in the complete milk fatty acid profile,” explained Honan.

The Asparagopsis species has been proven to reduce methane emissions in ruminant species by interfering with the methanogenesis process. Symbrosia currently produces a freeze-dried product, made of Asparagopsis taxiformis. The product reduces methane emissions by 70-80%.

A reduction in methane emissions will have immediate benefits for the climate, superior to that of carbon dioxide reduction alone, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dairy production from cattle makes up an estimated 8% of total human-caused methane emissions worldwide, as part of agriculture and livestock activities which represent approximately 40% of global methane emissions.

Oil absorbs the compounds found in seaweed at an effective rate, circumventing the need for high inputs of energy required for drying. The product in this form is also anticipated to increase the level of bioactive transference and solubility. Using fresh seaweed in oil instead of freeze-dried material also maintains more of the important compounds and nutrients, as well as possibly making it more stable over time. Should the study prove successful, the oil will be added to Symbrosia’s expanding portfolio of products designed to be incorporated into a variety of systems.

“Symbrosia is leading the charge to find innovative solutions to reduce methane and we wholeheartedly believe in the important work they are doing – as seen by the 2022 funding round for the company led by Danone Manifesto Ventures, Danone’s venture capital arm,” said Chris Adamo, vice president of public affairs & regenerative agriculture policy at Danone North America. “We know climate change at scale cannot be done in isolation and we need efforts and studies like this to unlock new ways to make progress.”

The use of Asparagopsis-based seaweed oil extract as a methane mitigator for livestock requires a holistic scientific approach to ensure sustained efficacy and safety,” McFadden said. “Our team of researchers and the recent acquisition of climate-controlled respiration chambers provide us the unique opportunity to answer the critical questions surrounding this technology.”

The team’s plan to ensure the study’s impact on the environment and sustainable agriculture is maximized. The study is set to begin in May of 2024 and will use Holstein dairy cows.

Source: Danone

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Study to Explore the Integration of Seaweed in Chicken Feed https://benisonmedia.com/study-to-explore-the-integration-of-seaweed-in-chicken-feed/ Wed, 27 Dec 2023 10:49:46 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=13301 Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is exploring the viability of a highly coveted red seaweed as a sustainable substitute for soybean meal in U.K. chicken feed. The Novel Seaweed Chicken Feed Feasibility (NSCFF) project, led by Seaweed Generation in collaboration with SRUC, University of West London, Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) and Microgrow Systems […]

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Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is exploring the viability of a highly coveted red seaweed as a sustainable substitute for soybean meal in U.K. chicken feed.

The Novel Seaweed Chicken Feed Feasibility (NSCFF) project, led by Seaweed Generation in collaboration with SRUC, University of West London, Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) and Microgrow Systems Ltd., will explore the feasibility of using tank or sea cultivated dulse – a protein-rich red seaweed – as a practical and cost-efficient alternative chicken feed.

It is one of 32 projects awarded funding from Innovate UK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to drive transformation across the food industry to meet the demands of a growing population while promoting health and sustainability.

The GBP 500,000 (USD 637,400) project will develop an automated macroalgal protein cultivation system, harnessing the nutritional benefits of seaweed to create an environmentally conscious protein source for poultry.

Trials will be conducted at SRUC’s state-of-the-art poultry facility near Edinburgh to assess the impact of dulse inclusion on nutrient digestibility, growth, carcass quality and gut health, offering essential insights into its potential as a sustainable and efficient alternative protein source for chicken feed.

“Dulse possesses significant potential due to its higher bioavailable protein content,” said Dr. Farina Khattak, who will lead the SRUC trials with Professor Jos Houdijk. “However, the current challenge lies in the prohibitively expensive and intricate nature of dulse cultivation. Although it can be grown at sea, its complex life cycle adds a layer of difficulty to the process. In contrast to terrestrial crops, the rapid growth capacity of dulse holds promise for providing a sustainable supply of biomass suitable for integration into poultry diets as a valuable protein source.

“The project represents a significant leap towards locally sourced and eco-friendly poultry nutrition, envisioning a reshaped industry by introducing a cost-effective alternative to soybean meal, thus mitigating the ecological impact of poultry production.”

Source: SRUC

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Zero-Waste Fuel Cells from Chicken Feathers https://benisonmedia.com/zero-waste-fuel-cells-from-chicken-feathers/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:20:11 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=13123 Feathers keep chickens warm, and they might also hold the key to creating sustainable fuel cells that can power clean vehicles. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and ETH Zurich in Switzerland have found a way to convert chicken feathers into a clean and sustainable material to build zero-waste fuel cells. By extracting […]

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Feathers keep chickens warm, and they might also hold the key to creating sustainable fuel cells that can power clean vehicles. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and ETH Zurich in Switzerland have found a way to convert chicken feathers into a clean and sustainable material to build zero-waste fuel cells.

By extracting the protein keratin from feathers, then processing it into ultra-fine fibres known as amyloid fibrils, the researchers created a thin membrane capable of conducting protons, which are a vital component of fuel cells.

The researchers tested their feather-based membrane by assembling it in a commercial fuel cell setup. In their tests, the fuel cell could turn on an LED lamp, spin a small fan, and power a small toy car.

Producing such membranes in conventional fuel cells uses toxic chemicals, known also as “forever chemicals”, which are expensive and do not break down in the environment.
The keratin-based membrane developed by the NTU and ETH team is environmentally friendly as it is composed of a biological material and created in a green process that does not produce carbon emissions.

The large amount of industrial chicken feather waste produced by the poultry industry means that the membrane manufactured in the laboratory could be up to three times cheaper than conventional membranes to produce.

Source: Nanyang Technological University

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NIANP Discovers Regional Solution to Control Indian Cattle-Produced Greenhouse Gas Emissions https://benisonmedia.com/nianp-discovers-regional-solution-to-control-indian-cattle-produced-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:53:40 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=13050 Methane gas emissions from livestock is one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect that contributes to climate change, and India is taking steps to reduce livestock-produced methane with the introduction of a feed supplement that cuts emissions of this gas by 30 to 50%, deputy director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, […]

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Methane gas emissions from livestock is one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect that contributes to climate change, and India is taking steps to reduce livestock-produced methane with the introduction of a feed supplement that cuts emissions of this gas by 30 to 50%, deputy director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr S.K. Chaudhari said recently.

He said ICAR’s National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology has developed a cattle feed supplement which when mixed with the animal feed, significantly reduces methane emissions, particularly from ruminants — animals such as buffaloes and cows which bring back their food from their stomach and chew it again.

“Some animals like buffalos are known for enteric fermentation and rumination and during this process, a lot of methane is emitted. This occurs at a rapid rate among buffalos, and research indicates that the NIANP-developed supplement can reduce methane emissions by 30 to 40%,” he said.

The feed supplement, Harit Dhara, has been licensed by ICAR so far to three companies for commercial production. While the product itself is proven to work, the challenge, according to Niroj Mohanty of Hyderabad-based Core CarbonX Solutions Pvt Ltd., one of the three companies licensed to produce and market Harit Dhara, the dairy industry is not as organized in India with a significant percent of milk production coming from people owning two or three milch cattle.

“There are few large diaries and the big ones have around 1,000 or so cattle. We are working on the best way to reach these people as the product has to be pushed, and there is no pull for it from cattle owners and this is a critical challenge,” he said.

According to Dr Chaudhari, who was in the city to take part in the three-day G20 Technical Workshop on Climate Resilient Agriculture that concluded recently, said climate change does not just affect crops but also has an impact on animal husbandry, fisheries, aquaculture, and poultry. When temperatures rise, milk production and the lifespan of cattle get affected, and ICAR has developed inexpensive systems that can be adopted for sheltering animals and controlling temperature and humidity levels. While marine fisheries may not be impacted much, and some fish species may gain from climate change impacts, negative impacts can be seen in freshwater or brackish water aquaculture resulting in reduced yields, he explained.

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Better Utilization of Energy or Nutrients from the Diet https://benisonmedia.com/better-utilization-of-energy-or-nutrients-from-the-diet/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 10:00:14 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=12976 In previous research, feed intake and egg production parameters were the most common response criteria that researchers used to measure energy responses in poultry. Professor Michael Persia in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences began research on energy levels in poultry from a different stand point in 2008–09, when corn prices increased in […]

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In previous research, feed intake and egg production parameters were the most common response criteria that researchers used to measure energy responses in poultry.

Professor Michael Persia in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences began research on energy levels in poultry from a different stand point in 2008–09, when corn prices increased in response to expanded ethanol production as part of the renewable fuel standard. In the quest to identify and validate alternatives to corn as the primary energy source in laying hen diets, a more holistic approach to laying hen metabolism was investigated.

It was discovered that at least over the short term, the amount of energy fed to hens does not affect the number of eggs produced. Hens will produce eggs if they have enough fatty tissue and mass in their reserves to supply the energy to produce them.

“Results suggested that dietary energy has a more pronounced effect on body mass and fatty tissue before more direct performance responses are observed, “Persia said.

“Therefore, hen body weight and composition can be used as a more sensitive measurement of hen energy status than egg production or feed efficiency.”

There search was published recently in the Journal of Applied Poultry Research and is supported by the John Lee Pratt Animal Nutrition Senior Research Scholar Program.

More recently, the cost of dietary oil, the second leading energy component of a diet, has increased with additional biodiesel production. As so, Persia and his team conducted an experiment to evaluate the effects of varying dietary energy on the performance and energy storage in laying hens from 36 to 52weeks of age.

A total of 252 hens were fed one of seven experimental diets ranging in dietary energy from 2,750 to 3,050 kcal/kg. Egg production, energy intake, feed intake, egg weight, egg mass, and feed efficiency were calculated. Hens were weighed every four weeks and carcass total, lean, and fat mass were determined at 52weeks of age using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, a type of evaluation.

Results indicated that dietary energy intake impacted the hens’ total carcass mass and carcass fat mass before altering the number of eggs they produced.

“Although egg production was unaffected, total mass, body weight, and fat mass were significantly decreased with decreasing dietary energy and were directly correlated with dietary energy,” Persia said. “This indicated to us that hens will continue to produce eggs at the expense of energy body reserves over short-term production.”

This discovery could have substantial environmental and economic impact. “Everything we can do to more accurately determine the requirements of these birds will reduce the cost of eggs—efficiency from a feeding standpoint leads to efficiency from an economist and point,” he said.

“There is also a large environmental component to that as well. Anytime we can increase the utilization of energy or nutrients from the diet, that is less that comes out on the back end as manure. If we can more efficiently utilize our resources and put them into the bird or into the egg, that will help the environmental footprint.”

Source: Virginia Tech

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Australian Seaweed Startup Looks Beyond Methane-Reduction https://benisonmedia.com/australian-seaweed-startup-looks-beyond-methane-reduction/ Thu, 24 Aug 2023 10:32:14 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=12873 Currently, strong demand exists for a livestock feed additive derived from Asparagopsis, which can reduce methane emissions by up to 90%, enabling businesses, industry, and governments to meet the increasingly stringent methane reduction targets. However, the startup says that it is now also exploring some adjacent markets for seaweed-based compounds used in a broad range […]

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Currently, strong demand exists for a livestock feed additive derived from Asparagopsis, which can reduce methane emissions by up to 90%, enabling businesses, industry, and governments to meet the increasingly stringent methane reduction targets. However, the startup says that it is now also exploring some adjacent markets for seaweed-based compounds used in a broad range of additional products – including food and beverage ingredients, natural pigments, cosmetics, skincare, and high-value pharmaceutical applications.

SeaStock, an Australian startup in partnership with Flinders University is currently investigating a range of other compounds derived from Asparagopsistaxiformis, which have high commercial value.

As Flinders University aquaculture Professor Jian Qin said, “There are a number of high-value compounds that the Flinders Aquaculture Research team is investigating in conjunction with the team at SeaStock. Compounds extracted from Asparagops is have a range of applications across the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries and can be used in many ways.”

“While some of these may still be in the preliminary phase, we are conducting research to see how quickly and efficiently we can grow Asparagopsis in the laboratory and establish multiple extraction processes to enable SeaStock to explore additional markets.”

Some of the compounds which have been successfully extracted are recognized for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergen, anti-virus, and tumor-suppressing capabilities, among others. Other applications include use as a natural pigment to replace potentially harmful artificial dyes in food and confectionary products and as an active and color ingredient in cosmetic products.

SeaStock managing director, Tom Puddy, said the commercial applications for a range of seaweed-based compounds suitable for a variety of industries presented a further opportunity for SeaStock to broaden its commercial strategy.

“The IP we have created can be replicated beyond the Asparagopsis variety of seaweed, which will allow SeaStock to discover future seaweed compounds that occur naturally along the West Australian coastline,” he said.

The market for seaweed-based compounds continues to grow, with a recent report by Forbes magazine highlighting a growing pool of investors who are discovering the potential of the “blue economy”, which is predicted to be worth USD 3 trillion globally by 2030.

Source: 5M Enterprises

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Red Sea Plume Can Reduce Green House Gas Emissions by up to 50% https://benisonmedia.com/red-sea-plume-can-reduce-green-house-gas-emissions-by-up-to-50/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:21:55 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=12707 Researchers in Sweden have found that adding the tropical alga Asparagopsis taxiformis (AT), also known as red sea plume, to cow feces can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the manure of dairy cows by almost 50%. AT is a red algae species, with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm waters. Its main compound is […]

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Researchers in Sweden have found that adding the tropical alga Asparagopsis taxiformis (AT), also known as red sea plume, to cow feces can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the manure of dairy cows by almost 50%.

AT is a red algae species, with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm waters. Its main compound is bromoform, which mitigates methane by blocking the process through which the gas is generated. To date, it is the most promising natural methane inhibitor.

“We showed that adding AT to the feces of dairy cows significantly reduced methane production from the feces by 44% compared to feces without AT,” said Dr. Mohammad Ramin, an animal science researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. “It also turned out that methane production from feces of cows that had been supplemented with AT in their diet was not lower than from the feces of cows that had not been fed the alga.”

Approximately one-third of all anthropogenic methane is emitted by ruminant livestock. These animals get nutrients through fermenting food in four-chambered stomachs found in cows, sheep, and goats. They produce methane through belching and from the decomposition of their manure under certain conditions.

“There have been many studies using AT in dairy cows’ diets to reduce enteric methane production,” said Ramin. “However, no studies have reported on the decrease of methane emissions from manure.”

Adding Asparagopsis to cows’ feed, however, is not entirely without side effects since it contains high levels of iodine. Research has shown that if cow feed is supplemented with AT, iodine levels in milk, which is also consumed by humans, increase. Iodine is an essential nutrient but can be toxic in high concentrations. Heightened iodine levels can cause health issues such as thyroid problems. Researchers are currently working on growing Asparagopsis containing less iodine in labs.

However, Asparagopsis can also be used to reduce methane emissions from manure, not only from cows’ enteric fermentation. This is the approach taken by the researchers.

The contribution of manure to greenhouse gas emissions depends on several factors, including storage conditions. Manure in the cool-temperate European climate is estimated to be responsible for approximately 12% of total methane emissions from the dairy system.

“Manure methane production does contribute to global greenhouse gas emission and needs to be reduced,” Ramin said. “Our study showed a potential way how methane inhibitors could be utilized to do that.”

Despite their promising results, the researchers pointed out that they did a pilot study in which they used feces from just four cows. They recommended that future studies should increase the number of cows from which manure is collected. Further, more studies are necessary to investigate the interactions between the halogenated compounds of the alga and the fecal microbiome, the researcher said.

Source: Global Seafood Alliance

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Artemia – A Sustainable Poultry Feed Ingredient https://benisonmedia.com/artemia-a-sustainable-poultry-feed-ingredient/ Thu, 29 Jun 2023 07:37:02 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=12573 The 24-month project has been awarded £344,447 by Innovate UK, in collaboration with Agri-EPI Centre and SRUC, and will explore the use of different agricultural by-products to produce Artemia, in turn investigating the nutritional benefits as a broiler chick starter feed on gut health, lifetime growth and performance. Marine proteins, such as krill, are one […]

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The 24-month project has been awarded £344,447 by Innovate UK, in collaboration with Agri-EPI Centre and SRUC, and will explore the use of different agricultural by-products to produce Artemia, in turn investigating the nutritional benefits as a broiler chick starter feed on gut health, lifetime growth and performance.

Marine proteins, such as krill, are one of the best sources of nutrients for young farm terrestrial and aquatic animals. However, harvesting of marine ingredients from the wild has reached its limit and has a significant impact on the environment and costs have reduced its use in commercial young animal feeding.

Aquanzo is developing technologies to farm artemia sustainably, at scale and on land.
“Farming marine protein has the potential to revolutionize the animal feed sector, by combining the best of marine ingredients (nutritional value, taste and energy) and farming (scalable, controllable, sustainable precision platform),” said Remi Gratacap, CEO, Aquanzo.
At the industrial scale, Aquanzo is forecasting a production capacity of thousands of metric tonnes of artemia meal per year per industrial facility.

“Marine protein Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are the main contributor to aquaculture environmental impact accentuated by long-distance transport and the long-term resilience of the sector is dependent on a fragile environmental balance under climate change threat,” Gratacap added.

Agri-EPI Centre will provide a life cycle analysis, measuring exactly how environmentally sustainable the product is at each stage of its development, in addition to project management.

“Using this scientific method for quantifying sustainability we will evaluate the production of Artemia and compare the results to the production of fishmeal. We hope this study will prove Artemia to be an environmentally sustainable source of protein and a valuable part of the solution to the growing challenges faced by the aquaculture industry,” said Emily Laskin, sustainability analyst, Agri-EPI Centre.

SRUC Professor, Dr Jos Houdijk, head of Monogastric Science Research Centre, who will undertake the feed performance trials on starter broiler feed and following the growth cycle, said, “Following the establishment of its nutritional value, Artemeal provides a great opportunity to bring back into starter diets for broilers the nutritional and functional benefits traditionally derived from the use of fishmeal.”

Source: agri-epicentre

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Amaranthus – An ingredient for dairy cows nutrition https://benisonmedia.com/amaranthus-an-ingredient-for-dairy-cows-nutrition/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 12:25:21 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=12008 The foxtail amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.) is one of the most popular species of domesticated amaranths. It has been cultivated for a long time as a multipurpose pseudocereal of high nutritive value, as a vegetable, and as an ornamental plant (eFloras, 2021). The plant residue after grain harvest may be fed to livestock or used […]

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The foxtail amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.) is one of the most popular species of domesticated amaranths. It has been cultivated for a long time as a multipurpose pseudocereal of high nutritive value, as a vegetable, and as an ornamental plant (eFloras, 2021). The plant residue after grain harvest may be fed to livestock or used for thatching.

Utilization
It is mainly used as a source of food in India and South America (Agong, 2006). Known as kiwicha in Peru, its seeds are reported to be flavourful and highly nutritious and, unlike quinoa, do not contain saponins. The seeds are used to feed infants and pregnant women, disabled and elderly people (NRC, 1989). They can be used in several recipes. They produce a crunchy nutty “popcorn” when heated, they can be used as a snack, as a cold cereal with milk and honey, in sweets, or as a “breading” on chicken or fish.

The grain can be ground into flour, rolled into flakes, “puffed”, or boiled for porridge. The flour can be blended with cereal flour to improve its nutritive value (higher protein, better amino acid balance, and higher vitamin content). It enters bakery specialties. In Ethiopia, foxtail amaranth seeds are considered a famine food in times of scarcity and are combined with teff to make injera flatbread in times of abundance (Agong, 2006).

The plant contains pigments that can be used for food coloring. Young leaves and stems of foxtail amaranth can be boiled as greens, like spinach (NRC, 1989). Although they are not reported in statistics, the various amaranths may actually be the most widely grown vegetable crop in the humid tropics (NRC, 1989).

After grain harvest, the stover can be fed to livestock or used for thatching. Feed uses of the stover have been reported in South America and in other countries such as China (NRC, 1989; Brenner et al., 2000). All parts of foxtail amaranth have ethnomedicinal applications and have been reviewed for their potential benefits (anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-atherogenic, regulator of arterial pressure, cardioprotective) in human health (Martinez-Lopez et al., 2020; Agong, 2006).

Forage harvest and forage yield
After the grain is threshed, the crop residue (straw, stover) can be used as a source of fodder for cattle. Research in Peru demonstrated that it has much better nutritional value than the residues of other Andean crops. Andean farmers traditionally maintain their livestock on foxtail amaranth stover during the dry season, when forage is limited.
Amaranthus caudatus has the potential as a forage crop. It can rapidly produce a large amount of biomass with high protein content, in tropical areas where high-protein forages yield poorly (NRC, 1989). In Central Yakutia (Russia), the annual green biomass yield was 28.1 t/ha, and the DM yield was 6.44 t/ha (Maksimova, 2020).
Source: feedipedia

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Impact of dried olive pulp on broiler performance https://benisonmedia.com/impact-of-dried-olive-pulp-on-broiler-performance/ Wed, 25 Jan 2023 07:42:47 +0000 https://benisonmedia.com/?p=11856 The use of agro-industrial by-products in animal nutrition has been successfully assumed as a key strategy to reduce feeding costs and to cope with the need to recycle waste material, which is costly to dispose of. Moreover, recent interest is being generated in bioactive compounds (polyphenols, flavonoid, oleuropeoside, and simple phenolics) from olive by-products (including […]

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The use of agro-industrial by-products in animal nutrition has been successfully assumed as a key strategy to reduce feeding costs and to cope with the need to recycle waste material, which is costly to dispose of.
Moreover, recent interest is being generated in bioactive compounds (polyphenols, flavonoid, oleuropeoside, and simple phenolics) from olive by-products (including DOP) to enhance animal health and performance. In this regard, it has been recently suggested that olive by-products might improve the intestinal health of many livestock species. However, little information and inconsistent results are available on the effects of dried olive pulp on broiler growth responses and meat quality as well as on gut health.
The olive pulp can be used to boost the performance of slow-growing broiler, as per a recent study dried dietary dried olive pulp (DOP) on growth performance, meat traits and oxidation, and intestinal mucosa features, a total of 180 male slow-growing broiler chickens (Hubbard) were divided into 3 groups and fed 3 isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets from 14 days of age until slaughter (49 d). The treatments varied according to 3 DOP levels: a control diet without DOP (DOP0, 0%) and 2 test diets containing 5 and 10% of DOP (DOP5 and DOP10, respectively).
The objective of the study was to evaluate an alternative feeding strategy for broiler producers by comparing the feeding value of diets containing different levels of DOP on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal mucosa features.
The trial was conducted at the Experimental Poultry Research Center of the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Authors adhere that procedures imposed on the animals were carried out according to the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council o on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Authors also adhere to the EU regulations on feed legislation.
As per conclusion, based on findings, DOP in diets up to 10% supported the productive traits of slow-growing broilers preserving meat from oxidation and improving intestinal mucosa features. As a result, the current study assessed that olive by-products can be successfully used in broiler rations, resulting in a valuable ingredient as a partial replacement for conventional feeds, which could further reduce feeding costs because of the lower cost of the olive by-product. Thus, the use of olive by-products as poultry feed may become economically feasible for producers where the olive oil industries play an important economic role.
Source: ScienceDirect

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