A sustainable poultry feed ingredient made entirely of brewery waste increased the weight of broilers without the use of antibiotics in a field trial.
“The study demonstrated that this formulation, which is created entirely from renewable ingredients, could be just as successful in increasing the weight of broilers, while also increasing the animal’s viability, without the use of antibiotics,” Dr. Suresh Menon, CEO, Menon Renewable Products, said.
“The goal is to replace antibiotics and unsustainable ingredients, like fish meal, in livestock and poultry.”
Values like sustainability have become important factors in purchasing decisions for consumers. As a result, retailers have put increasing pressure on the supply chain to innovate more sustainable approaches.
Over half of the greenhouse gas emissions produced in monogastric animal protein production are linked to feed formulation, so finding ways to make feed production more sustainable is an easy way for poultry producers to reduce their environmental impact.
Results of the trial
During the field trial, which took place at the Poultry Research and Training Center of the Zamora University in Honduras, Cobb MV x Cobb 500 FX mixed broilers were fed the ingredient made of brewery waste from birth to 35 days of age.
The results revealed that the sustainable feed ingredient was safe, with no effect on the viability of the broilers. It also boosted the birds’ immune system, reducing the incidence of disease compared to the control group.
“I don’t believe that antibiotics should be the first solution. We need to understand what the animal really needs from a nutritional perspective in order to overcome any immune-compromising issues,” Menon said.
How the ingredient is made
The ingredient is produced through a hydrocarbon conversion process that can change hydrocarbons from agriculture-based raw materials into proteins, fats, enzymes and prebiotics. The process begins with the breakdown of cellulosic feedstock into sugars, followed by the supercritical process, oligomerization and optimization of mixing.
“The main differentiation,” Menon explained, “is the structure of the protein from a molecular level. We can control the structure and the size of the proteins called peptides and make them uniquely suitable for nourishing the animal, boosting their immune system.”
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