Friday, November 16, was the last day of EuroTier 2018, and for me it was the first time I stayed to the end of the show. It is said that the very last day of a long exhibition is when all the top people leave and only a skeleton of crew remains at booths. Indeed, visitors and exhibitors were thinned down considerably, except for Hall 11 where the live cattle and sheep exhibition attracted a major, mostly local, crowd. Otherwise, it was a great day to stroll down all halls, starting from the pharmaceuticals, going to additives and nutrition exhibitions, passing through the pig equipment and ending up at the cattle halls.
All in all it was a very relaxing, and even enjoyable, tour where I managed to focus on my last goal: ingredients. It is not widely appreciated that EuroTier is a great place to find alternative feed ingredients or hook up with alternative sources and suppliers. Here is a brief list of ingredients that drew my attention.
- Apple byproducts, including pure pectin and all kinds of raw materials like dried up pulp are, in my opinion, a highly undervalued source of fibers that require a further look by all nutrition professionals.
- Linseed products, starting from whole seeds and including various forms of extracted fibers or extruded products are a fascinating ingredient that is not widely used, but always a point of discussion when it comes to its oils.
- Carob products (and this does not include just the traditional pod meal, but also broken parts, and even seeds) are, again, underestimated ingredients that fascinate many. The ingredients are not used as much as they should be, if only because not many know exactly how they are to be used.
- Lupins are a product grown not only in Australia, but also in Northern Europe. Suppliers exist and are eager to expand business on this very local product.
- Rapeseed meal is not an ingredient that needs introduction, but if you need a source of suppliers, there is a great portal for that, too.
- Chircory products are also not widely known, but they are highly prized among those who know how to use their beneficial traits. I just found out that not only pulp is available, but also the whole root can be provided in a dried up form as well.
Needless to say, I am very excited to see all these alternative ingredients, and I plan on dwelling more on them in the next year. All in all, this EuroTier has been a really successful event not only for me, but admittedly by most people I managed to talk with. I plan on coming back in 2020!
