How precision nutrition contributes to animal welfare

Animal well-being is a growing concern in current society and a consolidated tendency in the Animal Nutrition industry.

Since it is standardized in BRF Ingredients, whose circular economy has producers and integrated farms that follow inspection and animal care standards, the farming should follow strict technical criteria to ensure species health, until the end of the productive chain.

In this matter, the diet's personalization plays a fundamental role in this context too, bearing in mind that food in Animal Nutrition industry corresponds to more than two thirds of animal production costs (Embrapa) [1].

Therefore, developing enriched formulations that meet the species metabolic needs becomes essential in the context of a market who's increasingly competitive and focusing on sustainability, health and animal wellness.

According to World Animal Protection [2], a global organization that promotes animal wellness, the proper diet is essential to guarantee physical and mental wellness of animals.

Focusing on precision nutrition and including specific ingredients, adapted to the demands of various Animal Nutrition sectors can significantly improve health and quality of life of the animals farmed for human consumption, besides helping the environment.

‘Cause in a precision diet, the focus is on the specific need of each animal metabolism and, with this direction, nutrient waste and food remains are avoided in nurseries and culture tanks, for example.

For this purpose, investing in nutrition and formulations developed with innovation and technology, like the ingredients in the BRF Ingredients BioActio portfolio, which has a high apparent digestibility coefficient, also decreases the nondigested animal food waste in the ecosystem.

In BRF Ingredients and the formulations BioActio Health & Performance. BioActio Health & Palatability e BioActio Efficiency specific cases, the feedstock comes from 30% of byproducts of BRF’s integrated productive chain that wouldn’t be used for human consummation.

The animal recycling of these nutrient-rich byproducts withdraw more than 13 million tons of residues from the environment and are the supplies for the BioActio portfolio production, whose principle is in the precision animal nutrition, in other words, supplying all the metabolic and health animal needs in aquatic, swine and pet industries.

What’s the importance and focus of precision nutrition?

In the Animal Nutrition industry, precision nutrition acts to satisfy each species nutritional needs, using information about breeding animal features and particularities.

The goal is to maximize the performance and quality of life of fishes, shrimps, swines and other species, through research and scientific studies also involving variables such as age, health condition and natural behavior of every species in their cultivation habitat.

Since the focus is in health and metabolic strengthening of the animals, the diet personalization is relevant even to reduce the use of antibiotics and hormones in production animals, for an appropriate feeding reinforces the animal immune system, making them less susceptible to diseases and early death.

This finding is in accordance with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), that affirm: a balanced and quality diet is one of the most important pillars of animal well-being and sustainable production [3].

However, the breeders challenge is to find these formulations that attend metabolic demands of different animal species, that are sustainable, generate wellness and focus on precision animal nutrition, creating a better value for money.

Benefits and applications of BioActio in animal nutrition

Produced by BRF Ingredients through enzymatic hydrolysis process, from BRF integrated production chain byproducts, BioActio portfolio provides various benefits to the animals metabolism and health in aqua, swine and pet markets.

The BioActio line has three formulations in their portfolio, all of them rich in functional bioactives peptides that provide high digestibility and generate specific functionalities to the animals, such as immunostimulant, anti-hypertensive and antioxidant activities.

Furthermore, as previously mentioned, BioActio is a sustainable product thanks to circular economy, having as one of the production chain principles the traceability of the ingredients through the process.

The general benefits of BioActio are: increases the nutrient absorption and digestibility; improves food conversion, performance and productivity; promotes immune system, generating more health, higher survival rate and antibodies to the species.

BioActio Health & Performance:

The raw material are the chicken byproducts processed through enzymatic hydrolysis, forming an ingredient bioactive peptide-rich, providing maximal performance and health to the aquaculture, swine culture and pet animals.

Aquaculture

• ● Improvements on weight and food conversion rates;
• ● Improvements on survival rates;
• ● Higher performance of filet.

Swine culture

• ● Improvements on the immune system;
• ● High acceptability and digestibility.

Petfood

• ● Improvements on health: anti-hypertensive action;
• ● Advantage of antibodies production;
• ● High digestibility: reduction of the amount of feces.

BioActio Efficiency

Produced through chicken feathers’ enzymatic hydrolysis process, BioActio Efficiency promotes an efficient animal nutrition with better value for money to the swine, tilapias and shrimp breeders. Amongst their most prominent benefits are:

• ● Weight gain and Food Conversion - which generates a better value for money;
• ● High Palatability — 87% preference among piglets;
• ● Low Molecular Weight — 100% peptides under 3.500 Da, which elevates to 89% the coefficient of apparent digestibility (CAD) of the crude protein in tilapias;
• ● Higher performance in shrimps during the nursery and fattening stages;

BioActio Health & Palatability

Developed only through chicken liver, BioActio Palatability provides quality of life and palatability to cats and dogs.

Hypoallergenic

• ● 100% peptides under 3.000 Da;

Improves on Metabolism

• ● Inhibit the regulatory enzyme that converts angiotensin;

Digestibility

• ● High level of crude protein;
• ● Low molecular weight;
• ● 95% digestibility

High Palatability

• ● Fresh raw material, sensorial properties and 13% free aminoacids.

Considerations

The precision nutrition and focus in personalized diets gained a wider place in the food industry and, in particular, in Animal Nutrition. As we saw above, various factors contribute to this affirmation, since an enriched and specific diet promotes health and wellness to the animals.

More than consolidated tendencies, these aspects are directly connected to sustainability. Therefore, the breeders challenge is to find enriched ingredients that meet metabolic and nutritional needs of each individual species, promoting a higher performance with value for money.

Besides, these formulations needs to follow strict technical standards of inspection, having traceability during the process in the productive chain and present factors that also contributes to the environment, such as waste reduction in the soil and the water, through animal recycling and value generation of byproducts, such as BioActio portfolio.

So, by adapting the rearing diet, the producers are not only promoting animal well-being, but also contributing to their health and the environment preservation, as they feed the species enriched and sustainable ingredients aimed to a precision diet.

The BioActio Portfolio has application versatility and provides various benefits to the animal nutrition. Learn more: BioActio (Proteína Hidrolisada) - BRF Ingredients

References

[1] Embrapa. Produção animal e recursos hídricos - volume 1. Disponível em: https://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/bitstream/doc/1046056/1/final8127.pdf. Acesso em: junho 2023.

[2] World Animal Protection. Disponível em: https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/. Acesso em: junho 2023.

[3] FAO. Organização das Nações Unidas para a Alimentação e a Agricultura. Capacitação para implementar boas práticas de bem-estar animal. Relatório. Disponível em: https://www.fao.org/3/i0483o/i0483o.pdf. Acesso em: junho 2023.

Gonçalves Titto, Cristiane ; Ariboni Brandi, Roberta (orgs.). Bem-estar animal, inovação e tecnologia. Universidade de São Paulo, 2021. Disponível em: https://www.livrosabertos.sibi.usp.br/portaldelivrosUSP/catalog/book/654. Acesso em: junho 2023.