JAN 2023 - International Petfood magazine

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Publisher Roger Gilbert rogerg@perendale.co.uk

Managing Editor

Joy Nelloolichalil joyn@perendale.co.uk

Technical Editor Joe Kearns joek@perendale.com

Nutrition Editor

Prof Simon Davies simond@perendale.com

Editorial team

Shannon Parsons shannonp@perendale.co.uk

Niamh Cassidy niamhc@perendale.co.uk

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www.perendale.com ISSN 2754-4680

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THE PUBLISHER

It’s the start of a New Year and therefore good reason to be optimistic about the future.

Being optimistic has a habit of influencing others positively and I’m sure these same positive vibes are taken on board by our pets.

Having pets that are happy with their owner’s disposition is only part of meeting the pet’s needs, while its food should not be overlooked as another very important part of ensuring they continue to see owners as valuable partners.

Roger Gilbert Publisher – International Petfood

Therefore, it’s important that our editorial team stays focused on what contributes to making the best petfood and which in turn gives pet owners the confidence they need in meeting their pet’s wholistic needs.

We, as a magazine, are focusing on issues relating to nutrition in terms of health and disease prevention, and which is led in each edition by Professor Simon Davies along with the production or manufacture of the final food products themselves which is covered by Joe Kearns.

In this first-of-the-year edition I would like to draw your attention to three compelling articles that I believe will provide you with much useful information.

The first is our article, on Page 16, by Juan Javierre, a Nutrition Scientists with Layn Natural Ingredients in the USA. He talks about the opportunities opening up following changing regulations and greater consumer awareness towards plant-based animal feed ingredients. This article provides greater insight into what we should be considering as we take the industry forward in terms of pet nutrition and health management.

The second, on Page 20 is by Birth Isaksson, the Global Food and Beverage Segment Manager at ABB in Switzerland who highlights the growing difficulties being experienced by food producers due to restrictive supplies on grains, oilseeds and other ingredients along with the impact of higher energy costs. Getting a feel for where we might focus our attention – in this case on greater efficiencies – is important if we are to provide the best service to customers.

The third article on page 24 is from a mechanical point-ofview and has been contributed by Ali Koyuncu, a Research and Development Engineer with Yemmak in Turkey who takes us through the effect extrusion processing has on protein, starch, fats and fibre and provides an alternative view to what’s occurring in the barrel.

All this and the rest of the magazine makes for good reading.

Our Spanish language and English editions

We are pleased to say that International Petfood, which is published in both English and Spanish, is now available via our online library for you to access both the current edition and read back issues at your pleasure.

By signing up for an annual subscription - which for those attending the IPPE event in Atlanta in January 2023 is complimentary with the Coupon Code we have promoted - you will have specific access to our FlickRead website where you will find every monthly edition published in 2022 - in either English or Spanish, the choice is yours.

While we acknowledge that digital copies mean we can reach readers in far-flung places we are also very keen to provide those who value a magazine as a printed version for reading pleasure and reference.

So please go to either of the following links to gain access to your personal library and to manage your own subscriptions in future: English - https://flickread.com/edition/Petfood Spanish - https://flickread.com/edition/petfood_espanol

The Petfood Journal

If our experience with other titles carries over to International Petfood with content being cited and/or referred to in papers in other publications. That is very encouraging for the authors of the articles we publish, sand as a result we wish to credit the materials provided to us. But that is about to change!

IPF is introducing in this month’s issue of International Petfood is the ‘Petfood Journal’. We are now set up to peer-review contributions and provide an open-access platform on our website to accommodate submissions from companies, organisations and individuals who have done considered work and wish to have their contributions properly reviewed and accredited. We will peer-review submissions across the board including equipment and processes.

Unlike the normal features and articles, we publish, there will be a charge to cover the review process, the managing of the papers submitted, their timely publication as peer-reviewed documents and the management of the library where they reside. It may take some time to receive regular contributions to this service. We have posted the opening page of the ‘Petfood Journal’ in this edition. If you wish to contact the manager of the service, please write to the journal@perendale.co.uk in the first instance.

Did you miss our December 2022 edition? If so, don’t panic!

The Interview

With Roger Townsend, President, Behlen Grain Systems

Roger Townsend grew up in a rural area in Southwest Pennsylvania, USA. As a teenager he worked for most of the surrounding farmers, experiencing everything from dairy, hog production, and crop production. He graduated from Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana, Psychology and Business Administration. Throughout his college years he worked in a local factory and learned manufacturing processes, with a special

emphasis on steel fabrication. In 1977 he started in the grain bin industry at Brock Grain Systems, with roles starting as a machine operator, ultimately become Executive VP General Manager.

To read more, go to: https://issuu.com/international_aquafeed/docs/ipf2212_web/36

Mixing, dosing, plant design, standard petfoods, raw materials test for verification

Happy New Year to all as we hope 2023 is a spectacular year for all of our readers. Since we are at the beginning of the year lets discuss the beginning of a petfood process. The raw materials which include all the needed nutrients vitamins and minerals the pets require historically were simple and based on standard available feed style ingredients. Corn soybean meal, wheat mids and meat and bone meal were the main components. Today the sky is the limit for petfood ingredients and many are human food grade. The one element that came along for the ride into pet foods was and still is bacteria. Initially the design and production goal of petfood extrusion was heat pressure and allot of it to get the expansion and cell structure desired. This of course, not by design, eliminated all bacteria off the extruder when 125OC was achieved. As knowledge of the process grew and machinery advanced the science of petfood production and process requirements grew to include elimination of bacteria due the human involvement, touching the product in order to feed the pet.

Joseph P Kearns Editor, International Petfood Magazine

them but personnel movement so as to avoid bacteria’s from following along for the ride. Rooms separation and air pressure of these rooms also reduced dust movement so as guarantees of kibble without bacteria is achieved.

There are now systems which collect samples move them to the lab and automatically place them in testers to ensure product quality without human contact, greatly reducing possible interaction or movement of bacteria on the product after the extrusion or bacteria kill step. Today many fresh products such as mechanically deboned meats are used in the fresh state and considerations for these high bacteria products is also handled by keeping this material in a chill room with only a pipe, sanitary design, going through the wall to the extruder as a separate flow stream. Same for other possible liquid additions.

Standard petfood production in past years was much like making farm animal feeds, basic feed mill designs which were open air and dusty operations. The start of the process in both modern and older plant designs include all the receiving, storage, conveying, grinding, mixing and micro ingredient addition systems. There was not much dust control equipment as mainly the design created dust. Today visits to current technology petfood facilities are generally cleaner than you can imagine. In past years on a trip to Argentina visiting Mars production facilities I met Mrs. Jacqueline Mars. As she passed through the plant. We had a brief discussion and I recall telling her I was impressed with all their facilities in the world. She asked why and I informed here she had the cleanest kitchens in the petfood industry. Obviously, there were others just as clean but in hind sight these companies knew the need for cleanliness, bacteria control, dust control.

Processes in the raw material area, all of them, are quite good at creating dust. Conveying, grinding, mixing etc. all created dust. In the late 60’s and early 1970’s dust control equipment was coming on strong along with pneumatic conveying for raw materials as well as in the production area. These were tremendous in filtering the air and moving products with less dust development or release into the factory. It is now normal to have dust control on grinders, mixers and conveying equipment. Mixers, micro systems and grinders specifically with the addition of air movement control greatly reduced losses of ingredients some of which are quite expensive. Closed loop, air movement, individual systems greatly improving the control of bacteria movement in the plant. Verification of the bacteria in raw materials needs to be assumed as negative as you can bet it is present. Better coefficient of variance of mixers as well as accurate dosing systems created a more homogenous batches insuring all of the kibble included the same nutritional benefits.

Plant designs changes in addition to the equipment improvements where raw material prep and production operations were separated not only the atmosphere between

Having seen plants throughout the years and changes as they developed there are many different possibilities to achieve the desired goals. Separate building for batch preparation with pneumatic conveying to the process building, plants with virtually no windows, controlled entrance points, employee sanitation rooms or stations, methods to clean the plant with verification swabs or test methods for machinery surfaces, machinery designs to reduce bacteria build up with standard operation procedures to ensure priorities are in position and followed.

In this year’s issues we hope to cover many of the abovementioned possibilities. Positive and negative pneumatic systems for powders or raw materials, finished goods as well as between extrusion and drying. Grinding with air assistance and dust control and the same for the other processes involved. Discussions on the end of the extruder kill step verification, dryer moisture control and other topics greatly effecting product quality and bacteria elimination. Having mentioned a number of these topics can you imagine trying to control all of these processes by hand, without some sort of management system such as computer assistance or control. It was not that long ago that the operator of the extruder did it all by hand, started motors, turned steam and water valves, checked the product out of the conditioner before and after the extruder, ran around to be sure the raw material area was giving him what was needed to make a kibble. Have you ever seen an operator struggle to make a product putting tons on the floor due to some sort of situation? How about something so simple as an ingredient was somehow left out which greatly changed the expansion of the kibble. Low steam pressure, no water, product quality off the dryer, how about the coating system is the % added in liquid form correct? Hand checking all flow rates to confirm or predict the outcome. To be honest it was hectic to say the least and one that was worth living through so complete understanding of what is going on understood. This knowledge is used when the current computer systems require an investigation as to what needs to be corrected and/ or be calibrated for accuracy of production. With the modern computer control packages for the entire system all calibrated is a wonder to see in operation. Looking forward to 2023 and all the possibilities in front of us.

Professor Simon Davies Nutrition Editor, International Petfood

Blood as an important tissue in dogs as mediator of nourishment and health

The mass of a dog is about 10 percent blood or around 90ml per Kg and is not in our central thoughts when your favourite companion settles down to eat. It is an important function of blood to convey the nutrients absorbed from the gut within your dog’s pet food to maintain basal requirements as well as providing for growth (protein retention and energy storage). Blood is a highly complex fluid but has numerous cells in suspension, each playing its part in the overall metabolic and physiological dynamics of this lifegiving medium.

Blood cells are manufactured and develop mostly in the bone marrow, the tissue located in the inner cavities of bones. Blood serves a variety of important functions as it circulates throughout the body. It conveys oxygen and vital nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, lipids, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids and sugars) to all tissues and organs. It carries carbon dioxide to the lungs to be exhaled and nitrogenous waste products and metabolites to the kidneys and liver to be eliminated from the body. It transports hormones, which are chemical signalling messengers, to various parts of the body, allowing interaction and regulations with each other. Blood also includes cells (T- and B-lymphocytes) that fight infection (immune response) and clotting cascade of proteins that control bleeding. Just as there are various blood types in humans, there are several blood types in dogs, cats, horses, and other animals.

There are three cellular elements of blood: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Basically, red blood cells supply the body with oxygen, white blood cells protect against infection, and platelets start the formation of blood clots. There are occasions due to different types of stress and diseases where changes in blood chemistry can reflect these issues. Blood disorders include anaemias, but we see diabetes markers such as elevated glucose and marker enzymes associated with liver and pancreatic malfunction with obesity being the main issue. The blood offers an excellent means for diagnosis for nutritional status, and it is routine to send samples away to specialist laboratories for a range of assays.

Nutritional deficiency anaemias develop when

the nutrients needed for red blood cell synthesis are insufficient. Anaemia develops slowly and may initially be regenerative, but ultimately becomes nonregenerative. Starvation may cause anaemia by a combination of vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as a displaced energy and protein balance. The nutrient deficiencies most likely to cause anaemia are iron, copper, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin E (tocopherols).

Although Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency observed in dogs, it is not often nutritional in its cause—it most often occurs after blood loss (Blood Loss Anaemia). It should be noted that young animals do not have much retained iron in the body, and milk contains very little iron to replenish. Clinical specialists like veterinarians may recommend oral iron supplements for anaemic neonates.

B-complex vitamin deficiencies are not usually common in the modern formulated dog diet but as I have discussed previously diets that may have lowered meat content and higher in plant and cereal ingredients will need revisited vitamin and mineral fortification. However, specific drugs for dogs under medication such as anticonvulsants and chemotherapeutics that can interact adversely with B vitamin metabolism, may initiate anaemia. Poor absorption of vitamin B12 has been reported in Giant Schnauzers. These dogs respond to injections of vitamin B12 quite well if extreme conditions prevail.

A deficiency of phosphorus in the blood, leading to destruction of erythrocytes, is observed in dogs with diabetes, hepatic lipidosis (a disorder of fat metabolism in the liver), and refeeding syndrome (chemical and fluid abnormalities that occur during recovery from fasting or starvation). Therefore, giving additional phosphorus, either orally or by injection subject on the severity of the illness, is the recommended course of action.

Clearly, a well-balanced pet food will provide all the major nutrients for your dog’s health and wellbeing but remember how blood undertakes its vital role powered by the heart and lungs when you next feed your loyal friend.

The PedFood Journal

Petfood Journal is a new online publication by Perendale Publishers Ltd., United Kingdom with a distinguished track record of technical and trade magazines in the agricultural sciences. This new peer-reviewed scientific journal with serve academia and the commercial petfood industry with high quality papers relating to the science and technology of petfood development and production for the rapidly expanding companion animal sector. It is envisaged to address fundamental and applied nutritional research addressing requirements for advanced feed formulations for dogs, cats and many other species such as guinea pigs, rabbits, rats and exotics e.g. reptiles, amphibia and fish (aquatics). The journal will embrace information on essential amino acids, proteins and energy sources as well as key vitamins and minerals pertaining to maintenance, growth, feed utilisation efficiency and health. A major area will be studies that focus on feed ingredient assessment and in particular those that are sustainable alternatives to traditional sources. Therefore investigations directed towards plant and next generation proteins like insect meal, algae and microbial sources would be desirable areas. Novel oils and lipids that provide essential fatty acids would be of considerable importance. Studies on functional ingredients affecting the health and immune function of pet animals are attractive. We would welcome papers researching the role of prebiotics, probiotics and phytobiotics on gut health, mucosal immunity and their interaction and modulation of the intestinal microbiota. Petfoods play a significant role in animal behaviour due to palatability and smell. Research on these interactions would be welcome and of interest to the scientific community and stakeholders.

Given the diversity of different types of commercial diets ranging from wet, canned and extruded dry diets aa well as treats and speciality diets, there is much scope to provide information on these advances. We also cover papers on feed production manufacture such as milling, pelleting, shaping and texture of petfoods such as extrusion.

The journal recognises that petfood science & manufacturing technology plays a vital role in promoting the health and well-being of our pets. Optimal feed management and environmental impact of diets are worthy of inclusion.

Manuscripts can consist of scientific work in the form of typical standard papers, short scientific communications or as review articles.

In essence, Aquaculture Journal will appeal to the veterinary practitioner, scientist, technician, feed manufacturer and at various levels in academia such as undergraduate, masters, PhD students and post-doctoral researcher being an invaluable source of validated information and a potential location for their own research findings.

The manuscripts will fully peer-reviewed by appropriate members of our editorial board and approved finally by the Editor-in Chief.

These OA papers will be available on our official website Internationalpetfood.co.uk and printed as well as being downloadable. Links will be provided within our existing International Petfood magazine.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any queries at journal@perendale.co.uk.

United Petfood Group takes over two petfood facilities of Cargill

United Petfood, international producer of dog- and cat food, announces the acquisition of the production facilities of Cargill in Poland (Krzepice) and Hungary (Karcag).

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. They are active in 70 countries worldwide. United Petfood will take over two plants involved in the production of pet food.

The two sites are specialised in the production of dry pet food for cats and dogs. Cargill retains ownership of its pet food brands and will continue to provide a portfolio of its branded products.

According to Cargill, “United Petfood, which has extensive operational experience in the production of pet food, combined with its commitment and investment in people, is well suited to the future that this business requires”.

With the additional production plants in Poland and Hungary, United Petfood Group operates now out of 21 pet food facilities situated in nine different European countries. The takeover is in line with the strategy of United Petfood to reinforce and grow the business

INTERNATIONAL

PETFOOD

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Pet Food Express and Rainier Partners announce new CEO

Pet Food Express and Rainier Partners announce the appointment of retail executive Denyelle Bruno as CEO of Pet Food Express, an omnichannel pet retailer that sells healthy pet foods, goods, and services from over 60 locations throughout California. The company partnered with Rainier Partners earlier this year.

As a nationally recognised leader in retail, personal care, and hospitality, Mr Bruno brings 25 years of experience and an impressive track record of driving growth at companies such as Apple, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Tender Greens, Drybar, and others. She holds a deep passion for the pet industry and currently serves as a Board Director for the American Veterinarian Group. Recent accolades for Bruno include recognition from the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women’s Leadership Awards, 2020 CEO of the Year, National Restaurant News’ 50 Most Influential Women, and more. Mr Bruno has made a powerful impact throughout her career as an experienced retail executive with a devotion to brand identity and an emphasis on company culture.

“Throughout my career, I’ve diligently pursued opportunities in industries in which I am truly passionate, as well as cultures and products I’m proud to stand behind — making Pet Food Express the perfect fit for me and my two dogs: Bowie and Coco,” says Mr Bruno. “By being on the cutting edge of pet industry trends, providing innovative product offerings, and delivering incredible customer service, Pet Food Express has created a best-in-class culture and a phenomenal foundation for exciting growth and expansion.”

Founded by Michael Levy over forty years ago, Pet Food Express has helped pioneer the evolution of the pet industry and built a world-class reputation as a customer-first pet retailer that offers the highest quality pet products and services while championing local pet shelters and charities.

“Bruno coming on board is an exciting and natural evolution of our company,” says Mr Levy, who will continue his leadership as president at Pet Food Express. “As we look towards the company’s future, our goal is to maintain our exceptional culture. Our community focus, along with an unflinching desire to do what’s right for our pets and their owners, will always remain our highest priority.”

“An impressive, experienced, growth-oriented leader, Bruno is a perfect fit for Pet Food Express, and we are thrilled to welcome her as CEO,” says Rainier’s director of portfolio operations, Dave Shephard. “Michael and the team at Rainier knew we wanted a leader with experience in scaling and building brands while maintaining the heart of a company — and Bruno is exactly that. The team at Rainier is excited to continue to back Pet Food Express as the company enters this next phase of growth.”

food to more pets

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. announced a partnership with Stella & Chewy’s that will bring the brand’s raw and natural food products to Petco pet care centres, petco.com, and the Petco app in January 2023.

An advocate of healthy pet food since its founding in 2003, Stella & Chewy’s is the category leader in the raw pet food space, and this expansion helps ensure that more pet parents will have access to the benefits of raw food as part of Petco’s curated assortment of high-quality nutrition without artificial ingredients.

“As a leader in the pet nutrition space and the first and only retailer to offer Stella & Chewy’s both online and in brick-andmortar locations in all 50 states, Petco is unequivocally committed to making high-quality nutrition available to even more pets across the country,” said College, Chief Merchandising Officer at Petco. “Petco’s Whole Health philosophy and focus on 360-degree health and wellness solutions for pets closely aligns with Stella & Chewy’s mission and emphasis on healthy, safe and palatable nutrition, all in support of pets’ overall happiness and wellbeing.”

Stella & Chewy’s offers high-quality, raw, and natural pet food made

from premium, responsibly sourced ingredients. Its freezedried raw food offers complete and balanced raw meals enhanced with probiotics and antioxidants. The brand’s dry kibble, coated in freeze-dried raw, is available in grain-free and with-grain recipes. For picky eaters, pet parents can also boost their pet’s bowl with nutrient-packed meal toppers.

“Today’s announcement is another step in a mission started almost 20 years ago – to make raw and natural diets more accessible to pet parents across the country,” said Marc Hill, CEO at Stella & Chewy’s. “But that mission isn’t possible without the ongoing partnership of our valued neighbourhood pet stores – partnerships we will

Since May of 2019, Petco has taken a stand against selling food and treats containing artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives for dogs and cats. Healthy nutrition is critical to pets’ physical health, a pillar of Petco’s Whole Health philosophy, as well as a key component to their overall health and wellness. Petco continues to be a leader in the nutrition category with new, innovative offerings that support pets’ wellbeing.

Petco offers a variety of convenient ways to shop, including in-store; online; buy online, pick up in-store; sameday delivery; and repeat delivery.

Petco and Stella & Chewy’s partner to bring nutritious dog and cat

Leap Venture Studio announces global applications for seventh studio program

Leap Venture Studio announces applications for the latest cohort of its seed-stage accelerator program for pet care start-ups. Up to seven early-stage pet care companies will be selected to participate in the 12-week program, running from March 6 until Demo Day on June 9. The hybrid program will take place online, as well as inperson sessions in Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee in the US.

Leap Venture Studio & Academy was started as a partnership between Mars Petcare (the largest pet care organisation in the world) and Michelson Found Animals, a leading animal welfare organisation. The Studio program is supported by

achieve their goals, from top industry leaders and award-winning strategists, technologists, designers, and consultants from the Leap Venture Studio team. All founders receive US$200,000, custom mentorship, and support in preparing for future fundraising. The program consolidates with a Demo Day, where founders pitch their companies to top investors from the Mars, Michelson Found Animals, and R/GA networks.

Essential selection criteria for entrants into the program include: a unique business plan, commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and a drive to elevate the lives of pets and their people. Proudly, 70 percent of past program founders

inclusion.

Former accelerator graduates are driving forward innovation in sustainability, care for senior pets, digitising pet services, pet and vet mental health, cat healthcare, premium nutrition, and ending pet homelessness. Since launching in 2018, the 40 companies who have gone through the accelerator have gone on to raise US$170 million in follow-on capital – US$100 million in 2021 alone, and two exits.

“As a pet care industry, we have the wonderful opportunity to make pet parenting more accessible and joyful for all; to achieve this we are looking for mission-driven founders all around the world with diverse,

Aker BioMarine enters into partnership with leading Chinese petfood brand

QRILL Pet, a functional marine ingredient for pets from Aker BioMarine, has entered into a global strategic cooperation with Fullpet Co. to continue its efforts in the domestic pet market. As one of the largest petfood manufacturers in China, Fullpet is poised for market success and together with QRILL Pet, will continue to explore areas of science research, technology and consumer insight. The partnership will heavily focus on the customisation of raw materials, sharing best in class practices from both parties to jointly promote the development of pet health food.

The agreement signing took place during the 5th annual China International Import Expo (CIIE)

QRILL Pet to produce tailor made pet staple foods, which not only effectively improves the nutritional value and functional performance of petfood, but also wins the recognition and support of consumers in China.

QRILL Pet, Positioned for Growth in China

China is the world’s largest market for marine ingredients and it is an important strategic growth area for Aker BioMarine. One of the key factors for Aker BioMarine’s development of the Chinese market is having a local team that consists of well-experienced professionals within the pet food industry present in the region.

“China is an extremely fast developing petfood market and we

new market opportunities, and guides our customers for growth and product expansion across all aspects of the supply chain, even down to marketing. By strengthening this strategic partnership and heavily focusing on research, sustainability, technology and consumer insights, we can ensure success in the Chinese market and together we will continue to upgrade pet health food in China.”

“In the past year, we formed an incredible partnership with Aker BioMarine, recognizing not only the quality of their ingredients, but the quality attitude of their team members,” says Ms Zheng Zhen, the deputy general manager of Fullpet Co. “This level of excellence coincides with the outlook and expectations of

AAFCO set new guidelines for petfood to be considered ‘Human Grade’

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) have introduced new guidelines to ensure accuracy of companies claiming their products to be ‘human-grade’.

For processors and manufacturers that claim their petfood and nutrition products are ‘human-grade’, new standards have been outlined. These guidelines involve meeting the standards set out by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS), Process Verified Program (PVP), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

AAFCO is a US-based organisation that establishes the nutritional standards for complete and balanced petfood’s.

‘Human-grade’ petfood is defined as products that are certified safe for human consumption and must comply with the same regulations. To qualify as ‘human-grade’, the claim must now refer to the product as a whole, and not just individual ingredients. This includes the rest of the process, from sourcing, packaging, to storing, handling, and labelling.

Facilities involved in the processing and packaging must now be a registered FDA food and FDA feed facility. The FDA is a regulatory authority, part of their responsibilities includes regulating petfood, and they are a governmental body that can regularly audit production and facility operations.

Under new guidelines, the federal agency USDA (in charge of handling inspections of meat, eggs, and poultry) must consider the food to be ‘edible’ (for humans).

Properly maintained written procedures and records are now required and being able to prove all individual ingredients and resulting product once stored, handled, processed, and transported comply with ‘human-grade’ standards.

The label must also comply and be clear on its intended use. Statements in marketing/labelling regarding the quality or grade of ingredients are no longer allowed.

‘Human-grade’ food requires stricter testing when compared to feed grade (food that is not safe for human consumption but can be fed to livestock and pets), so is often an indicator of quality. However, based on AAFCO current guidelines, raw food doesn’t qualify for ‘human-grade’ status, despite many

Natural Pet Food Group accredited with Pet Sustainability Coalition

Natural Pet Food Group, the parent company of K9 Natural and Feline Natural, recognises the importance of implementing sustainable business practices that drive positive impact for the communities and environments where it does business.

In keeping with these core values, Natural Pet Food Group announces its accreditation with The Pet Sustainability Coalition – the first New Zealand company to achieve this.

The Pet Sustainability Coalition is a North American based non-profit coalition, comprising a global community of pet companies dedicated to creating a more sustainable pet industry. PSC only accredits companies that are dedicated to continuous sustainable business practices with both social and environmental practices in mind.

“When it comes to climate change, we have the opportunity now to fix things for the future. At Natural Pet Food Group, we’re proud to be investing and upskilling in this space. Combining only the best wholefoods ingredients from New Zealand, we create high-meat diets packed with energy and nutrients that cats and dogs thrive on,” says Meredith Gudsell, sustainability manager at Natural Pet Food Group.

“Key priorities for us includes the reduction and eventual removal, of emissions across our network, giving back to our community in meaningful ways and implementing more circular operating practices. As we continue our sustainability journey, we are excited to share publicly our first sustainability road map in 2023. We look forward to sharing our progress as we work towards more positive impacts environmentally and socially.”

The Natural Pet Food Group has been delivering premium, high-meat nutrition to pets

Phytogenics in natural animal feed

How regulatory and consumer demands are expanding opportunity and driving innovation

by Juan Javierre, Nutrition Scientist, Layn Natural Ingredients, USA

Consumer demand and political pressure are two powerful change drivers for animal nutrition that have spurred tremendous opportunity for plant-based animal feed additives. While feed additives have long been used to peak animal health, production, and overall performance, their function, makeup and composition are continually evolving to adapt to today’s requirements – additionally driven by a bedrock of new science and innovation.

As an example, Antibiotic Growth Promoters (AGPs) have been used for over 60 years, but the European Union banned them overnight in 2006 forcing the feed industry to search for alternatives.

Regulatory pressure and growing consumer demand for natural ingredients has accelerated innovation in phytogenics, defined as a group of natural, plant-based growth promoters or nonantibiotic growth promoters used as feed additives, derived from herbs, spices or other plants.

All botanical extracts are NOT created equally

Phytogenics are most often in the form of botanical extracts, which can be obtained from plants using a variety of methods, including steam distillation, solvent extraction, CO2 extraction, cold pressing, alcohol infusion, glycerol extraction and more.

However, there are many factors to determine which type of botanical extract is right for any particular application and function - and all botanical extracts are NOT created equally. For example, essential oils are one type of botanical extract, while standardised botanical extracts are another.

Essential oils capture the essence of the plant and retain the natural aromas and flavors of their source botanical in the form of an oil, whilst standardised botanical extracts focus on exact levels of specific potent active functional chemical compounds.

Now, aroma compounds that predominate in common and frequent essential oils can also be manufactured via chemical synthesis. In regulations, these are known as nature-identical compounds and are often used to create combination products using them selectively. The manufacturer may call them essential, but they are produced by formulation and not by direct extraction.

It is important to work with suppliers that understand the nuances and requirements for phytogenic extract ingredients for animal feed applications. Following are some important guidelines that can help feed brands in navigating the options, asking the right questions and sourcing the best ingredients for their specific applications.

Identifying the potent active compounds

Each botanical extract has a complex composition of active chemical compounds, with a growing number of botanical compounds gaining scientific support to deliver a host of functional benefits in animal feed.

Producing these active compounds for use in animal feed requires excellent understanding of agronomy, harvest, and broader botanical science and extraction with stringent production and quality controls that should include raw material testing and botanical source id confirmation, ongoing testing, full transparency and traceability, and certification of safety, quality and authenticity.

Imagine how much more complex things could become if it turned out that an extract was not even from the right plant, or proper part of the plant - or if pollutants such as pesticides or

About the Author: Juan Javierre is Nutrition Scientist at Layn Natural Ingredients. He is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, as well as a nutritionist and researcher. Juan has over 30 years of experience in animal production in Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia and China.

heavy metals were introduced during the extraction or production process?

Because botanical extracts are inherently natural, their availability is fully dependent on secure agronomy and supply chains – and sustainability. Further, they can have complex natural variations that can affect smell, absorption, functionality and health support benefits.

As one of the largest direct manufacturers of botanical extracts in the world, Layn Natural Ingredients has decades of experience managing the complex supply chain of botanical extracts, establishing strict controls to provide consistent output, and guiding feed formulation using natural botanical extracts.

It is imperative for any brand in this market to work with a reputable, qualified suppler who provides authenticated, non-adulterated ingredients, and has experience managing the complex supply chain of botanicals.

Understanding the power of standardisation

It is important to distinguish between different types of extracts and the nature of their primary and active compounds. The functionality of these extracts is based on the properties associated with the active compounds contained in them and then incorporating them successfully in animal feed formulations.

Standardised extracts are widely studied for their supportive effects on metabolic health and contain one or more components from botanicals in an exact and guaranteed amount, usually expressed as a percentage, ensuring the amount is consistent in batch to batch of raw ingredient production, and finished feed production.

Examples of natural extracts as feed additives

There has been and continues to be tremendous innovation and research taking place in the area of phytogenics, particularly understanding gained about specific compounds found within plants – including their molecular structures, functionality, effects within the body, and impacts on animal performance.

Some categories of compounds, and botanical extracts within them, in modern day phytogenics are highlighted below.

Polyphenols

Polyphenols are one category of over 8000 compounds found naturally in plants. Research on the phytogenic properties of these active compounds and their use as functional additives with

metabolic activity, has accelerated enormously and evidence of the benefits of polyphenols for production animals is growing in the peer-reviewed literature.

Some polyphenol-rich phytogenic solutions include:

‒ Green Tea extract - a metabolic antioxidant that has been shown to help increase of growth performance and meat quality in finishing pigs and broilers. (References: 1-4)

‒ Grape Seed extract - a metabolic antioxidant that can help counteract the oxidative stress due to mycotoxin interaction within cells. It is a metabolic antioxidant that has been shown to help reduce of the impact of mycotoxicosis. (References: 5-13)

‒ Bitter Orange extract - a metabolic antioxidant that has demonstrated support for animal performance, healthy inflammation response. Bitter Orange extract has also been shown to help improve egg quality in laying hens and meat quality in broilers. (References: 14,15)

‒ Pomegranate extract - known to have antibacterial & antioxidant properties. (References: 16,17)

‒ Rosemary extract - proven uses as both a technologic & metabolic antioxidant. Rosemary extract helps protects lipids from oxidation. Scientifically supported for immune health.

Saponins

Saponins, triterpene glycosides or steroid glycosides sourced from plants. Uses for saponin extracts range from adjuvants in vaccines, immunity stimulants, and agents for odor control in feces.

Research shows that saponins may have anti-protozoal activity, thus being a potential control tool for coccidiosis, and as an anthelmintic. Some interesting botanicals and the saponins they contain include:

‒ Soapbark Tree - Quillaja

‒ Bitter Melon – Momordia

‒ Fenugreek - Trigonella

‒ Yucca - Y. schidigera

Carbohydrate extracts

The active ingredients of this class of extracts tend to be polysaccharides - long chains of repeating units within the molecule. Published research on the biological activity of these extracts reports anti-viral properties for fucoidans, and innate immunity enhancement for beta-glucans.

Examples of this include:

‒ Seaweed extract - contains fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide with fucose as its main backbone sugar

‒ Reishi mushroom - a carbohydrate polymer extract that contains beta-glucans

Alkaloids

Alkaloid compounds have one thing in common – they have nitrogen within the molecular structure. Research has shown these alkaloids may help improve intestinal microbiome and other components of gut health, thus they can also positively influence animal performance. Some common examples used as feed additives:

‒ Macleaya cordata extract (sanguinarine)

‒ Berberis vulgaris extract (berberine)

‒ Capsicum annuum extract (capsaicin)

A wide & deep world

The world of botanical extracts is wide and deep. The efficient and optimal use of these modern, natural ingredients as feed additives requires a deep understanding of the intimate nature and composition of specific botanicals and their scientifically supported properties. It also requires expert knowledge of sustainable agriculture, quality and testing methods and extraction best practices.

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Animal feed

Energy efficient technology for a vital food segment

by Brith Isaksson, Global Food and Beverage Segment Manager, ABB, Switzerland

The animal feed production industry’s top priority is to produce healthy, high-quality and ethical products to ensure that poultry, fish and other livestock are well-nurtured. However, it is also under increased pressure to improve the costefficiency, safety, sustainability and overall productivity of its processes.

This concern has been heightened by an ongoing supply chain crisis which has resulted in a global shortage of grains and oilseeds. It has added even greater urgency to make existing animal feed production processes as efficient as possible, with minimum wastage. The rise in oil and gas prices, along with labour shortages, has also produced an additional squeeze on costs for businesses.

Furthermore, the actual production process for animal feed – whether that’s chicken feed for poultry farms or fish feed for aquaculture – typically involves the use of various industrial machines required to run optimally at all times. These could include hammer mills, extruders, mixers, and conveyors, depending on the specific type of feed.

These applications are primarily controlled by motors, drives, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the selection of which is critical for several reasons.

Reliable motors for steady production

Motors often have unique and demanding requirements in segments such as animal feed production. Reliability and 24/7 operation are critical to ensure a steady production environment in all conditions while responsibly using raw materials and energy.

Crucially, animal feed production must be a carefully controlled, precise process to provide the right quality and mix of food for animals and avoid unnecessary wastage.

Whether or not these production processes can be performed optimally depends on how well the motors and drives control the machines. With growing pressure on farms and the

wider food supply chain, these motors and drives must also be as robust and reliable as possible, avoiding unnecessary downtime that could disrupt operations.

Digitised methods such as remote condition monitoring – the practice of using sensors and software to monitor equipment performance – are also business-critical. Disrupting machines for maintenance is troublesome when considering the cost implications of asset downtime, labour, and spare parts, not to mention the contamination risks when opening up a machine for repairs mid-cycle.

By providing real-time data that shows fluctuating asset behavior, condition monitoring tools make it possible to perform predictive maintenance. Once the erratic behavior exceeds the accepted, user-defined norms for the asset, the plant leaders and maintenance personnel receive an alert through the monitoring platform, which allows them to act before a problem becomes acute.

This approach eliminates the waste typically associated with unnecessary routine maintenance checks.

SynRM technology for optimal energy efficiency

Animal feed production can be very energy-intensive and expensive, especially with the increasing costs of energy. It is, therefore, in the best interest of production companies to fully optimise the energy usage of their heavy machine applications.

Deploying a condition monitoring solution can also provide real-time data on energy usage. This allows an operator to make manual adjustments or add a PLC (such as ABB’s AC500) to make automatic adjustments to reduce energy consumption and cut costs.

Further, electric motors will typically run at full speed all the time, regardless of the particular demands of the process, which wastes energy. Pairing motors with variable speed drives (VSDs) can automatically adjust the motor’s speed and torque to match demand.

Swiss-based UFA’s Sursee poultry feed mill is one of only a few unmanned feed mills in the world, running from 9pm until 5am every day without any operating personnel. The plant’s

production is overseen by only one mechanical engineer.

Until 2015, the mill used an aspiration ventilator with a conventional 75-kilowatt (kW) induction motor directly coupled to the power grid and operating at a fixed speed. While the ventilation system was considered advanced when it was installed in the 1980s, it was time for a replacement.

Having read about a hospital ventilation system that uses synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) technology, the engineer was impressed with the high energy efficiency of these motors. On his advice, UFA decided to invest in the same motors for the feed mill’s new ventilation plant.

ABB installed a 37 kW SynRM motor to power the new aspiration ventilator, controlled by an ACS880 variable speed drive. Combining the latest ventilation and motor-drive technology resulted in a 50 percent drop in power consumption and a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions. As a result, the drive package paid for itself quickly.

Motors & drives for added safety

Animal feed production is critical for all animals in the food supply chain, as livestock safety is paramount. Animal feed must be nutritious and free of contaminants so that food products are safe for human consumption.

The quality of animal feed is also highly regulated. It’s possible to address all these safety concerns by ensuring that different animal feed applications run as safely and efficiently as possible, using the right drives, motors and services. Moreover, when these applications work correctly, it also minimizes the chance of accidents that endanger people working at production facilities or on farms.

Balancing the need for hygiene with the need for productivity and reliability is a challenge. However, new developments in electric motor technology are helping animal feed production facilities to meet hygiene standards while still achieving maximum uptime.

Yet drives, motors, PLCs, and service all play a vital part. Therefore, specifying the best equipment for each environment is essential in ensuring optimised, reliable, and efficient production.

The nutritional requirements of your froggy friend

For those interested in keeping exotic pets, frogs are ideal. They can live happily in a relatively small space and do not require too much attention; however, they are a long-term commitment and it is still important to know your stuff when it comes to specific nutrition and care.

Wild frogs are facing a population decline and distinction as a result of human activities, therefore you should only buy frogs from places you are sure are locally captive-bred and tested to be free of disease when possible, so avoid catching wild frogs to keep as pets!

Different croaks for different folks

the right research for the type of amphibian you acquire is essential, to gain a better understanding of their specific nutritional guidelines and requirements. frog varieties range from semi-aquatic and aquatic, to terrestrial and tree frogs.

he most popular species of frog to keep as a pet is the african bullfrog. other popular species include the white lipped frog, the burmese chubby frog, the white tree frog, the bumblebee dart frog, the waxy monkey frog, the african dwarf frog, the tomato frog, the green and black dart frog, the red-eyed tree frog, the american green tree frog, the gray tree frog, the amazon milk frog, the oriental fire bellied frog, and the pacman frog/horned frogs.

Wild frog’s vs pet frog’s

Domesticating any wild animal, it is imperative to know and understand their natural habits, especially when it comes to eating preferences and hunting behaviour.

In the wild, frogs are carnivorous and eat a variety of insects. They are not scavengers, but predators and opportunistic hunters that will generally only eat something that is moving such as live

by Niamh Cassidy,

InternationalPetfood

, UK

insects. Feeding them dead bugs will not work!

Wild frogs tend to eat whenever possible, so their habits range from eating several small preys in a day, to eating bigger prey such as grasshoppers or small rodents over several days. Their eating habits must accommodate a good balance between conserving energy and using energy to hunt. Their hunting behaviours are nocturnal, wild frogs rely on the cover of darkness to keep them hidden from potential predators.

Pet frogs have owners to decide for them what they eat, which means there is room to be more selective in diet to make healthier choices, however it should still reflect the variety of a wild frog.

A key difference with keeping frogs as pets is the water consumption. Amphibians are very sensitive to the chemicals in our tap water, so would require all water to be dechlorinated (dechlorinators can be purchased at most aquarium stores).

Frogs do not drink through their mouths, rather they absorb water through their skin! This means you’ll need to provide either a pool of water in the tank or mist the tank regularly, but it’s best if you do both.

What’s on the menu

Generally, a pet frog’s diet should include a variety of insects and small bugs. This includes crickets, mealworms, and waxworms (all easier to purchase at pet stores), as well as locusts, grasshoppers (both trickier to find but more nutritionally beneficial), caterpillars, worms (ensure the size is suitable), spiders, and butterflies.

Aquatic frogs eat a variety of aquatic invertebrates, from bloodworms, redworms and blackworms, to tadpoles, mosquito larvae, and brine shrimp.

For smaller frogs, appropriate foods include ants, aphids, springtails, mosquito larvae and fruit flies. Larger species will be able to eat small mice, bear in mind the live ones are more likely

to be eaten. The rule generally is that the prey needs to be less wide than the frog’s head.

How often to feed

Energy levels and size of frogs will indicate how often frogs will need feeding.

Frogs with higher energy levels should be more frequently fed, once to twice a day. This could mean leaving bits of food for the insects to eat, such as fruits or veggies.

Frogs with mid energy labels require to be fed every other day or every third day.

Generally, this means offering them as many insects as they can eat in 15 seconds (before removing the remaining bugs). Larger frogs (that eat mice) should be fed less frequently, once per week or even once every other week.

Logistics of Feeding

Place the food no further away than the distance between the frogs’ eyes (usually 1 - 2 cm), and make sure the prey is gut-loaded. When feeding, do not move the frog into a separate container, this will cause unnecessary stress and your frog may refuse to eat! Just place the dusted prey into the frog’s container using tweezers or feeding tongs one at a time. Dumping all the insects in at once might overwhelm the frog and allow some prey to escape. Feeding session should last ten to 20 minutes, anything after this session should be removed.

What to avoid

Wild-caught bugs shouldn’t be fed to frogs! Pets and wild species will ultimately have different diets and should be treated as such - wild insects pose the risk of pesticide exposure, which can be dangerous for your frog. Also avoid feeding your frog any fruits or veggies, or human table scraps.

Nutritional specifics

For optimum nutritional value, bugs fed to frogs should be gutloaded. Gut-loading basically just means you need to feed the prey nutritious and vitamin-rich foods before feeding the prey to your frog. When you are buying your prey from pet stores, they will not usually be gut-loaded, so it’s something you’ll need to do yourself. This step is vital as it ensures they get enough calcium in their diet, which protects them from developing bone diseases, as well as other important vitamins.

An additional option for maintaining good nutritional levels is using nutritional supplements by ‘dusting’ them on your pet’s food. Reptile calcium powder is easy to find, but it should include D3 as a minimum, to help your frog synthesise the calcium better.

Benefits of a froggy friend

Frogs are relatively inexpensive to keep as pets, require less maintenance than your average house pet, and take up much less space. Many species live for five to 10 years, but some species can surpass 15 to 25 years in age, making them a long-term commitment for those interested.

E XTRUSION

Effect of protein, starch, fat and fiber in extrusion

by Ali Koyuncu, R&D Engineer, Yemmak, Turkey

In extrusion process, component ratios and diversity of the raw materials used are as important as the selection of the right extruder for the targeted process and for the correct end product. In this article, effects of protein, starch, fat and fiber amounts in raw materials such as wheat, rice, corn, soybean, barley and oats on extrusion will be examined.

and will be likely to remain inert during the extrusion process. Another method is a PDI (Protein Dispersibility Index) test. On the scale of this test, 0 (zero) means ‘No Functionality – No Solubility in Water’ and 100 (hundred) means ‘Total Solubility in Water’. It is also possible to understand this functionality by looking at color. Darker colors mean less soluble, and lighter colors mean more soluble.

Protein

To quickly summarize the effect of protein in the extrusion process:

• As the amount of protein in the content increases - expansion in the product decreases.

• As the amount of protein in the content increases - texture or hardness increases.

• As the amount of protein in the content increases - brittleness increases.

We can understand whether protein content is functional in terms of water solubility during extrusion, by putting the content into a glass of warm water and mixing it. If the sample sinks quickly and results in a semi-clear solution, it is not very soluble

Functional proteins in terms of water solubility are plant and vegetable-based proteins (soybean, corn gluten, wheat gluten, legume, etc.). Milk proteins, gelatin, some blood and plasma proteins are also included in this list according to their processing methods and steps. Non-functional proteins are usually animal proteins.

In extrusion process, proteins begin to lose their functionality after 55-65°C. Water solubility, durability, and expansion contribution properties of proteins decrease. On the other hand, proteins preserve their nutritional value up to 130°C. At higher temperatures, protein in the contents begin to be damaged by heat and their nutritional value decreases.

Briefly, as temperature increases, the amount of protein damaged by heat increases, while the amount of soluble protein decreases. The optimal point of this inverse ratio is ~150°C (Chart 1).

Starch

The contribution of starch to the product in terms of adhesion (bonding) and durability is very high. Starch granules begin to swell by absorbing water at 60-75°C (gelatinization temperature). As heating continues, this swelling becomes irreversible, the natural crystalline structure becomes dispersed, and the starch becomes more soluble (functional). If a light-density product is desired, increasing the amount of starch will increase swelling (expansion). For a strong and durable product, increasing the amount of starch will increase adhesion.

Chart 1 - Soluble and heat-damaged proteins versus process temperatures

In Image 1, effects of different extrusion conditions on expansion can be seen for millet, which has high levels of starch.

Corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, millet, potato, sweet potato, yam,

Table 1 – Granule size, amylose content and heat of gelatinization for different starch sources

Starch Source Heat of gelatinization (cal/g)

Amylose Content (%)

Granule Size (μm)

High amylose corn 7,6 55 5-25

Potato 6,6 20 15-121

Tapioca 5,5 22 5-35

Wheat 4,7 28 1-35

Waxy corn 4,7 0 5-25

tapioca (cassava) and many legumes can be given as common starch sources.

The factors affecting the expansion of starch are listed below:

• Increasing extruder barrel temperature will increase expansion of extruded starches.

• Increasing the percentage of amylose (up to about 50 percent) will increase expansion.

• Screw speed can influence expansion.

• Changing screw configuration to increase friction and shear will result in greater expansion.

• Lower moisture tends to increase friction and shear forces in the extruder barrel and results in increased expansion.

While the product with a moisture content of less than 20 percent causes wear on screws and barrels, the amount of dextrin (formed as a result of the hydrolysis of starch) increases.

Starch ratios in pet foods were at the level of 20-50 percent (preferably percent) in recent years. Today, this ratio varies between 0-65 percent. For example, reducing diets are low in

fat and protein, and high in fiber and starch. Low carbohydrate or “no carbohydrate” diets have little starch or none at all. Therefore, the durability problem can be solved with functional proteins, up to a certain level.

The use of minimum 20 percent starch in floating aquatic feeds ensures adequate expansion and low densities. In sinking aquatic feeds, starch is only found around 10 percent where it mainly serves as a binding agent.

Snacks, cereals and other extruded foods usually have a substantial amount of starch and occasionally a recipe containing 100 percent starch is extruded to create a cold-water soluble product.

The granule size of starch sources and the amount of required gelatinization energy for each source are different (Table 1).

Table 1 – Granule size, amylose content and heat of gelatinization for different starch sources

Rice starch has very small granules that are tightly packed together and which hydrate slowly. However, once the hydration has progressed and gelatinization occurs, rice starch can become very sticky. Long and medium grain rice varieties become

Image 1: Effects of different extrusion conditions on expansion for millet

less sticky during the hydration steps. Rice starch has significant digestibility even when it contains small amounts of gelatinization values.

Corn starch is a good binder and when it is 40 percent or more in the recipe, extruded product can also become very sticky.

Wheat grain contains a significant amount of starch, as well as functional gluten protein, which is a very good binder.

Potato and tapioca (cassava) starches are very good binders, even at levels as low as 5 percent. These starch sources often result in a smoother surface on the extruded product.

When the starch ratio in the recipe increases, the product expands more, and the bulk density decreases. Binding and durability increase. Above 65 percent, the product may become very sticky and extrusion problems may occur. As the starch ratio increases, coating ability (oil, etc.) of the extruded product also increases.

Moisture content should be at least 30 percent for maximum gelatinization in starch (Table 2).

Table 2 - Moisture amounts for maximum gelatinization in different starch sources

Starch Source Moisture Amount for Maximum Gelatinization (%) Wheat 31 Corn 31 Waxy corn 28

High amylose corn 34

Table 3 – The relationship between the fat amount of the content and the bulk density of the product

Added Fat to Extruder Extrudate Bulk Density

%0 fat 253 g/l

%5 fat 308 g/l

%10 fat 408 g/l

%15 fat 528 g/l

Table 3 – The relationship between the fat amount of the content and the bulk density of the product

Fat also has a negative effect on product durability:

At inclusion rates of less than 7 percent, there is usually a minimal effect on product characteristics.

When addition levels reach the 7–12 percent range, the product density begins to increase.

When fat addition levels are 12–17 percent, product may have little or no expansion, but will retain some durability.

At levels exceeding 17 percent, durability may be significantly impaired.

Most common fat or oil sources are vegetable oils and animal/poultry fats. Marine oils are also used in some desired situations.

Some other effects of increasing the amount of fat in the recipe include:

Table

2

- Moisture amounts for maximum gelatinization in different starch sources

Small starch granules are tightly packed together resulting in a very hard grain that hydrates slowly and is difficult to cook during the extrusion process. Soft grains hydrate more quickly and they are easier to cook (less energy is spent).

Fat

Fat is added to provide additional calories, to improve palatability, to provide nutrients such as fatty acids, to carry fat-soluble vitamins and to control dust. It reduces friction between products in the recipe and between the recipe and the internal components of the extruder (by acting as a lubricant). As friction decreases, the mechanical energy required decreases as well. Less expansion takes place. In other words, an increase in the fat amount of the content causes an increase in the bulk density of the product (Table 3).

As fats levels are increased in a recipe during extrusion, a larger cell structure will result in the final product. The cells will also have thicker walls. This has the impact of slowing hydration.

• Thicker cell walls also reduce uptake during the (oil) coating process.

• Products containing more internal fat also appear to be more difficult to dry.

• The following methods can be applied to increase the fat content of an extruded product:

• Instead of adding fat in liquid form, products with high fat content (such as full fat soy [Image 2], flax meal) should be added to the recipe.

• If it is a must to add fat in liquid form, heating it to 40-60°C before extrusion increases the thermal cooking efficiency. In fact, any “preheating” process will increase the cooking efficiency, as 90 percent of the energy consumed for extrusion is used to bring the products up to cooking temperature.

• Fats should be added as late as possible in the process to reduce

Image 3: Extruded Barley

their impact on extrusion. If fats can be added in the coating steps, there is no impact on extrusion.

• As internal fat levels are increased in the recipe during extrusion, it will also be necessary to increase starch or functional protein levels to maintain expansion and binding properties.

• Fat brings lubricity. It will be necessary to increase the thermal or mechanical energy inputs to maintain product attributes such as the desired density and durability.

• It is helpful to increase extrusion moisture during processing of high fat recipes as water is a necessary solvent for starch gelatinization. On many occasions operators are inclined to reduce extrusion moisture as the fat gives the extrudate a deceptively wet, shiny appearance as if it is high in moisture.

Fiber

Less than five percent fiber inclusion has little effect on extrusion, especially if the particle size is less than 400 microns. Smaller grain sizes are less detrimental to expansion. For example, particles smaller than 50 microns give a good cell structure to the extruded product. Large/Coarse grains limit the expansion and cause a rough surface in the final product. As the solubility of the fiber increases, its effect on expansion decreases.

Fiber sources can be divided into two groups based on their solubility and fermentability:

Soluble Fibers: Beta-glucans from oats and barley (Image 3), fruit pectins, psyllium seed, inulin, root vegetables, legumes and some gums are soluble fibers. These are also very fermentable. Soluble and fermentable fibers improve expansion and binding of extrudates.

Insoluble Fibers: Whole grain bran, some vegetables such as celery and zucchini, fruit skins, vegetable peelings and resistant starches are insoluble fibers. They are not very fermentable, and they don’t contribute to expansion and binding.

Conclusion

In the search to make feed production more sustainable, extrusion process is a technology that cannot be ignored. Accurate analysis and continuous optimization of extruded product components and raw material ingredients will remain an active field of research and development in the future, as the main goal of extrusion is to increase nutrient availability and digestibility, i.e. to improve animal productivity

7th March 2023

IMPACT, Bangkok

BUCKET ELEVATOR EFFICIENCY

Continuous bucket elevators are widely used in many facilities for the transportation of bulk solids. While a well-designed continuous bucket elevator is an effective material transport method, there are factors which can degrade the overall efficiency of a piece of equipment.

In this article, UniTrak highlight four tell-tale signs of bucket elevator inefficiency and their potential causes, whilst also explaining that if these issues are not addressed, they can seriously compromise the performance of your equipment.

Sign #1: Infeed losses

A critical, but often overlooked aspect of bucket elevator design and operation is considering how the equipment will be fed. Failure to control and regulate the feed of material into the elevator can result in product losses and damage, as well as reduced throughput.

Common causes of infeed losses include:

- Failing to achieve an even distribution of product within the elevator’s buckets. This problem often arises when product is being fed at right angles to the elevator.

- Overfilling the buckets. Feeding product at too fast a rate can result in bucket overfilling, spillage, and plugging of the elevator’s infeed section.

- Dropping product into the elevator from too high a height. This can cause particle damage and attrition.

- Feeding the elevator before the running speed is achieved. Feeding in product before the optimum running speed is achieved can result in underfilling of the buckets.

Sign #2: Reduced speed

Reducing the running speed of a continuous bucket elevator below the designed or planned rate is often a response to other problems, such as the infeed problems described above.

Reduced speed may also be necessary when the elevator spills or damages product when running at the planned rate, or when downstream equipment is unable to accept all product from the elevator when it runs at the planned rate.

The solution in all cases is to investigate and correct the root cause of the problem so that the elevator may be run at the rate that it was intended for.

Sign #3: Reduced yield

Reduced yield can take several forms. First, the quantity of product that the elevator delivers to downstream equipment may be lessened through losses from spillage, failure of some product to discharge from the buckets, etc.

Secondly, the quality of product delivered by the elevator may be compromised as it moves through the equipment. Both types of losses, quantity and/or quality, represent yield losses.

For the first case, addressing the causes of spillage or failure of material to discharge will improve the quantity of product delivered by the elevator. Material spillage can be a function of equipment design as well as operating procedure.

For example, continuous bucket elevators designed with interlocking buckets, as opposed to those which merely overlap, will always be more effective at preventing spillage.

In addition, overfilling the buckets, either by presenting material to the elevator at too fast rate or running the elevator at too slowly, can result in material spillage.

The solution in either case is to make the necessary adjustments

to material feed rates and/or the run speed to achieve the optimal bucket fill. Failure of material to fully discharge from the elevator buckets can be addressed through the use of discharge aids, such as ‘bucket knockers,’ which are designed to dislodge material from the elevator buckets at the point of discharge.

In addition, conveying materials which are inherently sticky, and can have a propensity to adhere to the bucket surfaces may require the use of buckets with Teflon-coated or dimpled surfaces.

Quality degradation often manifests itself through particle attrition or breakage. The solution in this case is to use an elevator designed for high-care conveying and which is capable of gentle handling. This will prevent particle attrition or breakage and ensure that what goes into the elevator is what comes out.

Sign #4: Unplanned downtime

Unplanned equipment downtime due to parts failure can seriously erode the operating efficiency of a continuous bucket elevator. Whilst you may never entirely prevent the occurrence of unplanned downtime, there are certain steps that one can take to minimise the impact of such events when they do occur.

These steps include:

- Keep a bench stock of critical operating parts on hand at all times. This allows fast recovery from an unplanned downtime event.

- Track your parts failure history to discover which elevator parts are most prone to failing and which should be stocked.

- Practice condition-based maintenance. Maintenance of the elevator should be based on its actual condition, rather than according to a calendar-based schedule. Elevators can also

be fitted with condition-based monitoring devices which alert operators and maintenance personnel when an abnormal condition is developing.

UniTrak manufactures the TipTrak® line of continuous bucket elevators. These elevators are renowned for their high reliability and gentle handling.

To find out more about the TipTrak line of continuous bucket elevators, visit the company’s website at: https://mymag. info/e/1537

Industry Training

Short course on canine Nutrition and Feeding for beginners

A short course in Canine Nutrition and Feeding for beginners will be taking place from February 1, delivered online via Microsoft Teams. The short course spans four weeks, held on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30pm, and costs UK£99 to attend. These sessions, led by Dr Jacqueline Boyd, (eight hours in total) will include seminars, discussion points and practical skills development in reading and considering labels. There are no previous experience requirements, and no formal examinations or assessment. There will however be an opportunity for participants to undertake a self-assessment at the end of each session to test their knowledge, and if attendance exceeds 80 percent, a Certificate of Attendance will be emailed to the attendee.

This course is designed for those with either a personal or professional interest in canine nutrition, looking to understand the basic biological and nutritional principles of feeding the domestic dog.

The course will suit dog owners who would like to understand how to make good individual decisions for themselves and their dog(s) in a marketplace full of choice, as well as canine professionals who would like to improve and enhance their knowledge about feeds and feeding.

This course will introduce you to the essentials of canine nutrition and help you navigate the nutritional maze. Attendees will learn about areas such as the digestive anatomy and physiology of the dog, what nutrients dogs need, feeding for life stages and activities, how to identify canine nutrition fact from fiction, and explore applied nutrition.

By the end of the course, attendees will have an awareness about the fundamentals of canine nutritional science, along with how to apply that knowledge at a beginner’s level.

It will help pet owners and pet professionals feel more confident in the choices made for their dog, whatever their age, breed/type, and activity level.

Troubleshooting

Situations in the petfood production process require in some cases looking backwards on how things were done in the past to solve the problems associated with the modern control of the system. Computer controls are great and work very well in all cases but they can cause some head scratching when you are sitting in front of a computer screen trying to accomplish production. Solving problems when in production might require using old school ideas to succeed. The computer system is designed to do what was done by hand historically. Dry flow rate, the feeder screw to the conditioning cylinder now mostly use loss in weight for flow control. Historically it was a volumetric method so the speed of the screw associated with the density of the dry raw materials actually set the extruder rate. With LIW systems the computer knows what should be flowing and it searches for this exact rate by feeder screw RPM. Sitting at the computer panel you see the system changing for the right set flow rate and it is modulating. What is going on as the RPM is increasing but the feed rate is not as it searches for the correct volume. Solution, check feeder screw and remove the blockage, flow corrected. When hand operated an operator would turn the RPM on the feeder screw up to achieve the rate based on a calibration of flow rate vs RPM for that recipe. A graph of flow rate vs RPM is made at different RPMs to generate a curve allowing the capacity to be set by the RPM reeding. Made by collecting a sample at an RPM for 30 or 60 seconds and repeat at different RPM ranges. The graph then allows estimation of what RPM for the desired rate. Had a situation once where the feed rate was off as the load cells on a computer-controlled system was not calibrated exactly. Was receiving one tonne extra dry raw materials then expected plugging the extruder as the liquid injecting were not enough for the dry flow rate. Staff surprised when a large scale was requested and bags to check weigh dry flow rate against what the computer showed. The operators learned that day that what the computer showed was in some cases not true and how to figure it out with the old school methods. Load cells calibrated and then all in order.

Same goes for the liquid flow rates. Calibration of the flow to achieve the right mix. Check the flow rates with a bucket at the level of the injection for accuracy. Had one situation when all was perfect and in the middle of the operation everything went wrong kibble way to wet and a mess and nothing was changed? Further review showed the system ran the boiler out of steam and we were pumping water instead of steam into the extruder.

The goal is understanding what the process is and what the computer is doing and how to verify the system is working correctly. Sometimes it might require some old school methods to test and determine what not working correctly

Previously on Troubleshooting...

1. Density

An examination of product density and its relationship with moisture levels, heating, cooling feeder screw rate and automation.

2. Non-uniform and rough appearance

A guide to understanding the science involved in improving the art of making products of all the same size.

3. Extrusion dies

This article takes a look at aspects of the process including high, medium and low shear as well the adjustments required when producing feed for small mammals.

4. Dryers

The dryer is without a doubt one of the machines in the system which greatly impacts the bottom line.

5. The Extruder Barrel - Part 1

Forming extruders are used for some select products –thus this part of the discussion centres on single and twin designs.

6. Cook in the Extruder Barrel – part 2

As discussed last month, the extruder barrel has a number of functions, but the main goal is to finalise the cook, yield the desired shape with the density target.

7. Coating

The coating process has a few areas of importance, with this edition of ‘Troubleshooting’ exploring the most important of these.

8. Expanded cat food

Dry expanded cat food production is similar to dog food production, but there are some differences, with this edition exploring a choice selection of these.

9. Extrusion during operation

This month we discuss steam input into the conditioner. During the water addition process, the steam is usually in the two-bar range.

Innovations this month

January 2023

This month’s Production Showcase section features equipment and ingredients that will help in the production of petfood, taking you right from the recipe book, right up until until your product is ready to leave your factory door.

If you would like your product or service to appear on this page in a future edition of International Petfood magazine, then please contact us at editorial@perendale.co.uk

Continuous Coaters by Ottevanger

The Ottevanger Continuous Coaters are perfectly suitable for adding and mixing liquids, evenly on pellets and/or extrudates. By dosing the liquids through a spray box, the product and liquids are slowly mixed together. The trough of the coater itself is executed in stainless or mild steel, with 50 mm thick insulated jacket. The heat tracing stimulates the absorption of the liquid and avoids contamination of the trough. The coater is equipped with hinged inspection hatches over the full length of the mixing trough, which allows easy access. Apart from oil and/or fat, also vitamins, enzymes etcetera can be added in small quantities. Dosing systems for these products are available upon request.

It has numerous features including Low power consumption, large doors enabling easy inspection/cleaning, rigid construction and variable heating system with insulated jacket and also has a low rate of wear.

https://www.ottevanger.com/en/products/coating/continuouscoaters/

CPM Europe offers Flakers that feature quality construction and maximum materials throughout. The unique square-bearing housing design assures accurate, consistent flaking and ease of operation. Outfitted with unique features that come standard on all CPM Europe Flakers, including hopper agitators, roll end sealing devices and feeders for oilseed applications, CPM Europe Flakers represent the lowest operating-cost solution in the industry.

Designed for the most challenging flaking operations, the rocksolid construction of the FX Series guarantees maximum performance around the clock. The unique bearing slides assure accurate roll positioning for consistent production. The machines utilise the most reliable and durable rolls available in the world.

Standard features include centrifugally cast, chilled iron rolls with alloy shafts, pneumatically operated gate, manual roll adjustment, and scrapers with adjustable counterweights to regulate pressure.

https://www.cpmeurope.nl/en/products/flakers

The expander OE23 by AMANDUS KAHL

The machine is used in a variety of feed production processes, including mixing and kneading, homogenisation and agglomeration, as well as short-term conditioning. Thus, the all-rounder is not only used at the end of the production process to obtain Expandat, but already in preparation of pelleting. Due to the wide range of possible applications, the machine ensures a lot of savings, but at the same time also the specific improvement of individual feed components.

Using the crown outlet provides even greater flexibility. At the expander outlet, the pressure drops spontaneously. The product expands, and a part of the added water evaporates (flash evaporation). The crown outlet ensures that, in contrast to conventional pelleting, coarse particles also remain coarse. Combined with low energy consumption, the crown expander allows high throughputs. Existing expanders can be easily modified to crown expanders.

https://www.akahl.com/de/maschinen/konditionieren/expander/

The construction of the machine and the cutting chamber enables loading of up to 40 blocks simultaneously with a total weight of up to 800 kg. The machine is intended in particular for large meat, pet food and fish plants, for grinding frozen blocks of meat, fish, cheese, vegetables or other food products with standardized dimensions. In addition to the cutting effect across the teeth, the structure of the crushed block is partly adjusted to the size of the pre-freezing pieces, in particular for meat raw materials.

https://ekomex.com.pl/en/products/kbm1000-frozen-blockcrusher-for-piles-of-blocks/

SEE YOUR PRODUCTS IN THIS MAGAZINE

If you produce a product that you think we should feature in International Petfood magazine, please get in touch

To be considered for inclusion in the magazine please; Email: editorial@perendale.co.uk

Include 75 words about the product along with a high resolution image and a web link to more information about the product in your email

Horizontal dryers by Extru-tech

Extru-Tech horizontal dryers are the leading industry tool for the production of a diverse range of food and feed products, including pet and aquatic foods and foods for human consumption.

The company has taken dryer technology to the next level with the new Advanced Feature Dryer, which features improved performance and new sanitary dryer features. Its tool-free door assemblies and increased dryer bed floor clearance for easier access and inspection allowing overall cleanout in 15 minutes.

The dryer includes filtered make up air and burner air to reduce cross-contamination or re-contamination and redesigned chute with span and speed controls for ‘in-process’ adjustments, reduced horizontal ledges allow for ease of cleaning.

Stainless steel solid construction hinged interior doors permit easy access to product conveyors. Fines removal augers and air supply plenum discharge gates provide simple, quick clean-out at one common collection point.

http://extru-techinc.com/products/dryers/system--3

KBM-1000 Frozen Block Pallet Crusher by Ekomex

Highly industrial machine for crushing frozen blocks stacked in pile on euro palette size.

Flaking Mill FX Series by CPM Europe

Eurotier 2022

Milling and Grain Magazine had the pleasure of attending Eurotier this year, which took place in Hannover, Germany, from November 15 - 18.

A wide selection of industry professionals attended from a variety of countries across the globe. Over 1800 exhibitors came together to showcase from 57 countries, with approximately 106,000 visitors from 141 countries. The event featured over 400 trade events and conferences to attend, providing an exciting and busy atmosphere.

Eurotier is the world’s leading trade fair for professional animal farming and livestock management. Due to the ongoing pandemic, there has been a longer than usual four-year gap since the last event, making this year’s Eurotier all the more highly anticipated. Walking through the packed busy halls you could sense the excitement and enthusiasm among companies, exhibitors and professionals who have finally been able to come together from across the globe.

Members of the industry had fully packed schedules, from morning to evening there were exhibits, talks, seminars, conferences, and socials.

The overall theme of Eurotier 2022 was focused on ‘transforming animal farming’, emerging trends, future developments, and innovations in the sector. Attendees got to explore are the exciting innovations presented, Innovations in the emerging insect farming industry, AI, Smart Farming, and agritech.

Other topics frequently mentioned in the seminars and conferences include zeitgeists, from sustainability, climate change, energy, new solutions, and the environment, to animal welfare, and conflict affecting animal production.

The event held many well-attended conferences, seminars, and round tables throughout all four days.

Speaking at an opening press conference on the eve of the opening day, Dr Lothar Hövelmann, Eurotier Chief Executive says the global agricultural industry faces “a barrage of multinational crises.”

He expressed the view that events such as Eurotier were essential now that the pandemic is receding, saying there is no substitute for directdialogue and meeting face-to-face.

Dr Hövelmann’s ‘barrage of

crises,’ includes international trade challenges, feed price increases, the outcome of the pandemic and the interruption to supply chains all directly impacting global livestock production. But he remained positive that energy prices for example and animal feed prices will return to more normal levels in the medium term.

In summary, Dr Hövelmann says the key points arising from the survey show that: dairy farmers want to adopt more digital solutions; pig farmers are more focused on equipment, welfare and hygiene and the poultry industry is currently looking to build and adopt more renewable energy sources.

Hamlet Protein hosted the Feed your Brain Seminar, giving ‘An inside view of gut health to improve sustainability in monogastric animal production’, which was presented by Elizabeth Santin (Co-Founder of ISI Institute Brasil).

She talked about sustainable development goals in the industry, looking at the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), and its significance in evaluating the whole supply chain. The seminar went on to expand on the importance of livestock

gut health in relation to animal welfare, food safety, workers welfare, and creating positive economic effects.

Included in these conferences were several conferences and round tables tackling the recent issues faced by Ukraine and its affects/future outlooks on agriculture and animal farming, first of which was the ‘International Conference Ukraine’ aimed at discussing the ‘struggle for existence of Ukrainian livestock farming’.

The Ukraine conference started with opening addresses from René Döbelt, Ophelia Nick, and Tara Vysotskyi, who joined through Zoom, live from Ukraine. There were key presentations from Olena Dadus and Joseph Efken, and a panel discussion kicked off with the above mentioned plus Julia Kostynska, Erik Guttulsröd, Maksym Gopka, Andrey Dykun, and Victor Sheremeta. The main discussion was surrounding sustainable reconstruction of agriculture, creating value added whilst maintaining food security among Ukrainians.

Ophelia Nick spoke on the topic of reconstructing agriculture in a sustainable way, mentioning the recent challenges Ukrainian livestock farmers have faced in needing revenue to sustain farms whilst there are blockades targeting seaports. She further pointed out the reality of reconstruction is only possible with international support.

Taras Vysotskyi called live from

Ukraine, to thank those who have supported and states he hopes that given the recent shortages, animal husbandry will be increased in the future, and emphasises the importance of creating jobs and value added, applauding the courage his current colleagues have shown. After the opening addresses were key presentations, one of which was by Olena Dadus. She

changes also need to be considered, and going forward more equipment and technical support is needed. The panel discussion concludes with Olena Dadus affirming there are projects and loans planned, to help the current situation. ‘This war gives Ukraine the possibility to show the world that Ukraine exists, that they love freedom, and can live and struggle for the right to live in their own country’ she states, summarising that going forward, they must create the conditions that make it possible to develop agriculture.

believes there is a potential for reconstruction once seaports are unblocked. The sustainable increase in livestock farming needs to meet the requirements of the Ukrainian people, she adds, which involves maintaining acceptable food prices, food security, business developments and creating value added. Factors affecting livestock such as daylight, water, supervision, and seasonal

Such a large international crowd invited many networking opportunities for those who attended, each hall displaying a variety of insights into animal production, including equipment, animal feed, veterinary and health products, new and innovative designs, and pioneering techniques. Each hall showed a variety of sectors from the aquaculture lounge, which was a popular feature in Hall 21, Insect feed and farming, Feed for Future, and exhibits specialising in dairy, cattle, sheep, goat, horse, pig and poultry, feed and animal health, products, and energy decentral. The exhibition made sure to cover all aspects of the livestock industry, from transport, technology, animal housing, environment, and milking tech, to processing and equipment.

The event provided the chance to see all these new developments in the sector and was a great success.

Industry Events

2023 January 24-26

IPPE Atlanta, Georgia, USA www.ippexpo.org 25-27 Global Pets Forun Berlin, Germany www.globalpetindustry.com s 30-3 Feeds and Pet Food Extrusion Texas, USA www.web.cvent.com 2023 March 6-8

Animal Health, Nutrition, and Technology Innovation Europe London, UK www.kisacoresearch.com 7 7th Annual Aquafeed Extrusion Conference Bangkok, Thailand https://aqfeed.info/e/1697 7 Aquatic Asia Bangkok, Thailand https://aquafeed.co.uk/events/aquatic-asia-2023/ 10 Build My Feedmill Conference Bangkok, Thailand mymag.info/e/1326 22-23

Global Pet Expo Orlando, Florida, USA www.globalpetexpo.org

2023 May 1-3

Petfood Forum Kansas City, Missouri, USA www.petfoodforumevents.com 15-17

Zoomark International Bologna, Italy https://www.expobeds.com 2023 August 16-18

Pet South America Sao Paulo, Brazil www.petsa.com

2023 October 2-5 VICTAM LatAm Sao Paulo, Brazil www.victamlatam.com

2024 May 7-10

Interzoo 2024 Nuremberg, Germany www.interzoo.com

Sampling Probe

The entire Samplex range of bulk samplers uses time proven electro-mechanical technology, completely eliminating the use of hydraulics and the associated risks of pressure hoses splitting, which could contaminate valuable loads.

Wide Range of Products

The C S90 and Unispear system is unique in its ability of being able to accurately sample, without modification, a range of dry powders including meal and flour, small seeds such as oilseed rape and linseed, plus cereals, maize, sorghum, soya beans, rice, pulses and animal feed pellets up to 16mm x 30mm. Due to the clever design of the spear, it is possible to vary the amount of product sampled to help to prevent excess product building up in the laboratory

More representative Sample

Samplex truck probes deliberately don't use the more common and potentially flawed method of suction to collect product, as this has been demonstrated to possibly bias the collected sample with dust. Instead, they use positive air in conjunction with cyclonic action, and the design of the Unispear probe allows the product to fall directly into the airflow under gravity, and therefore provide a smaller, but importantly, more representative sample. Uniquely, Samplex fit all their probes with a twin variable aperture, to allow more or less product to be sampled as required.

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the interview

Dr Martin Kropp, President Animal Nutrition EMEA, ADM

Martin Kropp has an international career spanning 25+ years within the agricultural sector, including several senior executive and board member roles. He has extensive experience within oilseeds and animal nutrition business with strong interest in agricultural developments and emerging markets. Dr Kropp received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics, agricultural mechanization and software development from Justus Liebig University, Giessen in Germany.

What led you to join ADM? How has ADM changed in that time?

I have worked with ADM for more than 25 years. In my current role as President of ADM’s animal nutrition business in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, I manage the operational and financial performance of the business, as well as oversee the operations for our ingredients, complete feed and nutritional services for the region’s major livestock species. I am proud to be part of a company with such a long and rich history. We strive to apply our knowledge and expertise to develop innovative nutrition products and solutions that are transforming the animal nutrition industry. Over the past 120 years, ADM has evolved from a small regional start-up to an unparalleled global leader in human and animal nutrition. Every day we work to unlock the power of nature to enrich the lives of both humans and animals around the globe. This is at the heart of everything we do.

In your role as President of Animal Nutrition EMEA, what changes have you brought about and why?

First and foremost, our customers are the focus of all our activities. We work hard to understand each of our customers’ specific needs and demands to deliver solutions that will help them achieve their goals. We’re able to accomplish this by collaborating with our global commercial excellence group to help create efficiencies, as well as enhance transparency and visibility on our dayto-day business activities. In addition to our commercial excellence group, our global growth group is identifying growth and innovation opportunities throughout the regions. We’ve also committed to reorganizing our portfolio, so all of our premix, complete feed and additive solutions are consolidated within a region and under the ADM brand.

What are the critical challenges we face in ensuring food security and sustainability for all? How can we address these challenges?

Globally, sustainable stewardship is at the foundation of everything we do at ADM and is a pressing issue we need to address in the animal nutrition industry across all species. The agriculture sector can generate a significant carbon footprint, and the animal production value chain is under growing pressure to meet climate change targets. We work to make livestock production more environmentally friendly by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, conserving water, finding local alternatives to imported raw materials, exploring the carbon credit market and more.

We take a holistic approach to minimising environmental impact by enhancing animal production efficiency and animal health and welfare. Our nutrition solutions provide precise nutrition to target the exact needs of an animal to achieve production, growth and health targets. Precision nutrition also focuses on reducing over-formulation and optimizing resource utilization. Our science-backed portfolio of products helps support animal performance and health through innovative ingredients. We provide functional feed additives and ingredients that promote animal health and well-being, such as organic acids, amino acids and organic trace minerals. Furthermore, by optimising animal efficiency we are minimising environmental impact and ensuring responsible use

We can also address these challenges by conducting thorough life cycle assessments (LCA) of our products and feedstuffs. LCAs are becoming more common for companies to evaluate environmental impacts associated with their products’ life cycles and provide an indication of where improvements can be made. Measures set in place to improve environmental performance can also have other benefits such as improved efficiency, or a more circular business economy. As part of the LCA analysis we

can identify the global warming potential (CO2e) and emissions coming from scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions of our products. ADM is currently conducting LCA on our animal nutrition products, including a plant-extract based feed additive for poultry and ruminants. Ultimately, LCA can make a key contribution to sustainable feed transformation in the coming years.

What is your vision for the future of food security/ sustainability across the planet?

ADM Animal Nutrition brings a global perspective into the sustainability equation. We recognize the need for continuing and investing in research in areas that will assist our partners, farmers and producers with incorporating new technologies and farming methods into their daily operations.

ADM integrates sustainability considerations into every aspect of our operations and governance. This increases our resilience, enables swift adaptation to changing global contexts, and ensures longevity. By promoting ethical and

responsible sourcing practices across the agriculture value chain, ADM is building a more sustainable food system while driving long-term business performance.

Our sustainability agenda is aligned by five of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a primary focus on areas including zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, climate action, and life on land. Drawing on these guidelines, we have aligned our business objectives to create a set of material goals.

Our ambitious Strive 35 plan targets energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water use and waste management. By 2035, we’re dedicated to reducing Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions by 25 percent against a 2019 baseline, meaning a reduction in emissions from our facilities, vehicles and global supply chain, and our use of electricity from the grid. We’re also committed to be 100 percent deforestation-free by 2025. As we work to achieve these goals, we’ve also identified additional emission reduction projects at our facilities to explore and support our aspiration to become net zero by 2050.

THE INDUSTRY FACES

Nulo announces Jennifer Gibbs promotion to Chief Sales Officer

Nulo is pleased to announce the promotion of Jennifer Gibbs to Chief Sales Officer, a new position for the company. Previously Nulo’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Ms Gibbs now oversees sales in all distribution channels, globally. As a C-Suite member of Nulo’s executive team, Ms Gibbs reports directly to Founder & CEO Michael Landa.

A seven-year veteran of Nulo, Ms Gibbs recognises the importance of giving back to the community personally, and also as a pet food brand. While at Nulo, she has been a part of donating over 200,000 pounds of premium food to shelters across the U.S. and the Caribbean, including several rescue groups during natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and the recent wildfires in California.

Outside of Nulo, Ms Gibbs supports several non-profits, including The SEAL Legacy Foundation, Family Legacy and Lake Travis Young Men’s Service League. She is an inspiration to those around her (including her husband, two boys and pup Cooper) and remains a critical asset to the Nulo team with a growing list of pet industry accomplishments.

ends -er, as well as challenger brands in the petfood industry including Stella & Chewy’s. She has the intellectual agility to translate her experiences across industries in very different contexts and possesses the ability to bring people together to find new ways to unlock and accelerate growth.

Kemin names Dr Jason Shelton as Global Vice President of R&D for Pet Food Group

Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, recently added Dr Jason Shelton to the Kemin Nutrisurance leadership team as Global Vice President of Research and Development for the company’s petfood and rendering technologies business unit.

In addition to overseeing the global R&D team for pet food and rendering technologies, Dr Shelton will lead strategies that fuel Kemin Nutrisurance’s innovation pipeline and long-term growth.

Prior to joining Kemin, Dr Shelton spent more than 18 years with Cargill, holding various leadership positions across multiple functions and geographies. Dr Shelton served in R&D as Innovation Development Manager before taking on international appointments. He relocated first to Beijing as Regional Technology Director, then to Breda, Netherlands. Before returning to the U.S., Dr Shelton was based in Moscow as Managing Director for Cargill’s Animal Nutrition and Health business unit in Russia. Most recently, Dr Shelton was Cargill’s Chief of Party for USAID (United States Agency for International Development) TRANSFORM, a public-private partnership focused on improving human health through animal agriculture.

Justin Hattee has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for KM Packaging

Global flexible packaging and lidding films supplier KM Packaging is pleased to announce the appointment of Justin Hattee as Chief Financial Officer.

Mr Hattee will focus on optimising the company’s financial performance and, in the short term, be particularly involved in the exciting on-going expansion in Australia and overseas markets.

Previously, Mr Hattee was CFO for Ideal Shopping Direct Ltd, where he spent 15 years. He was involved in delisting the company from the AIM and buying, consolidating, starting up and selling numerous subsidiaries.

Prior to that, he held senior roles in both Campbells and Burger King International and began his career with Bass on their management programme, working for Britvic Soft Drinks.

Twin-Screw Extruder

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ZhengChang Group

Address Telephone E-mail Website

: No.28 Zhengchang Road, Kunlun Development Zone, Liyang, Jiangsu, China

: +86 21-6418 4200 Fax : +86 21-6416 3299

: International@zhengchang.com : www.zhengchang.com/eng