The physical characteristics of a feed additive are crucial but often ignored.
They can influence dramatically how the product performs during the feed manufacturing
process and when consumed by the animal.
Two feed additives with an identical nutritional specification can produce radically
different Returns on Investment (ROI) as a measure of animal performance purely
as a result of their different physical forms. This disparity will increase with
additives containing more than one active ingredient and where inclusion rates
are in the 100 – 500 ppm range.
When purchasing such a product how often does the manufacturer take physical properties
into account before making the buying decision? What about particle size and particle
size homogeneity? What about the homogeneity of the active ingredients? These
are the sorts of questions which should be asked by the manufacturer and answered
by the supplier with credible supportive data.
One such company which pays particular attention to the physical behaviour of
raw materials and finished products is the GROUPE GLON in France. The company
controls a volume of 3.58 million tonnes of compound feed under the Sanders brand.
A strict policy in feed and food safety is applied, particularly with feed additives.
They recognise the importance in respect of several factors :-
The safety of its workers
The risk of cross-contamination
The efficiency of the feed production process e.g. blockages, bridging etc
The efficacy of the finished product i.e. optimising nutritional value
Recently in collaboration with Pancosma a study was made by GLON into the physical
properties of various sources of chelated trace minerals. chelates of zinc, iron,
manganese and copper from five major suppliers A, B, C, D and B-TRAXIM TEC from
Pancosma were subjected to physical examination:
property
relevance to feed quality & behaviour
COMPRESSIBILITY
Flowability
ANGLE OF REPOSE
Bridging / Blockages / Flowability
COLLAPSING INDEX
Bridging
WATER ABSORPTION
Caking / Reactivity
PARTICLE SIZE
Flowability / Homogeneity in the premix / Dust
DUST
Safety for handlers / Material contamination
conclusions
A detailed report of this study by the Groupe GLON and Pancosma is available.
It can also be seen in the following publications:-
KRAFTFUTTER - June 05 - Germany
L’ALIMENTION ANIMALE - June 05 - France
DE MOLENAAR - June 05 - Benelux
ALBÉITAR - June 05 - Spain
FEED COMPOUNDER - September 05 - UK
Chelates of trace elements all refer to the same definition in the Positive List
for feed additives within the EU regulation No. 1334/2003. However this unique
database demonstrates considerable variations in the physical properties of the
five chelates A, B, C, D and B-TRAXIM TEC with B-TRAXIM TEC having the most consistent
‘positive’ rating.
Any premix manufacturer or feed compounder should be aware of these variations
because ultimately they can influence the efficiency of inclusion in the diet
and finally the way the finished product performs when fed to the animal.
