Concentration breeds success for functional raw fibres
The application of fibres in diets for broilers, piglets and breeding sows is more about the physical properties of the fibre than any nutritional value they may have. Raw fibre concentrates maintain their most valuable properties whilst eliminating the problems caused by the additional components of traditional fibre sources - such as fermentable fibres and mycotoxin contamination. Wolfgang Markert and Thomas Backers explain.

Third generation rumen-stable fats
Feeding fats to dairy cows has moved on over the past few years, from rumen "protected" fats to rumen stable fractionated triglycerides- and their performance has improved with them. Roland Adelmann traces the history of energy supply and shows how supplying to high yielding dairy cows has never been easier.

What is a probiotic?
Even in a meeting dedicated to the use of probiotics in animal diets, an accurate definition of the term itself remains somewhat elusive. Precision and transparency of nomenclature, it seems, are a good starting point, but, as Gordon Rosen pointes out, more opportunity to discuss the issues would help with further development.

Getting to know starch better
Starch digestion simple? Not according to Piet van der Aar. His extensive research has evaluated what happens to rapidly and slowly digestible starches in the intestines of chickens and reveals some useful data on how to improve use of this valuable resource.

Chelates hold the key to environmental protection
What is to be done when the interests of pig health and production clash with the environmental lobby? In terms of minerals and trace elements, this has become something of a political hot potato. As Sarah Mellor discovered, one German company has worked out a complete concept and developed products to back it up.

Chromium availability from organic sources
A variety of organic forms of chromium are available worldwide. As with all minerals, the various forms would be expected to have different bioavailability. This would logically affect efficacy and therefore purchasing decisions, says Merlin Lindemann.

Gut health central to MOS performance
The benefits of mannanoligosaccharides in diets for pigs and poultry are many-fold and appear more subtle as each new paper is published. Peter Ferket's studies in turkeys have shown that the beneficial effects on intestinal morphology and humoral immunity may be behind the improved performance reported.

The secret life of a probiotic Bacillus
What happens to probiotic bacteria as they travel from the feed through the digestive tract? Should live cells be used or spores? Ortwin Simon, Anke Jadamus and Wilfred Vahjen have explored the activity of probiotic preparations in the digestive tracts of pigs and chickens for one species of bacillus.

Emulsifiers improve energy supply
Emulsifiers. Nothing new, many will say. And indeed their use has long been practiced in our industry. Although their main use was to improve fat solubility in aqueous media, farmers using them were found to be adding more than was recommended- and getting better performance. Jan Druyts has since confirmed through research what these farmers knew all along.

Make the most out of forage vitamin A
Vitamin A appears to be a critical aspect of feeding forage to ruminants. As Salah H. M. Esmail demonstrates, there are a number of factors to be taken into account to ensure that ruminants can best utilise such a valuable resource from forage.
 
April 23, 2003