PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶
Managing oxidation and preserving feed quality
Oxidation degradation in feed can take place throughout the entire feed chain and greatly reduces the quality of feed ingredients. The use of antioxidants is crucial to preserve feed quality.
BY DR EDWIN CHOW, GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL MANAGER FEED PRESERVATION AT ADISSEO
O
xidative degradation is a continual process that begins when feed ingredients are used, contin- ues during production and storage, and only comes to an end once the feed is consumed (see
Figure 1). These key milestones in the life of the feed are where nutrient quality and safety can decline. Taking action at these milestones ensures high-quality, safe feed. Antioxidants are a crucial element of any livestock diet, as they preserve valuable nutrients and protect the diet from oxidation, ensuring optimal animal health, performance and carcass quality. They are powerful molecules that serve two purposes in livestock diets. The first is to keep the feed fresh, mainly by preventing the fats and oils from going rancid through a process known as lipid oxidation. The second is to keep livestock healthy by preventing free radicals in the body from damaging cells and having a deleterious effect on various biological functions.
What is an efficient antioxidant? Here are three key features of an efficient antioxidant, applied to prevent oxidative degradation: • Oxidation occurs in three stages: initiation, propagation and termination. Each active ingredient in an antioxidant blend helps to slow or prevent a different stage in the chain reaction. As a result, a blend of active ingredients will yield better antioxidant activity than a single ingredient.
• Secondly, the complete feed is a complex substrate. The negative effects of oxidation are mitigated when a com- plete antioxidant programme is applied, properly stabilis- ing the fat and oil sources and the valuable nutrients used in the complete feed.
Figure 1 - The animal feed chain, which covers the entire feed chain, from the production of feed materials to the production of live animals at the farms.
Environment
Processing plants & storage facilities
• Feed raw materials
Oxidation control Feed mills • Finished compound feed Antioxidant additives Farms • Animal populations
Slaughterhouses • Carcasses
Processing plants & distribution facilities
• Fresh meat
Home • Humans
Nutrient quality and safety = Feed safety 22 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 7, 2021
PHOTO: KOOS GROENEWOLD
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