causing leakage or total disintegration of the viral envelope. In contrast Butyric acid (C4) is one of the most widely used and well-known additives within current livestock farming. It is a main energy source for the enterocytes lining the in- testinal tract, resulting in an improvement of tight junction formation, villus/crypt ratio, and exerting anti-inflammatory effects. Butyric acid has boosted efficiency at numerous farms for many years. Both Caproic and Butyric therefore offer high value as feed supplements to optimize gut performance of various live- stock types. Using a blend of these acids will boost both the gut health effects, antimicrobial support and immune strengthening capabilities of your feed or drinking water. In addition to this straight-forward sum of effects, these fatty acids appear to combat pathogens ‘cooperatively’. This synergism is thought to result from the fact that fatty acids of longer chain length (e.g. Caproic) damage the bacterial cell walls, after which shorter fatty acids (e.g. Butyric) can penetrate and disrupt the inner cell.
Sodium salts ensure buffering, ease of handling and high water solubility Fatty acids can be incorporated in the diet of animals in vari- ous forms (acid form, fat coated form, glyceride form and salt form) and via two main routes (feed or drinking water). By making use of the sodium salt form, the ChainCraft products ensure the acids are buffered and thereby do not dissociate prior to reaching the animals intestinal tract. Furthermore, the salt forms are less corrosive, have less odor and ensure easier handling than their acid counterparts. In addition, the water solubility of the sodium salts is very high. The Chain- Craft product is offered as 100% dry powder (no carrier) and as 50% solution in water.
Proven monogastric productivity improvement The blend of Caproic-and Butyric acid sodium salts (C-Craft) has been tested for health and productivity improvement of monogastrics. A broiler trial was conducted at Schothorst
Feed Research. Although the animals were kept under optimal conditions, and not challenged, the fatty acid blend still provided additional body weight gain (BWG) of 3.7% and a 2.4% feed conversion ratio (FCR) improvement compared to the control feed, complete results were shared previously in a Young Animal Feed special of this magazine (June 2021). A piglet trial was conducted at Feed Innovation Services. Also here, supplementation with the fatty acid salt blend demonstrated strong performance improvement, by BWG increase of 3.6% and FCR reduction of 6.5% compared to the control feed, see figure 1. As reference, a high dosage PKFAD formulated feed was also tested.
Sustainable production method by use of ‘upcycling’ ChainCraft has developed new (non-GMO) fermentation technology for converting plant-based food residues into these next generation fatty acids products. This process is an example of ‘upcycling’: conversion of a residual material stream into higher value products. The benefits of producing fatty acids for livestock by fermentation of food residues are clear: it is a more sustainable and economical solution and will offer superior support for the health of the livestock. The ChainCraft products have a 70-80% lower carbon foot- print than traditional fatty acid products and energy use for production is decreased by 50% compared to the current processes. See figure 2 for results of the LCA of the C-Craft product in comparison to traditional fatty acid products. The upcycling process is based on a proprietary fermentation technology developed at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. These ChainCraft developments have been co-funded by the European Union and the European Fund for Regional Development. When is a good time to switch to new functional feed ingre- dients with sustainability benefits and better performance? The current high prices and scarce availability of many of the incumbent gut health and antimicrobial feed additives (standard organic acids and MCFA’s) confirm that now is the best time to make the shift to circular fatty acid products.
Figure 2 – Carbon footprint comparison of fatty acids produced via fermentation of food residues in comparison to the traditional palm oil or fossil fuel versions Global warming impact 6.3
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
• Footprint of traditional palm oil Fatty acids indicate an average figure derived from various sources.
3.68 2.35 0.81 C-Craft
Coconut oil Fatty acids
Palm kernel oil Fatty acids
Crude oil Fatty alcohols ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 30, No. 3, 2022 13
• For Crude oil Fatty acids, only sources indicating the alcohol variants were available. Actual Fatty acid production is estimated to result in a larger global warming impact.
• Cradle-to-gate analysis. The LCA assessment follows the ISO framework and guidelines for performing an LCA (ISO 14040 and 14044 (ISO, 2006a, 2006b) and is performed by Blonk Consultants in Q3-2021.
kg CO2
eq/kg product (dry weight)
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