How to Deliver Plant-Based Compounds for Maximum Benefit to Animals

GLOBAL - As phytogenic feed additives (PFAs) become increasingly accepted by the feed and livestock industries, there is greater scrutiny as to whether products can fulfill the expected benefits.

4 April 2017

1 minute read

One key to success is product design that ensures the plant-based bioactive compounds are delivered where they are needed to be most effective—which requires the right formulation and encapsulation.

BIOMIN has developed a proprietary encapsulation technology for essential oils and phytogenic active compounds –the Biomin® Duplex Capsule- and an advanced formulation of Digestarom® DC, which represents a new approach to phytogenics, one that aims to provide a superior solution in animal feeds.

Why encapsulation matters

In the food and feed industry, encapsulation commonly serves to protect flavors from oxidation, to increase a product’s shelf-life and to provide controlled release of substances over a period of time.

While numerous phytogenic compounds are known to have benefits for feed and livestock, various phytogenic compounds exert different properties. Essential oils and their active compounds in particular are highly volatile and heat sensitive—less than ideal characteristics in the context of modern feed production and pelleting.

The challenge is to make sure that substances that have an insufficient shelf-life or be broken down in the digestive tract before they can exert their biological active properties on animals are instead delivered where they are needed to have a positive effect.