March 21, 2008

Kemin awarded patent on pb6 organism in poultry gut 

Press Release

Kemin announced receipt of US patent #7,247,299 covering bacillus subtilis PB6, the active organism in its clostat brand direct-fed microbial being introduced into the US market.  Clostat is a new nutricine that helps to maintain healthy gut microflora in poultry and livestock.

According to Andrew Yersin, Ph.D., Kemin director of agrifoods research in North America, Bacillus subtilis PB6 is a spore-forming organism that was identified in the gut of a healthy chicken by Kemin scientists.  This strain was selected by Kemin due to its uniqueness, activity and positive impact on gut microflora. ''The patent covers both the organism and the mode of action against pathogenic organisms,'' Yersin said.

The patent abstract says, in part, ''­ [Bacillus subtilis PB6] was found to produce a factor or factors that have excellent inhibitory effects on Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The factor(s) retain full viability and antimicrobial activity after heat treatment. The invention provides a method of treatment of pathogenic microorganisms including C. perfringens.''

Says Fernando Valdez, Ph.D., director of agrifoods technical services in North America, awarding of the patent to Kemin for the Bacillus subtilis PB6 organism reflects the amount of science behind development of the organism and the CloSTAT product.  ''Considerable research conducted to prove the uniqueness of Bacillus subtilis PB6 over several years prior to filing the patent application,'' he said. ''Bottom line is that poultry and livestock producers can use this product knowing that Kemin did its homework before bringing this micro-organism to the marketplace.''

Kemin - Inspired Molecular Solutions.

Kemin (www.kemin.com) is a privately-owned nutritional ingredient manufacturer headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.  Founded in 1961, the company employs experts in animal feed, human dietary supplements and food products, and pet foods, and serves a customer base that impacts 80 percent of global food production.

The Kemin family of companies strives to touch the lives of half of the people of the world every day with its products and services.  Its nearly 1,000 employees work in more than 80 countries, with manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.

The agrifoods businesses of Kemin focus on Total Nutrition to help their customers achieve a highly effective, consistent system of profitable animal production.  Rather than all-out production at minimum cost, success in the future will instead be measured by achieving satisfactory balance between production enhancement and managing disease; ensuring food quality and safety; minimising the impact of production on the environment; and achieving consumer satisfaction.  Finding and maintaining the critical balance between all these considerations is the basis for Total Nutrition.