April 4, 2006

 

Danisco's advances in animal nutrition help producers fulfil consumer demand for leaner meat

 

Press release

 

Changing global consumer trends are increasing the pressure on pig and poultry producers to harness the potential of latest developments in livestock nutrition in order to remain competitive, according to Danisco Animal Nutrition, one of the world's leading feed ingredient specialists.

 

"The quest for healthier lifestyles is bringing about major changes in terms of what consumers look for when buying meat. The global trend towards leaner meat is reflected in what retailers are demanding from meat processors and, in turn, what they require from poultry and pig producers," explained Andrea Barletta, the company's global marketing director.

 

"Advances in genetics have already played a key role in helping producers reduce costs by substantially enhancing the animal's ability to efficiently utilise feed and generate a higher percentage of lean meat. However, this is only part of the story, as nutrition also plays a key role. A new generation of scientifically-proven specialist feed ingredients, such as betaine and enzymes, are becoming vital to optimise nutrition and exploit the full potential of today's high genetic merit pigs and poultry, producing the leaner meat which health-conscious consumers are demanding."

 

Betaine is increasingly used to improve production efficiency, carcass quality and ease of processing, while reducing costs. Betafin®, Danisco Animal Nutrition's own form of natural betaine, is extracted from sugar beet, then highly purified using patented chromatographic separation techniques.

 

Betaine's energy boosting properties help to fuel lean growth. This has been demonstrated in a series of trials with Betafin. On average, Betafin improved lean meat percentage in pigs by 1.5 percent, increased turkey breast yield by about 3 percent and broiler breast yield by 4 percent.

 

In addition, betaine's beneficial effects on gut structure aid nutrient digestion and absorption, contributing to improved, more consistent performance in pigs and poultry while offering potential benefits to processors by improving gut strength.

 

Worldwide trials conducted by Danisco Animal Nutrition have also demonstrated that addition of the company's Porzyme® enzyme products to pig diets improves the uniformity of growth and the lean meat percentage by releasing more nutrients from the feed. On average, Porzyme reduced variability in final live weight in piglets by 31 percent and in grower / finisher pigs by 27 percent. A series of nine trials showed that Porzyme increased lean meat percentage by an average of 1.5 percent, helping pigs to get closer to their full genetic potential and at the same time improving producer profitability.

 

Danisco Animal Nutrition, a division of leading global food ingredient specialist Danisco A/S (Denmark), pioneered the development and use of enzymes and betaine in animal nutrition. Their products are now widely used by poultry and pig producers throughout the world. The company's mission is to deliver innovative, sustainable solutions that increase the efficiency and safety of the food production chain in an environmentally responsible way.

 

Further details are available at www.danisco.com/animalnutrition

 

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Andrea Barletta                                         Julian Cooksley

Global Marketing Director                           Account Manager

Danisco Animal Nutrition                             Kendalls Communications

Tel: +44 (0) 1672-517777                          Tel: +44 (0) 1394-610022

E-mail: andrea.barletta@danisco.com          Email: julian.cooksley@kendallscom.co.uk