December 27, 2022

 

China uses biotechnology to convert waste into livestock feed

Sugarcane leaves, which used to be waste, are being processed into cattle feed in Longzhou County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and rice straw is being recycled and processed into silage at Changde city, central China's Hunan Province, Xinhua News reported.

 

Xin Guochang, an official with China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said promoting biological feed technology is a strategic measure as the feed industry is undergoing rapid expansion, transformation, and modernisation.

 

According to a study report on China's biological feed industry, "biological feed" is the general term for a new feed resource and feed additive that is safe, effective, environmentally friendly, and residue-free, developed through modern biotechnology such as genetic engineering, protein engineering, enzyme engineering, and fermentation engineering.

 

A variety of materials are available for biological feed. It is more affordable than specialty feed and renewable. The use of biological feed aids in the development of novel feed sources and lowers the cost of breeding.

 

Additionally, biological feed can significantly reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus discharge in livestock and poultry manures, thereby reducing environmental pollution and fostering the healthy and sustainable growth of the animal husbandry feed industry.

 

Through the use of biological fermentation technology, feed quality, feed utilization efficiency, and animal health have all improved in recent years. A good example is feeding swin in an environmentally friendly manner.

 

Wang Yizhen, a professor at Zhejiang University, said a type of bioactive feed called bio-fermented feed contains probiotics and their metabolites. The physicochemical characteristics of the feed substrate can be altered by microbial fermentation to increase the rate of feed digestibility.

 

He said that the probiotic effect of the bio-fermented feed can also enhance swine's body immunity and intestinal function, promoting swine health and high-quality production.

 

The growth of the biological feed industry is highly valued in China. There are currently more than a thousand businesses in the nation producing bio-fermented feed.

 

-      Xinhua News