23/05/14: Fifth quarter helps cut carbon footprint of beef production

Increasing use of fifth quarter is helping cut the carbon footprint of producing a kilo of beef by around 25 per cent, according to EBLEX.

The fall has been driven by changes to Animal By-Product (ABP) regulations and increased export opportunities, helping boost consumption of red offals and edible co-products (ECP), as well as soft bones and tendons.

EBLEX gathered the anecdotal evidence while compiling a report to share best practice in the processing sector on how the use of fifth quarter can improve the bottom line, while reducing waste.

(Photo credit: Tony Fischer Photography)

Anecdotally, figures have shown that the average percentage by weight of a live bovine animal being consumed by humans has increased from around 38 per cent in 2006 to 48 per cent in 2012. During the same period, the average percentage of a sheep or lamb being consumed rose from 46 per cent to 53 per cent of the live weight of an animal.

UK exports of red bovine and ovine offal have increased in terms of both volume and value between 2009 and 2013. Beef fifth quarter export values increased from £880 per tonne to £1,230 per tonne during the period.

Historically, only carcase meat was included in carbon footprinting calculations. Even when the tallow was used to produce energy, the meat still received no offset credit from the energy generated. With an increase in the availability of offals and ECPs for human consumption, it has subsequently meant that more meat could be included in carbon footprinting calculations. According to EBLEX, with an additional 10 per cent of the liveweight of a bovine animal being consumed by humans in 2012, compared to 2006, the carbon footprint of the production of a kilo of beef has effectively fallen by approximately 25 per cent.

Christine Walsh, EBLEX supply chain development manager, said: “Prior to 2006 the majority of fifth quarter products were disposed of by the industry. The new ABP regulations and development of new export markets have presented the industry with an opportunity to more fully utilise the carcase, while reducing its environmental impact.

“The anecdotal evidence we’ve heard is very encouraging. The industry has benefited from a reduction in percentage of the weight of material from live cattle classified as Specified Risk Material (SRM). Coupled with EBLEX’s on-going strategy to help secure access to new export markets, the figures are moving in the right direction in terms of volumes and values, while helping to improve efficiencies and reduce waste in the supply chain.”

The EBLEX report on sharing best practice in the processing sector is due to be published later this year.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

23/05/14: Alltech’s 30th Symposium Examines the Future of the Food Chain

From antibiotic-free meats to healthy bees, anticipating the future of the food chain is one of the keys to successfully feeding a rapidly growing world population, delegates learned during the closing session of Alltech’s 30^th Annual Alltech International Symposium. The three-day event explored the curiosity-invoking theme of “What If?” in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from May 18-21.

Speaking to more than 2,000 delegates from 60 countries, Dr. Mark Lyons discussed global consumer trends and scientific innovations that will shape the future of the food chain. Lyons is vice president of corporate affairs of Alltech and has been based out of Beijing since 2012 as part of the company’s “China Now” initiative.

Dr. Pearse Lyons with his adult children
Credit: ZimComm

Lyons examined a host of factors, including climate change, the shortening of food supply chains, increased awareness of the agricultural global footprint, as well as increasing consumer demand for natural meat production as fears of antibiotic resistance grow.

“This lower risk of antibiotic resistance will appeal to the masses,” Lyons said. “It doesn’t have to cost more, but it does require a food chain to be thinking about this issue. But it’s worth it. This is where the market is going. Let’s grab it. Let’s lead it.”

Lyons also cited the rise in the desire for functional foods – foods with potentially positive effects on health beyond basic nutrition. He suggested that farmers rethink their roles. “Are we in the poultry or pork business....or are we really in the human wellness industry?”

Becky Timmons¸ global director of applications research and quality for Alltech, also spoke at the closing session with a fascinating look at “overlooked agricultural workers” – bees and microbes. Bees, with their ability to pollinate ecosystems, are key to closing the agricultural yield gap that humans will face by 2050 as the population reaches 9 billion people.

One out of every three bites that Americans take is affected, directly or indirectly, by bees, and bees create an estimated $15 billion in agricultural crop value each year in the United States. Unfortunately, since 2006, beekeepers are losing about one third of their colonies per year – likely due to the overuse of pesticides, as well as the rise of monocropping and urbanization, Timmons said. Bees’ environments have changed and food sources have become limited as a result.

bee (Photo credit: staflo)

“Is the best way to increase our yields to spread chemicals, or should we be looking at the things that are already in the plants or the soil that are playing a role?” Timmons asked. “We really need to be looking at natural solutions.”

The natural solutions are in the soil in the form of microbes. Microbes are necessary for acquiring nutrients by creating enzymes that can break materials down in the soil and by producing antibiotics that eliminate pathogens in the soil, toxins that deter pests, and hormones that help plants grow. The bee population loss can be mitigated through limiting the use of pesticides and by planting more wildflowers, hedges, and trees.

Founder and president of Alltech Dr. Pearse Lyons wrapped up the 30^th Annual Symposium, asking delegates “What did you learn? Will it transform you? There are so many ideas and yet so little time.”

The bars of “Climb Every Mountain” began to play as images of the outdoors flashed on the screen while vocalist Cynthia Lawrence sang the powerful song. As Dr. Lyons stood with his children Dr. Mark Lyons and Dr. Aoife Lyons on stage, he called them “his two dreamers,” and noted, “You need to associate yourself with people who can make things happen...Think of your dream and what we can do.”

Drawing more than 2,000 attendees from 60 countries across the globe to Lexington, Kentucky, Alltech’s 30^th Annual International Symposium is one of the world’s leading events in agribusiness.

 The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

23/05/14: Cargill enters Turkish oils & fats market through Turyağ acquisition

Cargill is acquiring Turyağ’s integrated plant (crush, refinery) along with a sales and manufacturing organization, related B2B brands and recipes, all IP and know-how.

This acquisition is driven by Cargill’s ambition to grow in the fats and oils area in Turkey

Cargill has signed an agreement to acquire Turyağ, a Turkish fats and oils company employing more than 200 people. The acquisition will allow Cargill to grow its food ingredient activities in Turkey and to expand its portfolio with oils and fats to better serve its customers in Turkey and beyond.

The acquisition will include integrated crush and refinery assets, sales and manufacturing organizations, related B2B brands, intellectual property and know-how, and more than 200 people currently employed by Turyağ. Excluded from the transaction are the retail business and consumer brands.

Murat Tarakçıoğlu, president of Cargill in Turkey said: “The acquisition of Turyağ will help Cargill create value for our customers in Turkey. It will diversify our product offering and portfolio, enabling us to build stronger partnerships with global, regional and local customers.”

Today, Cargill is a major player in Turkey with a strong position in the food space and particularly in starches and sweeteners. Tarakçıoğlu commented: “The acquisition provides our customers with additional opportunities in the oils and fats space and enhances our long term view for developing our business in the Middle East, Turkey and North Africa.”

The transaction is still subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the coming weeks.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

23/05/14: Kemin publishes Total Nutrition™, Lipid Digestion and Absorption in Animal Nutrition

Total Nutrition™, Lipid Digestion and Absorption in Animal Nutrition is comprised of innovative papers written by leading industry and academic experts in animal nutrition. The second book in Kemin Industries’ Total Nutrition series provides an accurate understanding of lipid nutrition, digestion, absorption and quality for nutritionists, feed and animal producers.

(Photo credit: RDECOM)

“Published at a time when the industry is facing numerous challenges related to lipids, the book aims to provide insights and strategies for how to optimize lipid digestion to ultimately improve profitability,” said John Springate, president of the animal nutrition and health division of Kemin. “The demand for meat is projected to rise by nearly 40 percent in the next 20 years, further emphasizing the need to improve feed efficiencies. A better understanding of lipid nutrition can assist with this challenge.”

Today, the feed industry is confronted with a wide variety of lipid sources, and similar to many raw materials, these sources are prone to large variations in their nutritive value, which can negatively affect animal production. In addition, the rising costs of oils and fats pose a challenge to nutritionists and producers, making it important to improve lipid digestion in a cost-effective manner.

“Both of these challenges amplify the need for a correct understanding of the different factors that influence lipid nutrition,” said Springate. “In addition to knowledge from leading authorities, this publication taps into the advanced solutions and services Kemin provides.”

Kemin offers nutritionists accurate and informed lipid testing services that include the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) values and oxidative status and potential in order to improve applications and combat unwanted variations of oils and fats in animal nutrition.

In addition, the company provides LYSOFORTE®, which, in combination with an antioxidant program, has been shown to reduce nutritional energy differences and enhance the utilization of energy from oils and fats leading to improved feed conversion ratios and lower production costs.

The papers in this book provide information on lipid nutrition including how Kemin can be a partner in lipid quality and absorption. More information on the book can be found May 21-22 during VIV Europe in Utrecht, The Netherlands at booth 10A058, or by contacting Tin Marien at tin.marien@kemin.com or 32 14 28 62 60.

Table of Contents:

1. Agriculture in the world - general outlook
    Dr. Tom Verleyen - Kemin Europa N.V., Belgium

2. Oils and fats in non-ruminant animal nutrition
    Prof. Julian Wiseman - School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, UK

3. Improving lipid utilization in poultry diets: challenges and possibilities
    V. Ravindran - Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, New Zealand

4. Optimised fat metabolism in monogastric production animals through nutrition
    Prof. Geert Janssens - Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, University of Ghent, Belgium

5. LYSOFORTE®: a flexible tool in animal nutrition
    Dr. Mauro Di Benedetto, DVM - Dr. Georgios Papadopoulos - Kemin Europa N.V., Belgium

6. How do we evaluate peroxidation of feed fats?
    Dr. Jerry Shurson - Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

23/05/14: Perten Instruments joins the Industry 4.0 (r)evolution by the release of the Process Plus software for our range of process instruments

Perten Instruments AB of Stockholm, Sweden, announced today that it is releasing a new and innovative software platform for Diode Array based process instruments.

Perten Instruments rise to the challenge posed by the ever continued evolution towards seamless integration in a modern industrial automation environment by the release of its Process Plus package.

The Process Plus will be used on all our process instruments and will replace earlier instrumentation software. The primary user advantages with Process Plus include the web based user interface that makes displays accessible from any device with a web browser anywhere in the process. It also includes features for quick and easy download of data and support for a range of other integration options, including legacy OPC DA, fieldbus integration, SQL connectivity and analogue I/O.

Process Plus is a cyber physical system component, and can run completely independent of physical installation location. The Process Plus can be installed on a stand-alone PC or lap-top or in a virtual machine in a customer server. This enables effortless IT management by making updates and back-ups part of the local IT regime.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.