Phytase Km value the key to good product choice

Knowing the Km value of commercial phytase enzymes could be the key to enabling pig and poultry producers to make much more effective buying decisions, claims Dr Mike Bedford, research director, AB Vista.

“Km is the concentration of phytate required for the enzyme to operate at 50 percent of its maximum capacity,” he explains. “So a lower Km phytase will act sooner when phytate becomes available in the stomach following a meal, and act for longer as phytate is broken down and concentrations begin to drop.”

Increasing demand for up to 85 percent phytate breakdown – to release additional phosphorus for lower feed costs or to eliminate phytate anti-nutrient effects through superdosing – requires phytases with ever lower Km values, such as the current third generation E. coli-derived product, Quantum Blue. High Km phytases simply cease to act before phytate concentrations get this low.

“Without access to Km values, end users simply cannot differentiate between a phytase capable only of standard phosphorous release levels at 50-60 percent phytate destruction, and one capable of delivering the full benefits of phytate destruction and superdosing,” Dr Bedford adds.
More information about Quantum Blue...

Escherichia coli - Scanning Electron Microscopy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

AB Vista get awarded a product license for Finase EC

AB Vista was awarded a product license for the new product of Finase EC for use in diets for swos in Europe. It is a second generation 6-phytase from E.coli which makes phytate-bound phosphate available to the animal from raw materials of plant origin.

As a result, the product gives improved phosphate availability and further phytate-bound nutrients for sows as well as reducing the environmental impact from phosphate excreted by swine. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Yeast culture agglutinates coli and salmonella

Specialist manufacture Vi-COR has announced research results that demonstrate Celmanax is able to enhance livestock gut health. The experiments proved the ability of Celmanax Dry, Liquid and SCP to agglutinate forms of pathogenic E. coli and Salmonella species.

Mannan Oligosaccharide (MOS) showed that it is important in preventing infections by some pathogenic bacteria by agglutinating them (causing them to clump together) and preventing them from binding to the host tissue. "Experiments conducted by our microbiologist and independent laboratories prove that adding Celmanax to livestock feed can improve gut health and reduce likelihood of infections," says Mark Holt, Vi-COR president and CEO. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Living antibiotics potential for animals and humans

Researcher are testing the potential benefit of a living antibiotic for humans and animals Bdellovibrio, a predatory bacterium, has the potential to be used as a living antibiotic against some major human and animal pathogens, such as E.coli and other gram-negative bacteria.

Previous tests have shown that Bdellovibrio is very effective against other bacteria. Dr Hobley continued "We think that Bdellovibrio could be particularly useful as a topical treatment for wounds or foot rots but we wanted to know what might happen if it is ingested either deliberately as a treatment, or by accident." Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Consumer watchdogs did nothing while European Food Safety crashed

A question on everyone lips is where is the help of the consumer watchdog in protecting us from hazards. It seems they have been away, and with the issues surrounding the E-coli outbreak in Germany, where people are getting sick and dying and the so called watchdogs are silent.

In the US they have the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a government agency that acts to protect their citizens. At present the FDA has said that produce in the US "remains safe, and there is no reason for Americans to alter where they shop, what they buy and where they eat. The US food supply is not in jeopardy." Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

E. coli outbreak could trigger new rules

When a crisis happens, the outcome can have far-reaching consequences. The German E. coli outbreak that infected more than 3,000 will impact food safety rules in the United States. That's the conclusion from the 2011 International Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans.
The IFT group believes new regulations, improved surveillance and disease prevention strategies, particularly pertaining to produce, will like emerge from the crisis.

During the convention, Patrick Wall, former chair of the European Food Safety Authority, discussed the crisis. "Once you have an outbreak like this it exposes weakness," Wall says. "There's not time to fix them when an event is happening, and no one wants to give you resources when nothing is happening." Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Mycotoxins and Jejunal Hemorrhage Syndrome in beef cattle

Mouldy feed, mycotoxins and Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli colonisation associated with Jejunal Hemorrhage Syndrome (JHS) in beef cattle producing Escherichia coli (STECs) cause serious human disease outbreaks through the consumption of contaminated foods. Cattle are considered the main reservoir but it is unclear how STECs affect mature animals.

Neonatal calves are the susceptible age class for STEC infections causing severe enteritis. In an earlier study, we determined that mycotoxins and STECs were part of the disease complex for dairy cattle with Jejunal Hemorrhage Syndrome (JHS). For STECs to play a role in the development of JHS, the researchers hypothesised that STEC colonisation should also be evident in beef cattle with JHS. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Studies focus on feed ingredient's effects on levels of E. Coli O157:H7 in cattle

After corn is processed to make ethanol, what's left of the corn looks something like slightly dampened cornmeal, though a somewhat darker yellow, and not as finely ground. Known as "wet distiller's grains with solubles" (WDGS), this byproduct is sometimes used as a cattle feed ingredient.

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Clay Center, Nebraska, are studying the pros and cons of that practice. WDGS are rich in protein, and also provide calories and minerals, according to James E. Wells, a microbiologist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Filtering out pesticides With genetically modified bacteria

Genetically modified bacteria could be used in air filters to extract pesticide vapors from polluted air thanks to work by researchers in China published this month in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution. The bacteria Escherichia coli is perhaps best known as a bacterium that can cause food poisoning and in one form, the O157:H7, can damage the kidneys and even be lethal.

However, E coli, is commonly used in biological research as a model organism for a wide range of beneficial experiments. Now, researchers in China have discovered that a genetically modified form of the bacteria can be used in a biofilter to extract the toxic pesticides, parathion and methyl parathion from the air. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers