Balchen 'Reashured' with improvement to dairy cow product

Balchem Encapsulates, a business segment of Balchem Corporation, has released a feed stable version of Reashure Choline that can be used for transition and lactating cow management.

The company says that feed stable Reashure is the result of extensive research and development by Balchem and is designed to offer a more convenient, flexible product to feed manufacturers, nutritionists and farmers.

Reashure choline is described by the company as a one-of-a-kind product designed to boost health and milk production in transition and early lacation cows. It is claimed to increase milk production by up to 9 pounds (4.1kg) per cow per day.

Choline has long been used in the dairy industry, and has been seen as a valuable nutrient. But the company claims that prior to the launch of the new product, choline broke down rumen and cows were never able to digest it. The company says that its encapsulation technology protects the choline for precision delivery.

The company said that previously Reashure had to be top-dressed on the daily feed offering or blended into vitamin and mineral supplements that had at least 3 per cent moisture. With the improvement to the product, the company says that farmers can now incorporate it directly into their proprietary feed blends and can blend the product into grain mixes or protein supplements without impacting product performance.

In tests carried out by Balchen, Reashure was shown to deliver the same amount of choline needed for absorption in the intestine as previous products used. The company say that this makes Reashure a more convenient product.

"While research has shown that Reashure is the most effective product on the market to protect choline in the rumen, Balchem's efforts to improve Reashure were driven by what our customers and the feed industry needed,"​ said Dana Putnam, business manager of the Animal Nutrition and Health business at Balchem Encapsulates.

This product breakthrough stems from a modification in the company's core microencapsulation technology to more effectively protect choline during storage and feeding, said the company. Without ruminal stability, a choline supplement is unable to bypass the rumen to provide benefit to the animal.

"We are working to extend our technology's ability to solve animal problems,"​said Putnam.

The company said that research has shown that choline is linked to the reduction in ketosis, improved lactation performance in dairy cows and enhanced fertility.

For more information on the topic visit Balchem Encapsulates​.