We talked to CEO of the phytogenic feed additive producer, Markus Dedl, at EuroTier 2016 in Germany earlier this month.
Delacon, he said, is investing 10% of its annual turnover in research to boost the scientific knowledge around plant extracts.
This summer saw the Austrian company get a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on a plant based compound for use in poultry. The authorization is expected “at the beginning of 2017.”
Dedl said due to the fact the registration process takes years and is quite costly, the company applied for a zootechnical registration for BioStrong 510 encompassing digestibility and performance parameters, rather than the typical sensory additive registration route, which tends to be used more often for botanical compounds.
“It is a long and difficult process to get such an authorization, particularly in regard to botanicals. EFSA is more used to working with single substances, but not with plants.
“We had to show these products are efficient, that we proved the modes of actions, that we contribute and develop methods of analysis so that the active components can be evaluated in a repetitive way, and then show the repeatable and measurable success of this,” said Dedl.
He said the company carried out extensive trials and then put together a dossier, which “took years to compile.”
The full EFSA opinion on poultry additive can be read here.