There is growing industry interest in liquid based applications, such as mold inhibitors or absorption enhancers over their dry versions, Tom Verleyen, global platform director, nutrition and LiquiSmart, animal nutrition and health, Kemin, told us.
“From our side, we see a very strong market tendency to move towards liquid applications. We see a growth rate for liquid solutions five to ten times faster than that of dry products in certain segments.
“We have several customers, located all over the world, that are moving from dry to liquid supplements because they see the benefits.
“Large mills are seeing the economies of scale and the opportunities [provided] by liquid solutions.
“Dry solutions are more cumbersome to handle, there is greater volume and they are not as easy to apply. With liquid products, you have less handling, more automation. You have also the opportunity to work with sensors and to make sure the applications are aligned according to the needs of production batches, and, in that way [they are well suited] to [the needs of] big data collection and factories of the future where applications will be fully automated.”
Soybean treatment, milling efficiency
Kemin has been rebranding its liquid supplement portfolio and service program to ensure it is in line with the needs of its customers active in either raw materials, feed milling or forages, he said.
Its liquid products for feed raw materials are aimed at preserving the quality of the oilseeds, such as soybeans, from crushing plants, ensuring soybean meal is free from Salmonella contamination; the portfolio also includes grain treatment such as liquid mold inhibitors to protect the quality of cereals and grains. Its fishmeal treatment aims at preservation of the quality of oils and microbiological quality of the meal.
The feed additive player also has a range of liquid products that look to preserve the quality of forages.
The company’s liquid products for the feed milling segment are designed to improve feed quality by reducing process variability, preventing mold, controlling Salmonella and enhancing the nutrient availability of animal feed, he said.
“On the milling side, we have a liquid version of an absorption enhancer that can be applied straight into the oil or fat fraction [as part of the feed production process] and this will lead towards faster action of the actives in the fat, enhancing absorption of nutrients from the feed by the animals.
“We also have a liquid program focused on milling efficiency. [For example,] we are able to monitor the dryness level of the feed. During the feed production process, we can bring the dryness to the desired level of the customer, through sensors that are installed in the mixer. By taking away the variation in the dryness level, the feed mill will have a much more standardized process [in terms] of producing the pelleted feed.”
Product development
Kemin will be launching a new product within its liquid supplement range. The market will see a newly improved absorption enhancer, most likely in Q2 2019, he said.
“The product is in the final phases of scale up.”
Meanwhile, it is not just about the products, said Verleyen. A team of engineers supports these liquid applications, while customer specific samples can be tested in its laboratories, and a team of Kemin technical experts can visit customers to understand their needs and make final recommendations.
