Dansico looks to improve starch digestion in beef cattle with new enzyme technology
Bovizyme GA is designed to help improve starch digestion in beef cattle being fed non-steam flaked corn.
“We believe that roughly half all beef cattle in the US are fed steam flaked ration,” Hamish Irving, global marketing director, Danisco animal nutrition, told us.
Cattle do not digest all the starch they consume, even when fed steam flaked corn, he explained.
“To increase the extent of starch digestion in the total tract from 90% to near 100%, most large, custom feedlots process their corn or sorghum by steam flaking the grain. Steam flaking takes time and manpower, though. It requires costly equipment and fuel. If enzymes added to the diet increase starch digestibility, the need for and cost of extensive steam flaking can be reduced,” he said.
Rumen activity
Bovizyme GA, a glucoamylase enzyme, was selected over several hundred candidates because of its ability to work well in the rumen.
“The product is active in the entire digestive tract, increasing the availability of energy from non-steam flaked corn.”
Digestion by ruminant animals begins first in the rumen where bacteria and protozoa rapidly and extensively attack and inactivate most dietary proteins, including most enzymes, said the developer.
“Hence, most dietary enzymes have limited value for ruminants. That is why it is important to select the right enzyme that will remain active in the rumen.”
Animal studies, continued Irving, have indicated that addition of Bovizyme GA to the diet will increase starch digestibility and decrease the amount of feed needed by growing-finishing cattle.
“Starch digestion is multi-step. Glucoamylase was identified for having a dual mechanism for starch degradation, whether directly breaking down starch in the digestive tract or through the breakdown of maltose via α-amylases to make glucoamylase.
“The result is increased rumen dry matter digestibility that improves rumen starch digestibility by 2-4%, delivering an improved ADG of +0.1kg/day, greater overall health and a 6:1 ROI.
“In recent performance trials with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Ohio State University (OSU), Bovizyme GA improved final BW by +2.4%.”
Irving said Danisco partnered with several beef nutritionist consultants in its target launch area in the US, they are helping the company connect its science to real-world conditions on the farm.
Middle East roll-out
In looking to bolster its standing in the ruminant markets of the Middle East, the company also launched its probiotic products, Omni-Bos P169 and Omni-Bos CB, in Egypt and Jordan.
“We aim to roll out our existing ruminant portfolio globally, and we selected Jordan and Egypt due to demand we see in those markets, and the favorable regulatory environments there,” said Irving.
The company has been selling both products in the US for over 12 years. Omni-Bos CB is also available in Australia.
Omni-Bos P169 contains a patented probiotic strain of Propionibacterium; it is aimed at improved energy balance in dairy cows to, in turn, enhance milk production and improves efficiency.
Developed for use in calf milk replacer and calf electrolytes, Omni-Bos CB contains a blend of three Bacillus probiotic strains that support the growth of beneficial bacteria and provide stability and healthy gut status during weaning process, said the developer.
