The highest ranking story on FeedNavigator since the new year began was our report on dsm-firmench's plan to separate its animal nutrition and health unit from the rest of the business.
The carve-out of the division, announced mid-February, has raised speculation about its potential disposal in the near future, and whether it is likely to be private equity buyers or market participants that would secure such assets.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Klaus Vedfelt
A piece on the supply of palm oil caught readers' attention.
Importers of palm oil and its derivatives, such as palm kernel oil and meal, are devising strategies to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in the short term.
According to a report by the Palm Oil Transparency Coalition (POTC), which comprises businesses collaborating to eliminate deforestation and exploitation from the palm oil production sector, importers are planning to split their supply chains. Palm materials that cannot be fully traced back to their origin will be directed to regions outside the EU.
The POTC report highlights that smallholders are likely to face disadvantages and exclusion from EU supply chains as a result due to the challenges in tracing palm volumes back to individual plantations.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Anton Skripachev
A story about how scientists from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences hit upon a ground-breaking protein innovation method using methanol derived from coal ranked well in our leaderboard.
Despite being a global leader in pig and aquaculture production, China faces a significant protein resource shortage, and the country actively seeks alternative, cost-effective approaches to secure a stable protein supply.
Led by Professor Wu Xin, Chinese researchers turned to biotechnological synthesis to address this challenge. After exploring various pathways, the team homed in on industrial fermentation using methanol from coal as a raw material—a cost-effective alternative to traditional protein biosynthesis.
Coal is turned into methanol via gasification. A specific strain of Pichia pastoris yeast is then used to ferment the methanol to produce a single-cell protein. This method boasts a dry cell weight and crude protein content of 120g/liter and 67.2%, respectively.
The microbial proteins produced through this method have a robust amino acid profile, along with vitamins, inorganic salts, fats, and carbohydrates, claimed the researchers.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Monty Rakusen
Also ranking high in our most popular stories list was a report on an Italian microalgae project.
Natural astaxanthin commands a premium price tag, primarily attributed to slow growth rates, cultivation challenges, and the expensive extraction processes involved. However, an initiative, Asteasier, led by researcher Matteo Ballottari from the University of Verona, Italy, aims to transform astaxanthin production.
The participants in this consortium project are confident about the potential of two microalgae strains to offer a faster, more economical, and simpler method of astaxanthin production.
Feed trials in collaboration with project partner, BioMar, will evaluate the incorporation of the biomass produced from the strains into specialized feed formulations tailored for salmon production.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Andruso
A piece on Finnish insect ingredient producer, Volare, securing an offtake agreement with Skretting proved popular as well with our audience.
The aqua feed company has committed to buying a “substantial” volume of products from Volare’s first commercial scale Black Soldier Fly (BSF) factory, which it will start building in Finland this year.
“This is a significant step for insect meal inclusion in aquafeeds, especially Norwegian salmon feeds,” says Jarna Hyvönen, Volare’s chief operating officer (COO), who was unable to disclose the percentage volumes sold as per the offtake deal.
Given that around 75% percent of the salmon farming carbon footprint arises from feed, and 95% of the feed footprint originates from raw materials, partnerships are essential for industry-wide change, claim the collaborators.
"We are constantly looking for novel sustainable raw materials, and this is a welcome addition to our current supply of insect meal. We need more volume,” says Erling Johansen, purchasing manager for special ingredients at Skretting Norway.
Photo credit: GettyImages/fotostorm
There was significant interest in the story about Adisseo strategically consolidating its French Dl-methionine production at the Roches-Roussillon industrial platform in the Isère region.
The producer announced in January that methionine production at its site in Commentry, inactive since October 2022 due to challenging economic conditions, would not recommence.
Located in the Auvergne region, Commentry is the group's only multi-product site. Up until October 2023, the facility was manufacturing methionine powder (Rhodimet), coated methionine (Smartamine) and vitamins (Microvit).
In announcing a temporary shutdown of that site’s methionine powder unit last year, Adisseo cited the higher energy and raw material costs, as well as demand stagnation. The supplier had recorded long-term contract cost increases of +26% for propylene, +13% for methanol and +78% for sulphur compared to the year prior.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Martin Barraud
The article on Ÿnsect getting the nod to commercialize mealworm proteins in dog food whet readers' appetite.
In January, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), following two years of evaluation, granted Ÿnsect the first authorization for the commercialization of defatted mealworm proteins in the US.
Photo credit: GettyImages/JoopS
Fishmeal price fluctuation is an issue that remains top of mind for the industry. And a report on that very topic, published in early February, garnered your attention.
Last year was marked by severe shortages of fishmeal and fish oil, with supply constraints intensifying during the initial six months of 2023 but last month, Gorjan Nikolik, senior analyst in seafood at Rabobank, told us that enhanced fishmeal supply is likely to contribute to the normalization of prices this year.
The second Peruvian anchovy fishing season, spanning from November 2023 to January 2024, saw a catch rate of 75%, already prompting a corrective impact on fishmeal and fish oil prices. Nikolik anticipated a more substantial correction in these raw material prices to materialize in April.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Dilok Klaisataporn
Also featuring in the Top 10 most read stories since January was an article about a tie-up between precision fermentation technology company, Bond Pet Foods, and US major, Hill's Pet Nutrition.
Bond said the move represented a major milestone toward it commercializing its fermentation technology for pet food applications.
Bond sources DNA extracted from a blood sample from a live chicken, and then, using a fermentation process, the company’s R&D experts combine that DNA with yeast and put into a fermentation tank, where it is fed sugars, vitamins, and minerals. Once it reaches a certain density and composition, the fermented meat protein is dried and ground into a powder.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Yagi Studio
A story about German agricultural and food associations collectively voicing concern about obstacles hindering seamless implementation of the EUDR came in at number 10 in our most read stories ranking.
Deutscher Verband Tiernahrung (DVT), representing the German feed industry, was one of the industry bodies expressing deep apprehension.
As the transition period for the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) approaches its end in a matter of months, these key players in the agricultural and food industry argued that the new rules, aimed at ensuring products are sourced without contributing to deforestation, are largely unimplementable, as things stand.
They highlighted a series of hurdles, which they say leave market participants grappling with a plethora of unresolved questions.
Photo credit: GettyImages/akinbostanci
