RU2778084C2 - Products protected from cleavage in rumen - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: composition for feeding a ruminant animal contains a) a core containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from a list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives, and/or amino acid salts, and/or their derivatives, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins or substances with similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic food products, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives, and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their salts and/or derivatives, and b) coating surrounding the specified core, where the specified coating contains one or more layers of a mixture containing saturated fat and fatty acid, while the specified coating contains from 70 wt.% to 80 wt.% of +/-10% saturated fat, and from 20 wt.% +/-10% to 30 wt.% of fatty acid, while the amount of each component is given per the total weight of coating, where the composition contains from 20 wt.% +/-10% to 30 wt.% +/-10% of coating per the total weight of the composition. A method for the production of this composition is also proposed. Feed for feeding a ruminant animal, containing this composition, is proposed. Feeding material for feeding a ruminant animal, containing this composition, is also proposed. A premix based on a feeding additive for feeding a ruminant animal, containing this composition, is proposed. A method for the supplementation of the diet of a ruminant animal with a biologically active ingredient includes a stage of provision of a ruminant animal with this composition, and/or feed, and/or feeding material, and/or a premix based on a feeding additive.

EFFECT: inventions allow for the provision of a composition for feeding a ruminant animal, which allows for the provision of a ruminant animal with as much metabolizable amount of a biologically active ingredient as possible.

17 cl, 4 tbl, 4 ex

Description

The present invention relates to a composition for feeding a ruminant containing a biologically active ingredient and a coating surrounding the biologically active ingredient, a method for its preparation, a feed containing a composition in accordance with the present invention, and a method for supplementing the diet of a ruminant with a biologically active ingredient in the composition or compound feed in accordance with the present invention.

Ruminants are mammals of the suborder Ruminantia, which includes the well-known cattle, sheep and goats. They have a stomach divided into four morphologically distinct sections: scar, reticulum, booklet, and abomasum. The scar and mesh originate from the terminal part of the esophagus, while the book and abomasum are considered to be the true stomach. The bacteria present in the rumen allow ruminants to digest cellulosic materials such as grass. Common digestion takes place in the abomasum, sometimes called the true stomach.

The rumen, which is essentially a continuous fermenter, provides a variety of microorganisms that break down and digest most of the ingested feedstuffs consumed by the ruminant as part of their normal life cycle. The absorbed protein material is broken down in the rumen into soluble peptides and amino acids, which are used by microorganisms as nutrients. The flow of rumen contents, rich in microorganism cells, exits the rumen into the book. The function of the book is to separate liquids and solids. Most of the fluid returns to the rumen, while the rest of the material enters the abomasum. Digestion and absorption then continue in the abomasum in a manner similar to that found in monogastric. Enzymes secreted into the abomasum cavity digest most of the material, including microbial cells. Digested microbial cells provide the ruminant with protein and amino acids.

The action of rumen micro-organisms has the great advantage of being able to convert many feed components that have no direct nutritional value to the host into products that can be digested and used by the host. For example, cellulose can be converted into a mixture of volatile fatty acids that can serve as an energy source for the host.

Unfortunately, this action of microorganisms also has some disadvantages. For example, soluble proteins with high nutritional value can be broken down and digested in the rumen and partially resynthesized into microbial protein with lower nutritional value. Amino acids are also chemically altered by rumen microorganisms, which convert the amino acids into carbon dioxide, volatile fatty acids, and ammonia.

All proteins present in animals are made up of combinations of more than 20 different amino acids. Among them, ten essential amino acids are not synthesized properly in the animal body, and the animal must absorb them. These ten amino acids are also called essential or growth-limiting amino acids. When there is a lack of essential amino acids in the diet of a ruminant, it adversely affects the health, milk production of the ruminant, and the like.

Therefore, it is a common practice in the breeding of ruminants to add biologically active ingredients to the daily diet of animals in order to improve their health and their production efficiency. Active ingredients of interest include amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates, probiotic microorganisms, prebiotic foods, mineral salts, choline, guanidinoacetic acid, and the like. Some of these ingredients are already present in animal feed products. Sometimes the amount of essential active ingredients present in the diet may be insufficient or deficient to cope with deficiency states or high performance situations. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully formulate or supplement the daily diet of ruminants in order to address these problems.

However, when physiologically active ingredients such as amino acids and proteins are orally fed, a significant portion of the ingredient, such as proteins and amino acids, is degraded by microorganisms in the rumen. This makes it difficult or even impossible for the animal to effectively use all or significant amounts of the introduced proteins and amino acids contained in the feed, and the like. Accordingly, essential amino acids are destroyed or converted and thus become unavailable for animal growth and livestock production in general. However, animal production is limited to the addition of single amino acids, which must exit the rumen or pass through the rumen intact and reach the animal's lower gastrointestinal tract where they can be absorbed and made available for animal production. Accordingly, it is important that the biologically active ingredients pass through the rumen without being degraded by microorganisms in order to allow the biologically active ingredients to be efficiently digested and absorbed in the abomasum and subsequent digestive tract.

Numerous techniques have been developed to increase the amount of nutrient that passes through the rumen without being degraded by the rumen microflora, thereby delivering the majority of that nutrient to the lower gastrointestinal tract, including: heat and chemical treatments, encapsulation and coating, use of amino acid analogs and polymer compounds of amino acids.

For example, US Pat. No. 3,541,204 discloses hydrogenated vegetable and animal fats and waxes as coatings for biologically active substances. US Pat. Nos. 5,496,571 and 5,807,594 each disclose a process for encapsulating choline to provide a ruminant ruminant supplement. In the process disclosed in these patents, the choline particles are surrounded by a sheath of fat. Additionally, US Pat. No. 6,022,566 also discloses the preparation of encapsulated choline chloride by adding fat to the feed ration and then adding rumen-protected encapsulated choline chloride in an amount proportional to the added fat. However, particles that have been coated only with fats and oils are stable not only in the rumen, but also in the abomasum and subsequent digestive tract, which makes it difficult to release biologically active substances in the abomasum and subsequent digestive tract.

US Pat. No. 3,655,864 discloses ruminant dietary supplements having a coating mixture of glyceryl tristearate with a liquid unsaturated fatty acid that is rumen resistant but capable of post-rumen absorption from the lower digestive tract. Specifically, this document discloses feed additives with a fairly high coating content of approximately 80 wt. % in terms of the total weight of the feed additive. Therefore, a disadvantage of the feed additives of US Pat. No. 3,655,864 is that the amount of biologically active compound that is absorbed post scar in the lower digestive tract is rather small.

Additionally, US Pat. No. 4,808,412 discloses a rumen resistant composition comprising an active agent molecularly dissolved with a base polymer. The active agent is delivered post scar because the polymer is stable to a pH greater than about 5 but is soluble or swellable at a pH of less than about 3.5. However, this type of dispersion has a defect such as cracks and channels, so that the active agent is not effectively protected from degradation by rumen microorganisms.

US Published Application 2007/0148212 A1 discloses a ruminant feed additive composition in which the biologically active agent is coated with a coating composition that allows the agent to be stably protected in the rumen and released into the abomasum and/or subsequent digestive tract. However, the products disclosed in US 2007/0148212 A1 contain only a small amount of biologically active substance and a large amount of coating material. As a consequence, the amount of active substance that is released from the products disclosed in US 2007/0148212 A1 in the lower digestive tract and absorbed there still leaves room for improvement.

US Published Application 2012/0093974 A1 discloses a ruminant feed composition containing an active agent and a coating material surrounding said active agent, wherein said coating material is a hydrogenated vegetable oil with 5 to 10 wt. % additional fatty acid based on the total weight of the coating. However, it cannot be proven by tests to determine the rumen pathway and intestinal digestibility that the coating material disclosed in this document actually provides an active substance with the required rumen stability and the required gastrointestinal digestibility. The reason for this is that the scar passage protocol disclosed in US 2012/0093974 A1 was performed with bags that were completely or almost completely filled with test product particles. As a consequence, the test product particles were tightly packed into the bags in such a way that only the outer test products at the periphery of the bags were susceptible to degradation, while the inner test products were not in direct contact with the rumen fluid. In contrast, the intestinal digestibility protocol was performed with bags that contained only 4% by weight of the test product particles used to perform the rumen passage protocol. However, this rather loose packaging facilitates the release of the active substance from the test product particles. Accordingly, each of the rumen pathway and intestinal digestibility of the product disclosed in US 2012/0093974 A1 was determined under fully defined conditions and thus the respective results are not appropriate to describe the same product. Rather, the large difference between the rumen-passage protocol and the intestinal digestibility protocol only leads to the conclusion that products according to the technical specification in US 2012/0093974 A1 do not provide the necessary digestibility of the active ingredients and, therefore, do not provide ruminant with the required amount of the metabolizable biologically active ingredient.

US Published Application 2017/0216208 A1 discloses compositions for ruminants with a core containing a biologically active compound and a layer covering the core. The compositions may contain two layers, where the first layer contains a polymer, such as ethyl cellulose (EC), and an optional oligomer, such as an oligomer based on 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid, and the second layer around the first layer contains a hydrophobic material containing, for example, cured soybean oil and stearic acid. However, release rates of the bioactive compound from compounds in the rumen and in the lower digestive tract still leave room for improvement.

The term "metabolizable amount of biologically active ingredient M(BAI)" is used in the context of the present invention to refer to the fraction of biologically active ingredient in grams per kg, which was released post-rumen from the test composition in the abomasum and small intestine of a ruminant animal and, thus, can be metabolized or used by animals. Accordingly, the term "metabolizable amount of biologically active ingredient" is the fraction of biologically active ingredient in grams per kg, which was released post scar from the test composition and is metabolized.

Accordingly, there is still a need for a ruminant nutrition composition that allows the ruminant to be provided with as much metabolizable amount of the biologically active ingredient as possible.

It has been found that this problem is solved by coating the biologically active ingredient with a specific coating material containing from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, with the amount of each component given in terms of the total weight of the coating, and thus the resulting composition contains from 5 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

The coating according to the invention not only makes it possible to obtain large fractions protected from rumen degradation, but also makes it possible to obtain high digestibility. Thus, in combination, the coating in accordance with the present invention allows to obtain large metabolizable amounts of biologically active ingredient.

Therefore, one aspect of the present invention is a composition for feeding a ruminant containing

a) a core containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from the list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives and/or amino acid salts and/or derivatives thereof, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins and ingredients having similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic foods, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives, and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and its salts and/or derivatives, and

b) a coating surrounding said core, where said coating contains one or more layers of a mixture containing saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and a fatty acid, and said coating contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, while the amount of each component is given in terms of the total weight of the coating, where the composition contains from 5 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

In the context of the present invention, the term "fat" is used to refer to fatty acid esters with the alcohol glycerol, which are also known as glycerides. As a rule, fats are triglycerides, i.e. esters formed by three fatty acids with glycerol, where all three alcohol groups of glycerol are esterified. In the context of the present invention, the term "fat" and, in particular, the terms "saturated fat", "hydrogenated fat", "saturated vegetable oil" and "hydrogenated vegetable oil" also include monoglycerides and/or diglycerides, where only one or two alcohol groups glycerol esterified. With regard to the composition itself, the term "fat" is used in the context of the present invention, as is known to a person skilled in the art, and therefore it means a commercially available fat containing in any case less than 5%, preferably not more than 3% free fatty acids, t .e. fatty acids that are not part of the ester (in this context reference is made to Fats and Fatty OiIs, Chapter 6.2 Deacidification, page 32 in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, 2015).

In the context of the present invention, the term "saturated fat", such as "hydrogenated fat", is used to refer to a fat in which the fatty acid chains contain predominantly single bonds. The term "saturated fat" also includes hydrogenated fats in which hydrogen has reacted at all or most of the double bonds that were or may have been present in the fat to form single bonds. They are called hydrogenated because the second bond is broken and each half of the bond is attached to (saturated with) a hydrogen atom. Most animal fats are saturated fats. Plant and fish fats are generally unsaturated. Such unsaturated fats may be partially or fully hydrogenated to enable them to be converted to hydrogenated fats, which are also considered saturated fats in the present invention. Hydrogenated vegetable oil typically contains triglycerides of a mixture of saturated fatty acids with various chain lengths. In addition, the hydrogenated vegetable oil may also contain monoglycerides or diglycerides. In addition, the term "saturated fat" also includes those saturated fats that are obtained by fractional distillation of a mixture of different fats, such as a mixture of unsaturated and saturated fats.

In the context of the present invention, the term "fatty acid" is used, as is known to the person skilled in the art, and it means a carboxylic acid with a long C ₄ -C ₂₈ aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Said fatty acid may be branched or straight, but preferably it is straight.

In the context of the present invention, the term "+/-10%" in relation to the weight indicator or weight percent or weight. % is used to cover all weight values from 10% below the exactly specified values to 10% above the exactly specified value, where the specified weight values include all values that can be expressed in integers and real numbers. For example, the term "60 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 54 wt. % up to 66 wt. %, in particular 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66 wt. %, and the term "40 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 36 wt. % up to 44 wt. %, in particular 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 wt. %. For example, "the term 80 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 72 wt. % up to 88 wt. %, in particular 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87 and 88 wt. %, and the term "20 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 18 wt. % up to 22 wt. %, in particular 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 wt. %. For example, "the term 75 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 67.5 wt. % to 82.5 wt. %, in particular 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 and 77 wt. %, and the term "25 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 22.5 wt. % to 27.5 wt. %, in particular 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 wt. %. For example, "the term 70 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 63 wt. % up to 77 wt. %, in particular 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 and 77 wt. %, and the term "30 wt. % +/-10%" includes all integer and real numbers from 27 wt. % up to 33 wt. %, in particular 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 wt. %. Any indications of weight or weight percentage also indicate that the present invention also covers (small) deviations from the specified or covered values, which, however, still lead to essentially the same effect as the present invention. This is especially important for hydrogenated fat in general, since the fat from which hydrogenated fat is derived is a natural product with varying quality and composition, whether it is animal fat or vegetable oil, natural, synthetic or fractionated animal or vegetable oil.

In principle, the present invention does not have any restrictions on the amount of saturated fat contained in the coating according to the present invention. Therefore, said coating may contain one or more saturated fats. Analogue representation, the present invention also does not have any limitation regarding the amount of fatty acids contained in the coating according to the present invention. Therefore, said coating may contain one or more fatty acids.

In the context of the present invention, the term "biologically active ingredient" is used to refer to any compound that has a functional or nutritional activity in relation to a biological system, such as an animal body, in particular a ruminant animal, such as cattle, sheep or goat. Typically, the biologically active ingredient exhibits low stability and thus reduced bioeffectiveness or even loss of bioeffectiveness when exposed to adverse conditions such as moisture, elevated temperature, oxygen and acidic and/or basic pH. If the biologically active ingredient is exposed to such conditions, it is capable of, for example, decomposing, dissociating, deactivating and/or losing effectiveness. The term "active ingredient" therefore refers, for example, to i) amino acids such as lysine, methionine, tryptophan, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, valine and threonine, amino acid derivatives such as N-acylamino acids, for example N-acylmethionine, and N-guanylamino acids, for example N-guanylglycine, also known as guanidinoacetic acid, and/or amino acid salts, such as lysine sulfate, lysine hydrochloride, and lysine salts with polyunsaturated fatty acids and/or their derivatives, such as calcium 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butyric acid salt, also known as the calcium salt of the hydroxyanalogue of methionine (calcium-MHA), ii) proteins such as casein, corn proteins and potato proteins, iii) peptides such as oligopolypeptides such as methionylmethionine (met-met), and/or polypeptides, iv) carbohydrates such as starch, cane sugar and glucose, v) vitamins and ingredients having similar functions such as vitamin A, vitamin A acetate, pa Vitamin A Lmitate, Vitamin B, Thiamine, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Nicotinic Acid, Nicotinic Acid Amide, Calcium Pantothenate, Choline Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Choline Chloride, Cyanocobalamin, Biotin, Folic Acid, P-Aminobenzoic Acid, Vitamin D2, Vitamin D3 and vitamin E, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic foods, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives, and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as omega-3 fatty acids, e.g. alpha-linolenic acid (ALA ), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and their salts and/or derivatives.

Preferably, the biologically active ingredient of the composition according to the present invention is an amino acid such as lysine, methionine, tryptophan, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, valine and threonine, an amino acid derivative such as N-acylamino acid, for example N-acylmethionine, and N-guanylamino acid, e.g. N-guanylglycine, also known as guanidinoacetic acid, and/or an amino acid salt such as lysine sulfate, lysine hydrochloride and salts of lysine with polyunsaturated fatty acids and/or derivatives thereof, such as 2-hydroxy calcium salt -4-(methylthio)butyric acid, also known as the calcium salt of methionine hydroxy analog (calcium-MHA), or a peptide such as an oligopolypeptide such as methionylmethionine (met-met) and/or polypeptides. In particular, the biologically active ingredient of the composition according to the present invention is lysine, methionine, guanidinoacetic acid, methionylmethionine (met-met), a derivative and/or salt thereof.

The composition in accordance with the present invention, and in particular its specific coating, provides a high fraction of the biologically active ingredient, protected from degradation in the rumen, as well as high digestibility of the biologically active ingredient. As a consequence, the composition according to the present invention provides the ruminant with a greater amount of metabolizable biologically active ingredient than prior art products. In particular, the composition in accordance with the present invention, which contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% hydrogenated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid allows to provide the ruminant with a metabolizable amount of lysine, which is not more than 400 g/kg in terms of pure lysine substance. In comparison, products according to the specification in US 2012/0093974 A1 provide the ruminant with a metabolizable amount of lysine from 300 g/kg to no more than 320 g/kg, based on the pure substance lysine. Accordingly, the compositions of the present invention provide the ruminant with at least 25% more metabolizable lysine than the products disclosed in US 2012/0093974 A1.

In the context of the present invention, the terms "rumen-protected product" or "rumen-protected composition" are used to refer to the fraction of the biologically active ingredient that is protected from degradation in the rumen, for example by rumen microorganisms. Since fat is not degraded in the rumen, the so-called McDougall method is considered to be a suitable method for determining this fraction.

The McDougall method is a 3-step in vitro test that mimics the release rates of biologically active ingredients in three different parts of the ruminant's digestive tract: rumen, abomasum, and small intestine. To this end, the tests are carried out according to a three-stage incubation procedure: in the first stage, the conditions in the rumen, which are temperature and pH, are simulated by the use of MacDougall's buffer, in the second stage, the conditions in the abomasum are simulated by the use of hydrochloric acid and pepsin, and in the third stage, the conditions in the small intestine is mimicked by the use of pancreatin and a suitable buffer to adjust the pH to 8. Unlike ruminant compartments containing strains of microorganisms that continuously produce fresh enzymes, the media in each of the three stages of in vitro testing does not contain any strain of microorganisms, and contains only the specified enzymes in the initially added amounts. In vitro tests may be carried out according to the following procedure, where different amounts of ingredients may be used, as specified, provided that the respective ratios remain the same.

To obtain McDougall's buffer, the following substances are weighed into a 10 liter bottle:

- _NaHC03 98 g (1.17 mol) - Na ₂ HPO ₄ ⋅ 2 H ₂ O 46.3 g (0.26 mol) - NaCl 4.7 g (0.08 mol) - KCl 5.7 g (0.08 mol) - CaCl ₂ ⋅ 2 H ₂ O 0.4 g (2.7 mmol) - MgCl ₂ ⋅ 6 H ₂ O 0.6 g (3.0 mmol)

250 ml of McDougall's buffer solution is poured into a 1000 ml Scott flask. Add 5 grams of test substance, i.e. compositions in accordance with the present invention, with a specific biologically active ingredient and the flasks are shaken at 100 rpm in a laboratory shaker (Innova 40, New Brunswick Scientific) at 39°C. After 6 hours, the contents of the flasks are carefully filtered, washed with 50 ml of cold water and directly transferred to a second flask containing 250 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid, pH 2, which contains a small amount of pepsin. After a 2 hour incubation period at 39°C, the product is carefully filtered off again, washed with 50 ml of ambient temperature water and transferred successively to a third flask containing a freshly prepared solution containing 14.4 mg tri(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, 56.2 mg NaCl, 231 mg phosphatidylcholine, 60 mg Triton-X-100, 240 mg Na taurocholate, 300 mg CaCl ₂ x 2H ₂ O, and 120 mg pancreatin (≥8 USP lipase units/mg). After shaking for 24 hours, the product is filtered off, washed again with cold water and dried at 40° C. overnight. The residual product after each of steps 1 and 3 is weighed and the weight loss is considered as the loss of biologically active ingredient. Alternatively, or in addition, it is also possible to determine the loss of the biologically active ingredient using photometric methods, for example ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy, high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) or titration methods.

The calculation of the fraction of biologically active ingredient (BAI) released in the rumen is carried out according to the following formula:

fraction of BAI released in the rumen [%] = ((initial BAI [g] - residual BAI after ^MacDougall step 1 [g]) / (initial BAI [g])) × 100%.

Example: Initial BAI = 5.0 g;

residual amount of BAI after the ^1st stage = 4.2 g.

BAI fraction released in the rumen [%] = ((5.0 g - 4.2 g) / (5.0 g)) × 100% = 16%.

The rumen protected (RP) fraction of the biologically active ingredient RP (BAI) was obtained using the following formula:

RP(BAI) [%] = 100% - BAI fraction released in the rumen [%].

Example: BAI fraction released in the rumen = 16%.

RP(BAI) [%] = 100% - 16% = 84%.

In the context of the present invention, the term "digestibility" is used to refer to the fraction of the biologically active ingredient that is released post-rumen and thus is degraded in the abomasum and small intestine. It can be easily calculated as the difference between the total amount of biologically active ingredient and the fraction of biologically active ingredient that has not been degraded, for example in the McDougall method.

In the context of the present invention, the term "total fraction of digestible BAI [%]" is used to refer to the percentage of the initial amount of BAI [g] that is digested in all stages of the McDougall process. It can be calculated using the following formula:

total fraction of digestible BAI [%] = ((initial BAI [g] - residual BAI after ^MacDougall step 3 [g]) / (original BAI [g])) × 100%.

Example: Initial BAI = 5.0 g;

residual amount of ^BAI after stage 3 = 0.5 g.

Total fraction of digestible BAI [%] = ((5.0 g - 0.5 g) / (5.0 g)) × 100% = 90%.

The total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] can be calculated using the equation:

total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] = total fraction of digestible BAI [%] * weight of fraction of BAI in the product [g/kg].

In the context of the present invention, the term "metabolizable amount of biologically active ingredient M(BAI)" is used to refer to the fraction of biologically active ingredient in grams per kg, which was released post-rumen from the test composition in the abomasum and small intestine of a ruminant animal and, thus, can be metabolized or used by animals. Accordingly, the term "metabolizable amount of biologically active ingredient" is the fraction of biologically active ingredient in grams per kg, which was released post scar from the test composition and is metabolized. It can be calculated according to the formula:

M(BAI) [g/kg] = total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] - (1000 - RP(BAI [g/kg])) or

M(BAI) [g/kg] = total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] - fraction of BAI released in the rumen [g/kg].

The term "total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg]" is used to denote the difference between the initial amount of BAI [g/kg] and the residual amount of BAI after step 3 of the McDougall method [g/kg]. The term "BAI [g/kg] rumen-protected (RP)" is the residual amount of BAI after step 1 of the McDougall method. The fraction of BAI released in the rumen [g/kg] is the amount of BAI released in step 1 of the MacDougall method.

Experimental results have shown that very good yields for the rumen-protected BAI fraction and the total digestible BAI fraction as well as the metabolizable BAI fraction are obtained when the composition has a coating that contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid. Such a composition makes it possible to obtain a very high yield of metabolizable BAI, for example about 400 g/kg of metabolizable lysine. Additional improvements are achieved with a coating that contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 30 wt. % +/-10% up to 20 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid. Such coatings even make it possible to obtain a metabolizable BAI fraction of more than 500 g/kg of methionine, guanidinoacetic acid and methionylmethionine.

In one embodiment, the compositions in accordance with the present invention, the coating contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 30 wt. % +/-10% up to 20 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid.

As a further consequence of being a very effective coating, the present invention allows compositions to be provided with less coating material, which allows for an increased load of biologically active ingredient in the product. In particular, the coating according to the present invention makes it possible to provide products with a biologically active ingredient load of up to 75 wt. % or even 80 wt. % in terms of pure biologically active ingredient, i.e. without additives such as binder or any other additional auxiliaries. In comparison, products according to the datasheet in US 2012/0093974 A1 typically contain more than 40 wt. % coverage based on the total weight of the product. In other words, the products according to the data sheet in US 2012/0093974 A1 have a lysine sulfate load of less than 60 wt. %.

In accordance with the present invention, the composition contains from 5 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

Preferably, the composition in accordance with the present invention contains from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage in terms of the total weight of the composition, from 15 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition, from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage in terms of the total weight of the composition, from 15 wt. % +/-10% up to 25 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition or from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 25 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition. In particular, the composition in accordance with the present invention contains 15 wt. % +/-10%, 16 wt. % +/-10%, 17 wt. % +/-10%, 18% wt. % +/-10%, 19 wt. % +/-10%, 20 wt. % +/-10%, 21 wt. % +/-10%, 22 wt. % +/-10% or 23 wt. % +/-10%, 24 wt. % +/-10%, 25 wt. % +/-10%, 26 wt. % +/-10%, 27 wt. % +/-10%, 28 wt. % +/-10%, 29 wt. % +/-10% or 30 wt. % coverage, based on the total weight of the composition.

In any case, metabolizable fractions of more than 370 g/kg of biologically active ingredient were achieved when the composition contains from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

In one embodiment, the composition in accordance with the present invention contains from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

Preferably, the composition in accordance with the present invention contains from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition, where the specified coating contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 30 wt. % +/-10% up to 20 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid.

Preferably, the core of the composition according to the present invention consists of the biologically active ingredient itself. Thus, the loading of the composition according to the present invention with the biologically active ingredient can be further increased. However, there may still be cases where the core consists of more than just the biologically active ingredient itself. This is the case, for example, when additional additives are necessary in order to obtain granulates or spherical particles of the active ingredient, or when the active ingredient in its pure form is only slightly soluble in water and is therefore to be converted into its acid addition salt, such as lysine hydrochloride or hydrogen sulfate. lysine.

The specific choice of saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, can also make a valuable contribution to achieving the desired effect of large amounts of metabolizable biologically active ingredient (BAI). It has been found that the selective selection of a suitable saturated fat, eg hydrogenated fat, results in a product with a coating without disadvantages, which is considered to achieve a large fraction of BAI protected from rumen degradation. In addition, it is believed that the use of a saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, with a melting point as wide as possible, or, in other words, with a melting point range as wide as possible, in particular, allows you to obtain a product containing BAI, which provides a large fraction BAI protected from splitting in the rumen. In particular, the use of a coating material with a melting temperature range as wide as possible can make it possible to obtain compositions that do not have any defects such as cracks, breaks or other imperfections in the protective coating layer around the BAI containing core, or that have at least only a very small number of such defects. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that this effect may be based on the different melting temperatures of the components in the coating material with a wide melting temperature range: a fraction of the molten coating material with a high melting point solidifies faster than a fraction of the molten coating material low melting point coatings. Thus, it is believed that the still liquid or (very) viscous fraction is capable of filling or sealing defects in the coating during preparation of the biologically active ingredient. Substances with a wide melting point range which may be suitable for preparing the composition of the present invention are, for example, partially or fully hydrogenated fats or oils from natural fat or oil, wherein the natural fat or oil is composed of saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids. acids with different chain lengths with different degrees of saturation, while they are esterified with glycerol or contain various additives such as phospholipids, sphingolipids, cholesterol or others. An additional advantage of the coating described herein is that it provides additional nutritional value to the composition in accordance with the present invention.

Vegetable oils contain a mixture of different fats, including saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. For example, palm oil contains approximately 46% saturated fat, 46% monounsaturated fat, and 8% polyunsaturated fat, while soybean oil contains approximately 14% saturated fat, 24% monounsaturated fat, and 62% polyunsaturated fat. In addition, vegetable oils also contain many glycerides of various fatty acids, i.e. fatty acids with different chain lengths. For example, palm oil contains about 41% to about 46% palmitic acid glycerides, about 37% to about 42% oleic acid glycerides, about 8% to about 10% linoleic acid glycerides, about 4% to about 7% glycerides. stearic acid and about 2% or less other fatty acid glycerides, and soybean oil contains about 17% to about 31% oleic acid glycerides, about 48% to about 59% linoleic acid glycerides, and about 2% to about 11% glycerides linolenic acid and other fatty acid glycerides, for example from about 2% to about 11% palmitic acid glycerides and/or from 2% to 7% stearic acid glycerides. Permissible saturated fats or oils in the context of the present invention are, for example, hydrogenated vegetable oils such as palm oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil or castor oil, or hydrogenated animal fats such as beef tallow. Additional coating materials in the context of the present invention are natural waxes such as beeswax. Accordingly, the present invention is not subject to any restrictions with respect to the use of a particular hydrogenated fat, and in particular with respect to the use of a particular hydrogenated fat. However, it has been found that the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil provides compositions in accordance with the present invention with a large fraction of the biologically active ingredient, protected from degradation in the rumen. Preferably, said hydrogenated vegetable oil is fully hydrogenated.

In one embodiment, the compositions in accordance with the present invention, saturated fat contains hydrogenated fat, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, or consists of it.

In principle, the composition according to the present invention is also not subject to any restrictions regarding the amount of hydrogenated vegetable oils. Therefore, the hydrogenated fat can also be a mixture of two or more hydrogenated vegetable oils, such as two, three or even more hydrogenated vegetable oils. Suitable hydrogenated vegetable oils include hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated rapeseed oil and hydrogenated soybean oil.

Additionally, it has been found that products in accordance with the present invention, where the saturated fat is a hydrogenated fat and said hydrogenated fat is hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or hydrogenated rapeseed oil, allow the release of a large fraction of the biologically active ingredient in the small intestine. and thus allow the ruminant to be provided with a large amount of metabolizable biologically active ingredient. In this regard, it was also found that these products appeared to have a coating that was very smooth and had a uniform appearance without any defects. This is believed to be due to the wide range of melting points of various glycerides with various saturated fatty acids found in hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, and hydrogenated rapeseed oil.

In one embodiment of the composition according to the present invention, the hydrogenated fat comprises or consists of hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or hydrogenated rapeseed oil.

The product according to the present invention is not subject to any restrictions regarding the amount of fatty acids. Moreover, the product according to the present invention is also not subject to any restrictions regarding the chain length of one or more fatty acids. The most common fatty acids in hydrogenated vegetable oils such as palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or rapeseed oil are C ₁₄ -C ₂₂ carboxylic acids.

In a further embodiment of the composition according to the present invention, the fatty acid comprises or consists of a C ₁₄ -C ₂₂ carboxylic acid.

Additionally, it has been found that a fatty acid with a similar or even identical chain length as that of various fatty acids that are part of the hydrogenated vegetable oil glycerides in the coating of products according to the present invention has an advantage in terms of coating quality. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that this may be due to the good miscibility of fatty acids with similar or even identical chain lengths as those of various fatty acids that are part of the hydrogenated vegetable oil glycerides. Thus, they are able to provide a homogeneous mixture, which is believed to contribute to obtaining a smooth surface and a uniform appearance of the coating products in accordance with the present invention. Particularly preferred hydrogenated vegetable oils are palm oil and/or soybean oil. The most common fatty acids in these hydrogenated vegetable oils are C ₁₆ -C ₂₀ carboxylic acids.

In one embodiment, the compositions in accordance with the present invention, the fatty acid contains or consists of C ₁₆ -C ₂₀ carboxylic acid.

Examples of suitable C ₁₆ -C ₂₀ carboxylic acids are palmitic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, nonadecylic acid, arachidic acid and behenic acid.

Preferably, the fatty acid comprises or consists of palmitic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, nonadecylic acid, arachidic acid and/or behenic acid.

In accordance with the present invention, the saturated fat contained in the coating of the product in accordance with the present invention is a hydrogenated fat, such as a hydrogenated vegetable oil. Therefore, to further facilitate mixing of the fat with the fatty acid, it is preferred that the fatty acid in the coating is also hydrogenated or saturated.

In one embodiment, the compositions in accordance with the present invention, the fatty acid contains or consists of a saturated fatty acid.

It is believed that the fatty acids that are present in the glycerides of hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are very well miscible with hydrogenated palm oil and/or rapeseed oil, are palmitic acid, oleic acid and/or stearic acid. Optionally, these fatty acids may be substituted, for example with an alkyl group, provided this does not alter their miscibility with the hydrogenated vegetable oil.

In one embodiment, the compositions in accordance with the present invention, the fatty acid contains or consists of optionally substituted palmitic acid, oleic acid and/or stearic acid.

In a preferred embodiment, the fatty acid is stearic acid.

The coating of products in accordance with the present invention is not subject to any restrictions regarding the number of layers. It is preferable to apply more than one, for example two, three or more layers of the coating described herein to prevent or hide defects, such as cracks and pores, formed in the coating during production of products. In addition, mechanical impact on the products in accordance with the present invention during their further processing can lead to micro-slits or cracks in the outer layer. However, overlapping two or more layers greatly reduces or even avoids the risk of potential loss of the biologically active ingredient during the rumen stay of the products of the present invention. Thus, the presence of two or more layers in the coating of the products according to the present invention can also contribute to a high yield of the rumen-protected fraction of the biologically active ingredient. Preferably, each of the two or more layers of the coating has a different composition, provided that the coating as such, containing two or more layers, contains amounts of saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and fatty acid in accordance with the present invention. This allows you to optimize the outer and inner layers of the coating in relation to various conditions in the rumen and in the intestine.

In a further embodiment of the composition in accordance with the present invention, the coating comprises at least two layers, where each of the layers is characterized by a different composition of the mixture for coating.

It has been found that a coated product wherein the first or innermost coating layer that surrounds the biologically active ingredient contains more fatty acid than the second or any additional layer that surrounds the first or any other additional, i. the previous or subsequent layer provides a very high yield of both the rumen-protected BAI fraction and the total indigestible BAI fraction, as well as the metabolized BAI fraction. Without being limited by any particular theory, it is believed that this effect is due to various cicatricial, i.e. inside the scar, or post-scar, i.e. post-rumen, fatty acid solubility: fatty acid solubility is considered to be higher in post-rumen alkaline environment than in ruminal acid environment. Therefore, a larger amount of fatty acid contributes to the dissolution of the respective coating layer. Therefore, in order to provide a high degree of protection against splitting in the rumen, it is preferable that the outer layer of the coating has a relatively low fatty acid concentration. On the contrary, a higher fatty acid concentration is preferred for the inner coating layer, in particular the first coating layer, in order to facilitate its dissolution in the small intestine of the ruminant.

In yet another further embodiment of the composition in accordance with the present invention, the first coating layer surrounding the biologically active ingredient contains more fatty acid than the second or any additional layer surrounding the first or any additional, for example, previous or subsequent layer.

In the context of the present invention, the term "first coating layer" is used to refer to the layer that immediately surrounds the core containing or consisting of the biologically active ingredient and thus constitutes the innermost layer. Accordingly, the term "second coating layer" is used to refer to the layer that surrounds the first layer, and the term "any additional coating layer" is used to refer to the layer that surrounds said second or any additional, i. previous or next layer.

In particular, it was found that the composition in accordance with the present invention with two or more layers, where the first or innermost layer contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 90 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the specified layer, and the second or any additional layer contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 1 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, based on the weight of said layer, provides a very high yield of both the rumen-protected fraction and the digestible fraction, as well as the metabolizable amount of the biologically active ingredient.

In one embodiment of the composition in accordance with the present invention, the first layer contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 90 wt. % +/-10 wt. % saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer, and the second or any additional layer contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 1 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second or any additional layer.

Preferably, the composition in accordance with the present invention contains from 4 to 29 wt. % of the first layer in terms of the total weight of the composition from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 90 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer, and from 1 to 15 wt. % of the second or any additional layer in terms of the total weight of the composition from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 1 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second or any additional layer. In particular, the composition contains from 5 to 29 wt. %, from 10 to 29 wt. %, from 15 to 29 wt. % or from 20 to 29 wt. % of said first layer, and from 1 to 15 wt. %, from 1 to 10 wt. %, from 5 to 15 wt. % or from 5 to 10 wt. % of the specified second or any additional layer.

In an additional embodiment of the composition in accordance with the present invention, the first layer contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer, and the second or any additional layer contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 25 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second or any additional layer.

Preferably, the composition in accordance with the present invention contains from 4 to 29 wt. % of the first layer in terms of the total weight of the composition from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer, and from 1 to 15 wt. % of the second or any additional layer in terms of the total weight of the composition from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 25 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second or any additional layer. In particular, the composition contains from 5 to 29 wt. %, from 10 to 29 wt. %, from 15 to 29 wt. % or from 20 to 29 wt. % of said first layer, and from 1 to 10 wt. %, from 5 to 15 wt. % or from 5 to 10 wt. % of the specified second or any additional layer.

In yet another embodiment of the composition in accordance with the present invention, the first layer surrounding the non-protein nitrogen-containing compound has a greater amount of coating mixture than the second or any additional layer surrounding the first or any additional, for example, previous or subsequent layer.

It should be understood that depending on the number of coating layers applied to the core or particle containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient, the particle size in the compositions may vary to obtain a given or required particle size of the final product. Preferably, the size of the compositions according to the present invention is such that the ruminant experiences regurgitation or regurgitation after eating.

Therefore, the preferred average particle size in the compositions of the present invention ranges from about 1 mm to about 6 mm, from about 1.2 mm to about 5 mm, from about 1.2 mm to about 4 mm, from about 1 .4 mm to approximately 3 mm, approximately 1.2 mm to approximately 2.8 mm, approximately 1.4 mm to approximately 2.6 mm, approximately 1.6 mm to approximately 2.4 mm, approximately 1 .6 mm to approximately 2.2 mm or within approximately 2 mm.

It is particularly preferred that the compositions of the present invention have an average particle size of at least 2 mm, which reduces the likelihood of regurgitation or regurgitation by the ruminant after ingestion.

When obtaining a product in accordance with the present invention, it may be advantageous to add one or more additional ingredients to the coating described in this document. Illustrative non-limiting examples of such ingredients include lecithin, waxes (e.g., carnauba wax, beeswax, natural waxes, synthetic waxes, paraffin waxes, etc.), fatty acid esters, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, calcium pyrophosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate hydrates, calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, magnesium pyrophosphate, magnesium hydrogen phosphate hydrates, aluminum phosphate, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, manganese oxide, zinc oxide, sodium hydrogen carbonate and iron oxide, and mixtures thereof, and the like. The addition of one or more of these ingredients may be beneficial to further increase the fraction protected from rumen degradation and/or release and/or digestion and/or degradation of the biologically active ingredient in the abomasum and small intestine. One skilled in the art will know how to select the appropriate ingredients to achieve this goal.

Alternatively, when preparing a product according to the present invention, it may also be advantageous to add another ingredient(s) such as one or more selected from binders (e.g. cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropylcellulose, methylcellulose , sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose, vinyl derivatives such as polyvinyl alcohol or polyvinylpyrrolidone, gum arabic, guaiac gum, sodium polyacrylate, etc.), excipients (e.g., starch, proteins, crystalline cellulose, etc.), inert ingredients (e.g. , silicon dioxide and silicon compounds), regulating the flowability of substances that contribute to the formation of pellets (wheat grits, beet pulp, etc.), preservatives (propionic acid or its salt, sorbic acid or its salt, benzoic acid or its salt, dehydroacetic acid or its salts, esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid, imazalil, thia bendazole, orthophenylphenol, sodium orthophenylphenol, diphenyl and other compounds and mixtures thereof), antibacterial agent and other compounds. The person skilled in the art will be aware of methods and compounds that are suitable for achieving these goals and that are compatible with obtaining a product in accordance with the present invention.

It may also be advantageous to further enhance the nutritional value and/or therapeutic value of the product according to the present invention by adding additional feed ingredients (e.g. nutritional ingredients, veterinary or medicinal products, etc.) or other ingredients to the compositions described herein. .

For example, one or more ingredients selected from cereal products, vegetable products, animal products, proteins (for example, protein ingredients derived from sources such as dried blood or meat meal, meat and bone meal, cottonseed meal, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, sunflower seed meal, canola meal, safflower meal, dehydrated alfalfa, corn gluten meal, soy protein concentrate, potato protein, dry and sterilized animal and bird droppings, fish meal, fish and bird protein isolates, crab protein concentrate , hydrolyzed protein feather meal, poultry offal meal, egg in liquid or powder form, whey, egg albumin, casein, fish hydrolysates, cell cream, brewing waste, etc.), mineral salts, vitamins (e.g. thiamine HCl, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine HCl, Niacin, Inositol, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin B12, p-aminobenzoic acid, vitamin A acetate, vitamin K, vitamin D, vitamin E, etc.), sugars and complex carbohydrates (for example, water-soluble and water-insoluble monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides), compounds for use in veterinary (e.g., promazine hydrochloride, chlormedoniate acetate, chlortetracycline, sulfamethazine, monensin, sodium monensin, poloxalin, oxytetracycline, BOVATEC, etc.), antioxidants (e.g., butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, tertiary butylhydroquinone, tocopherols, propyl gallate, and ethoxyquin) , ingredients based on trace elements (for example, compounds of cobalt, copper, manganese, iron, zinc, tin, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, iodine, chlorine, silicon, vanadium, selenium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc.) and other compounds or ingredients may be added to the product in accordance with the present invention.

The person skilled in the art is aware of methods and ingredients that are suitable for enhancing the nutritional and/or therapeutic or medicinal value of ruminant feeds, feed materials, premixes, feed additives and supplemental feeds, and is also known to enhance the nutritional and/or therapeutic or medicinal value. the value of the product in accordance with the present invention.

In addition or alternatively, it is also possible to combine the product according to the invention with a feed, feed material or premix for feeding a ruminant. In the context of the present invention, the terms "premix" or "nutritional premix" are used as known to those skilled in the art and refer to a mixture containing one or more ingredients such as vitamins, trace elements, drugs, supplemental feeds and diluents. The advantage of using premixes is that a farmer who uses his own grain can formulate his own diets and be sure that his animals receive the recommended levels of minerals and vitamins.

Thus, another object of the present invention is a feed, feed material, feed additive or premix for feeding a ruminant containing a composition in accordance with the present invention.

Preferably, the premix additionally contains a vitamin, a trace element, additive feed extenders and/or drugs such as antibiotics, probiotics and/or prebiotics.

In fact, the application of the coating described herein around a core containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient can be carried out in accordance with any suitable methods known in the art. However, it has been found that the best way to provide the coated biologically active ingredient is by drum coating.

The term "drum mixing", as used in the context of the present invention, refers to a mixing technique in which the particles to be coated are loaded into a fixed, i.e. a fixed or non-rotating drum, and the inside of the drum is equipped with movable mixing devices, such as rotating blades, by which mixing of the particles to be coated with the coating material is achieved.

The term "drum coating" as used in the context of the present invention refers to a mixing technique in which, as opposed to drum mixing, the particles to be coated are loaded into a moving or rotating drum. Accordingly, unlike drum mixing, the drum itself ensures that the particles to be coated are mixed with the coating material.

It has been found that the use of a scar penetration agent or coating material with a melting point as wide as possible, or in other words a melting point range as wide as possible, is advantageous because it can provide compositions that do not have any defects, such as cracks, breaks or other imperfections, in the protective coating layer around the core containing or consisting of the biologically active ingredient, or which have at least only a very small number of such defects. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, this effect is believed to be based on the different melting temperatures of the components in the coating material with a wide melting temperature range: a fraction of the molten coating material with a high melting point can solidify faster than a fraction of the molten coating material low melting point coatings. Thus, it is considered that the fraction of the molten coating material with a low melting point still remains liquid or at least viscous for some period of time. Possible resulting damages in the coating layer due to cracks, fractures or disturbances can be immediately filled and covered with a still liquid fraction of the coating material with a low melting point during the coating process. Further in this document, this effect is also referred to as sealing or self-healing.

Without being limited by any particular theory, it is believed that in order to achieve the aforementioned self-healing of defects in the coating layer, i.e. filling and closing damage in the coating layer due to cracks, fractures or disturbances, the remaining liquid or (very) viscous fraction of the scar penetration agent or coating material that is on the particles in the moving particle layer is preferably directly transferred from one particle onto other particles through direct particle contact. Direct particle contact can be achieved, for example, by continuous movement of particles in a layer of particles, such as occurs in a rotating drum coater. In a rotating drum coater, the particles move continuously and, as a result, the particle is always in direct or at least intimate contact with many other particles. As a consequence, excess amounts of liquid or (very) viscous fraction of the coating mixture or coating material, which may occur locally on the surface of the particle, can be transferred by intense contact between the particles and the adhesive forces caused by this contact from one particle to another particle. , which has less coverage on its surface. It is believed that such transfer, which is direct contact of the particles with each other and the constant movement of the particles, leads to the closure and sealing of defects in the coating layer. In addition, it is believed that the constant rotation of the particles also removes unevenness from the surface of the coating on the particles and leads to the filling and reliable closing of the holes in the said coating with a liquid or (very) viscous coating material.

An additional advantage of using drum coating to produce the compositions described herein is that it allows the effective temperature of the particle bed to be adjusted as precisely as possible by controlling the amount of heat supplied and removed by continuously adjusting the incoming streams of molten coating material and optionally cooling gas. The temperature level can be increased by increasing the mass flow of the added molten coating material or, to a limited extent, by increasing the temperature of the cooling gas supplied. The temperature level can be lowered by reducing the mass flow of added molten coating material or by lowering the temperature of the cooling gas. Also, the effective temperature of the particle bed, in particular, depends on the preheating temperature of the obtained particles, i.e. cores containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient at the beginning of the coating procedure. The very effective temperature control during the coating process also contributes to the self-healing of the coating surface of the particles, in particular when using coating materials with a wide melting temperature range. It is believed that the effective temperature in drum coating first provides specific solidification of those components of the coating material that have a high melting point, and then provides a gradual solidification of those components of the coating material that have lower melting points. The low melting point fraction of the coating material remains liquid or (very) viscous when the high melting point just solidifies and thus said low melting point fraction can fill and seal cracks and holes in the coating layer of the composition according to the present invention.

An additional object is a method for obtaining a composition in accordance with the present invention, including the steps:

a) obtaining particles containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from the list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives and/or amino acid salts and/or derivatives thereof, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins and substances having similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic food products, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and its salts and/or derivatives, in a drum device for coating,

b) obtaining a mixture containing from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, with the amount of each component based on the total weight of the mixture, in the tank outside the drum coater,

c) heating the particles from step a) to a temperature in the range of 20°C below the lower melting point of the mixture from step b) to the upper limit of the melting point of the mixture from step b),

d) heating the mixture from step b) to a temperature in the range from its upper melting point to a value that is 20°C above its upper melting point,

e) applying the heated mixture from step d) to the particles from step c) in a rotary drum coater,

f) maintaining the temperature of the layer of particles obtained in step e), at a temperature in the range from a value that is 20°C below the lower limit of the melting point of the mixture of step b), to the lower limit of the melting point of the mixture of step b) and

g) cooling the composition obtained in step f) or allowing the composition obtained in step f) to cool

where steps c)-f) or c)-g) are repeated using the composition obtained in step f) or g) if the composition to be obtained has two or more layers.

In step e) of the method according to the invention, the heated mixture is preferably applied to the particles using a drop tube. This has the advantage that the heated mixture can be gently applied to the middle of the particle bed, further allowing a very uniform distribution of the heated mixture throughout the particle layer to be rapidly achieved.

The specific temperature in steps c), d) and f) can be measured using any suitable temperature measurement means, such as a thermometer or thermal imager. To measure the temperature with a thermometer or thermal imager, the thermometer or thermal imager can be pointed at the layer of particles from steps a) and c), the mixture from steps b) and d) and the layer of particles from steps e) and f), on which the mixture from step d is applied. ). In either case, the thermometer or thermal imager may be located appropriately, for example far enough away from the drip tube, to minimize or avoid any thermal effects from the coating mixture that is introduced via the drip tube.

In the context of the present invention, the term "lower melting point" is used to refer to the temperature at which the mixture, i. the coating mixture begins to melt, i. e. starts to soften. The term "upper melting point" is used in the context of the present invention to denote the temperature at which the finished mixture, i. coating mixture, melts. Together, the lower limit of the melting point and the upper limit of the melting point of the mixture, i.e. mixtures for coating, determine the melting point range of the mixture, i.e. coating mixtures.

The specific melting point of the coating mixture depends on the particular composition of the coating mixture, in particular the choice of one or more specific saturated fats, such as hydrogenated fat, and their amount, as well as one or more specific fatty acids and their amount. Determination of melting points, i.e. the lower and upper limits of the melting point, is within the normal skill of a person skilled in the art. For example, the determination of melting points, i.e. lower and upper melting point limits can be achieved by applying 1 g of the micronized coating mixture to a melting point apparatus such as a melting point apparatus according to Kofler (Wagner & Munz). Reference materials with known melting points can be used as an indicator. The lower melting point limit is defined as the temperature at which the mixture, i. the coating mixture begins to melt, i. e. when it begins to soften, and the upper limit of the melting point is defined as the temperature at which the finished mixture, i.e. coating mixture, melts.

Table 1 below lists the composition of some of the coating compositions of the present invention and their respective lower and upper melting point limits.

Table 1. Coating compositions and their lower and upper melting point limits (HRO = hydrogenated rapeseed oil, HPO = hydrogenated palm oil, SA = stearic acid).

In one embodiment of the method of obtaining in accordance with the present invention, the mixture contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 30 wt. % +/-10% up to 20 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid.

In one embodiment, the amount of the mixture in step b) and/or step d) of the production process according to the present invention is in the range of 5 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10%, from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10%, from 15 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% or from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% of the total weight of the composition to be obtained, or relative to the particles obtained in stage a). For example, when the amount of the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is in the range of 5 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% of the total weight of the composition to be obtained, the weight ratio of the particles to be coated to the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is from 70:30 to 95:5. For example, when the amount of the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is in the range of 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% of the total weight of the composition to be obtained, the weight ratio of the particles to be coated to the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is from 70:30 to 90:10. For example, when the amount of the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is in the range of 15 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% of the total weight of the composition to be obtained, the weight ratio of the particles to be coated to the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is from 70:30 to 85:15. For example, when the amount of the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is in the range of 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% of the total weight of the composition to be obtained, the weight ratio of the particles to be coated to the mixture from step b) and/or step d) is from 70:30 to 80:20.

As such, the preparation process according to the present invention is not subject to any restrictions regarding the amount of saturated fat contained in the mixture of steps b) and/or d). Therefore, said mixture may contain one or more saturated fats. Likewise, the production process according to the present invention is also not subject to any restrictions regarding the amount of fatty acids contained in the mixture of steps b) and/or d). Therefore, said mixture may contain one or more fatty acids.

Preferably, the saturated fat in the preparation mixture contains or consists of a hydrogenated fat, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Preferably, the hydrogenated fat in the mixture according to the preparation method according to the present invention comprises or consists of hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or hydrogenated rapeseed oil.

Preferably, the fatty acid in the mixture according to the preparation method according to the present invention contains or consists of a C ₁₄ -C ₂₂ carboxylic acid, in particular a C ₁₆ -C ₂₀ carboxylic acid. Preferably, the fatty acid comprises or consists of palmitic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, nonadecylic acid, arachidic acid and/or behenic acid.

Preferably, the fatty acid in the mixture according to the production method of the present invention contains or consists of a saturated fatty acid.

Preferably, the fatty acid contains or consists of optionally substituted palmitic acid, oleic acid and/or stearic acid, in particular stearic acid.

Preferably the fatty acid is stearic acid.

In one embodiment of the method of preparation in accordance with the present invention, the composition to be obtained contains at least two layers, i. Steps c)-f) or c)-g) of said production method are repeated using the product obtained in step f) or g).

In one embodiment of the preparation process according to the present invention, a mixture of steps b) and/or d) to obtain a first layer surrounding the particles, i.e. in the first run of steps c)-f) or c)-g), contains more fatty acid than in the second or any additional layer surrounding the first or any additional, for example previous or subsequent, layer, i.e. at the second or any additional run of steps c)-f) or c)-g).

In a preferred embodiment of the preparation method according to the present invention, the mixture for obtaining the first layer surrounding the particles, i.e. in the first run of steps c)-f) or c)-g), contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 90 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, based on the weight of the first layer to be obtained, and the mixture to obtain the second or any additional layer, i.e. in the second or any additional run of steps c)-f) or c)-g), contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 1 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second layer to be obtained.

Preferably, the amount of mixture for the first layer is from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 90 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer is in the range from 4 to 29 wt. % based on the weight of the composition to be obtained, and the amount of the mixture for the second or any additional layer from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 1 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second or any additional layer is in the range from 1 to 15 wt. %, based on the weight of the composition to be obtained. In particular, the composition to be obtained contains from 5 to 29 wt. %, from 10 to 29 wt. %, from 15 to 29 wt. % or from 20 to 29 wt. % of said first layer, and from 1 to 10 wt. %, from 5 to 15 wt. % or from 5 to 10 wt. % of the specified second layer.

In another preferred embodiment of the preparation method according to the present invention, the mixture for obtaining the first layer surrounding the particles, i. in the first run of steps c)-f) or c)-g), contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, based on the weight of the first layer to be obtained, and the mixture to obtain the second or any additional layer, i.e. in the second or any additional run of steps c)-f) or c)-g), contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 25 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second layer to be obtained.

Preferably, the amount of mixture for the first layer is from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer is in the range from 4 to 29 wt. % based on the weight of the composition to be obtained, and the amount of the mixture for the second or any additional layer from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 99 wt. % -10% saturated fat and from 10 wt. % +/-10% up to 25 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid based on the weight of the second or any additional layer is in the range from 1 to 15 wt. %, based on the weight of the composition to be obtained. In particular, the composition to be obtained contains from 5 to 29 wt. %, from 10 to 29 wt. %, from 15 to 29 wt. % or from 20 to 29 wt. % of said first layer, and from 1 to 10 wt. %, from 5 to 15 wt. % or from 5 to 10 wt. % of the specified second layer.

In yet another embodiment of the preparation process according to the present invention, the amount of mixture in the first run of steps c)-f) or c)-g) is greater than in the second or any additional run of steps c)-f) or c)-g) .

Additionally, it has been found that administering to a ruminant a composition according to the present invention, a composition obtained or obtained by a method according to the present invention, and/or a feed, feed material, premix or feed additive according to the present invention is suitable for compensating, in particular, lack of nutrients and essential amino acids in the diet of the ruminant. The same is also applied.

Based on this, another additional object of the present invention is a method of supplementing the diet of a ruminant with a biologically active ingredient, comprising the step of providing the ruminant with a composition in accordance with the present invention and/or a feed, feed material, premix or feed additive in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention is further described in the following paragraphs.

1. Composition for feeding a ruminant, containing

a) a core containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from the list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives and/or amino acid salts and/or derivatives thereof, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins and ingredients having similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic foods, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives, and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and its salts and/or derivatives, and

b) a coating surrounding said core, where said coating contains one or more layers of a mixture containing saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and a fatty acid, and said coating contains from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, with the amount of each component based on the total weight of the coating.

2. The composition in accordance with paragraph 1, where the coating contains from 70 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid.

3. Composition in accordance with paragraph 1 or paragraph 2, where the composition contains from 5 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

4. Composition in accordance with any of paragraphs 1-3, where the composition contains from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 30 wt. % +/-10% coverage based on the total weight of the composition.

5. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-4, wherein the saturated fat comprises or consists of hydrogenated fat.

6. The composition according to paragraph 5, wherein the hydrogenated fat is a hydrogenated vegetable oil.

7. A composition according to paragraph 4 or paragraph 5, wherein the hydrogenated fat comprises or consists of hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or hydrogenated rapeseed oil.

8. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-6, wherein the fatty acid comprises or consists of a C ₁₄ -C ₂₂ carboxylic acid.

9. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-8, wherein the fatty acid comprises or consists of a C ₁₆ -C ₂₀ carboxylic acid.

10. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-9, wherein the fatty acid comprises or consists of a saturated fatty acid.

11. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-10, wherein the fatty acid comprises or consists of optionally substituted palmitic acid, oleic acid and/or stearic acid.

12. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-11, wherein the coating comprises at least two layers, where each of the layers has a different coating composition.

13. A composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-12, wherein the first layer surrounding the biologically active ingredient contains more fatty acid than the second or any additional layer surrounding the first or any previous layer.

14. The method of obtaining a composition in accordance with any of paragraphs 1-13, including the steps

a) obtaining particles containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from the list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives and/or amino acid salts and/or derivatives thereof, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins and ingredients having similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic foods, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives thereof and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their salts and/or derivatives, in a drum device for coating,

b) obtaining a mixture containing from 60 wt. % +/-10% up to 80 wt. % +/-10% saturated fat, such as hydrogenated fat, and from 20 wt. % +/-10% up to 40 wt. % +/-10% fatty acid, with the amount of each component based on the total weight of the mixture, in the tank outside the drum coater,

c) heating the particles from step a) to a temperature in the range from 20°C below the lower melting point of the mixture from step b) to the upper limit of the melting point of the mixture from step b),

d) heating the mixture from step b) to a temperature in the range from its upper melting point to a value that is 20°C above its upper melting point,

e) applying the heated mixture from step d) to the particles from step c) in a rotary drum coater,

f) maintaining the temperature of the layer of particles obtained in step e), at a temperature in the range from a value that is 20°C below the lower limit of the melting point of the mixture of step b), to the lower limit of the melting point of the mixture of step b) and

g) cooling the composition obtained in step f) or allowing the composition obtained in step f) to cool

where steps c)-f) or c)-g) are repeated using the composition obtained in step f) or g) if the composition to be obtained has two or more layers.

15. Feed, feed material, premix based feed additive for feeding a ruminant, containing a composition in accordance with any one of paragraphs 1-13.

16. A method of supplementing a ruminant's diet with a biologically active ingredient, comprising the step of providing the ruminant with a composition according to any one of paragraphs 1-13 and/or a feed, feed material, feed additive premix in accordance with paragraph 15.

Examples

I. General Procedure for Obtaining Coated Products

Applied equipment:

- drum coater (SolidLab1 type from Hüttlin);

- a device for supplying heated molten material (a vessel with a stirrer, equipped with a pump and a pipe system);

- Distributor with 3 entry points for distributing the heated molten material in the drum coater.

Before the coating process as such, the coating material (hydrogenated palm oil, trade name ^Prefix® 125, and optional coating additive, which is stearic acid in the required ratio) was melted in a vessel with a stirrer and then heated to a temperature of 80 °C

Approximately 400 g of the biologically active ingredient to be coated, which is present either in the form of granules or pellets, was loaded into a drum coater and preheated. Preheating was carried out with warm ambient air having a temperature of about 50 to 60° C. at a low drum speed of about 3 to 5 rpm. If the particles to be heated had a temperature in the range of 20° C. below the lower melting point of the coating material to the lower melting point of the coating material, the rotation speed of the drum coater was increased to about 15 to 25 revolutions per minute and started feeding the molten coating material. During coating, the coating material was continuously added to the particles. Additionally, the inlet temperature and the rotation speed were set so that the temperature during coating was maintained at a constant level and that the movement of the coated product in the rotating drum coater was uniform. Once the required amount of coating material has been added, any additional supply of doses of molten coating material is stopped and the coated product is allowed to cool so that the coating material can solidify.

II. Obtaining Coated Products Containing BAI

In accordance with the general procedure for obtaining coated products containing compositions based on BAI, received many examples in accordance with the present invention and several comparative examples. The parameters of the procedures for preparing individually coated products, such as the composition of the coating, the amount of coating in the final product, and the biologically active ingredient are summarized in Table 2 below.

III. Product testing

Products from examples L1 - L7, M1 - M10, G1 - G2 and MM1 - MM3 and products from comparative examples C-L1 - C-L2, C-M1 - C-M4, C-G1 - C-G2 and C-MM1 - C-MM3 was subjected to in vitro tests to simulate rumen digestion, in particular to simulate the release rates of the biologically active ingredient in three different regions: rumen, abomasum and small intestine of the ruminant digestive tract. To this end, the tests were carried out according to a three-stage incubation procedure: in the first stage, conditions in the rumen were simulated by the use of MacDougall's buffer, in the second stage, conditions in the abomasum were simulated by the use of hydrochloric acid and pepsin, and in the third stage, conditions in the small intestine were simulated by the use of pancreatin and an appropriate buffer to adjust the pH value to 8. In vitro tests were carried out in accordance with the procedure described below.

To obtain McDougall's buffer, the following substances were weighed into a 10 liter bottle:

- _NaHC03 98 g (1.17 mol) - Na ₂ HPO ₄ ⋅ 2 H ₂ O 46.3 g (0.26 mol) - NaCl 4.7 g (0.08 mol) - KCl 5.7 g (0.08 mol) - CaCl ₂ ⋅ 2 H ₂ O 0.4 g (2.7 mmol) - MgCl ₂ ⋅ 6 H ₂ O 0.6 g (3.0 mmol)

250 ml of McDougall's buffer solution was poured into a 1000 ml Scott flask. 5 grams of test substance was added, i.e. any of the compositions according to the present invention and any of the reference products with a specific biologically active ingredient, and the flasks were shaken at 100 rpm in a laboratory shaker (Innova 40, New Brunswick Scientific) at 39°C. After 6 hours, the contents of the flask were carefully filtered, washed with 50 ml of cold water and directly transferred to a second flask containing 250 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid pH 2 and a small amount of pepsin. After a 2 hour incubation period at 39°C, the product was carefully filtered off again, washed with 50 ml of ambient temperature water, and then transferred to a third flask containing a freshly prepared solution containing 14.4 mg tri(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, 56.2 mg NaCl, 231 mg phosphatidylcholine, 60 mg Triton-X-100, 240 mg Na taurocholate, 300 mg CaCl ₂ × 2H ₂ O, and 120 mg pancreatin (≥8 USP lipase units/mg). After shaking for 24 hours, the product was filtered off, washed again with cold water and dried at 40° C. overnight. The residual product was weighed after each of steps 1 and 3, and the weight loss was considered as the loss of biologically active ingredient (BAI). The fraction of biologically active ingredient (BAI) released in the rumen was calculated using the following formula:

fraction of BAI released in the rumen [%] = ((initial BAI [g] - residual BAI after ^MacDougall step 1 [g]) / (initial BAI [g])) × 100%.

Example: Initial BAI = 5.0 g;

residual BAI = 4.2 g.

BAI fraction released in the rumen [%] = ((5.0 g - 4.2 g) / (5.0 g)) × 100% = 16%.

The rumen-protected (RP) fraction of the biologically active ingredient (RP(BAI)) was obtained using the following formula:

RP(BAI) [%] = 100% - BAI fraction released in the rumen [%].

Example: released BAI fraction [%] = 16%.

RP(BAI) [%] = 100% - 16% = 84%.

The term "total fraction of digestible BAI [%]" is used to refer to the percentage of the initial amount of BAI [g] that is digested in all stages of the McDougall process. It can be calculated using the following formula:

total fraction of digestible BAI [%] = ((initial BAI [g] - residual BAI after ^MacDougall step 3 [g]) / (original BAI [g])) × 100%.

Example: Initial BAI = 5.0 g;

residual amount of ^BAI after stage 3 = 0.5 g.

Total fraction of digestible BAI [%] = ((5.0 g - 0.5 g) / (5.0 g)) × 100% = 90%.

The total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] can be calculated using the equation:

total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] = total fraction of digestible BAI [%] * weight of fraction of BAI in the product [g/kg].

The term "metabolizable amount of biologically active ingredient M(BAI)" is used to refer to the gram per kg fraction of biologically active ingredient that has been released from the test composition in the abomasum and small intestine of the ruminant and thus can be used by the animal. Accordingly, the term "metabolizable amount of biologically active ingredient" is the fraction of BAI that is available for metabolization and use by animals. It can be calculated according to the formula:

M(BAI) [g/kg] = total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] - (1000 - RP(BAI) [g/kg]) or

M(BAI) [g/kg] = total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] – fraction of BAI released in the rumen [g/kg].

The total fraction of digestible BAI [g/kg] is the difference between the initial amount of BAI [g/kg] and the residual amount of BAI after the ^3rd stage of the McDougall method [g/kg]. RP(BAI [g/kg] is the residual amount of BAI [g/kg] after the ^1st stage of the MacDougall method. The fraction of BAI released in the rumen [g/kg] is the amount of BAI released in the ^1st stage of the MacDougall method.

The results are shown in table 3.

IV. Discussion

The products from Examples L1-L7, M1-M10, G1-G2 and MM1-MM3 provided larger fractions of rumen-protected BAI as well as a larger total digestible BAI fraction and larger fractions of metabolized BAI than the products from Comparative Examples C- L1 - C-2, C-M1 - C-M4, C-G1 - C-G2 and C-MM1 - C-MM3.

Claims (27)

1. Composition for feeding a ruminant, containing a) a core containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from the list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives and/or amino acid salts and/or derivatives thereof, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins and substances having similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic foods, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives, and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their salts and/or derivatives, and b) a coating surrounding said core, wherein said coating contains one or more layers of a mixture containing saturated fat and fatty acid, and wherein said coating contains from 70 wt.% to 80 wt.% +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt.% +/-10% to 30 wt. % fatty acid, with the amount of each component given in terms of the total weight of the coating, where the composition contains from 20 wt.% +/-10% to 30 wt.% +/-10% of the coating, based on the total weight of the composition. 2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the saturated fat contains or consists of hydrogenated fat. 3. The composition of claim 2 wherein the hydrogenated fat is a hydrogenated vegetable oil. 4. The composition according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the hydrogenated fat comprises or consists of hydrogenated palm oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or hydrogenated rapeseed oil. 5. The composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, where the fatty acid contains or consists of C ₁₄ -C ₂₂ carboxylic acid. 6. Composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, where the fatty acid contains or consists of C ₁₆ -C ₂₀ carboxylic acid. 7. The composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, where the fatty acid contains or consists of a saturated fatty acid. 8. The composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, where the fatty acid contains or consists of optionally substituted palmitic acid, oleic acid and/or stearic acid. 9. The composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-8, where the coating contains at least two layers, where each of the layers is characterized by a different composition of the mixture for coating. 10. The composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9, where the first layer surrounding the biologically active ingredient contains more fatty acid than the second or any additional layer surrounding the first or any previous layer. 11. Composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9, where the first layer contains from 60 wt.% +/-10% to 90 wt.% +/-10% saturated fat and from 10 wt.% +/-10% to 40 wt.% +/-10 % fatty acid based on the weight of the first layer, and the second or any additional layer contains from 60 wt.% +/-10% to 99 wt.% -10% saturated fat and from 1 wt.% +/-10% to 40 wt.% +/-10% fatty acid in terms of the weight of the second or any additional layer. 12. The composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9, wherein the first layer surrounding the biologically active ingredient contains more of the coating mixture than the second or any additional layer surrounding the first or any previous layer. 13. The method of obtaining a composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12, including stages a) obtaining particles containing or consisting of a biologically active ingredient selected from the list consisting of i) amino acids, amino acid derivatives and/or amino acid salts and/or derivatives thereof, ii) proteins, iii) peptides, iv) carbohydrates, v) vitamins and substances having similar functions, vi) probiotic microorganisms, vii) prebiotic food products, viii) choline and its salts and/or derivatives and ix) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their salts and/or derivatives, in a drum device for coating, b) obtaining a mixture containing from 70 wt.% to 80 wt.% +/-10% saturated fat and from 20 wt.% +/-10% to 30 wt.% fatty acid, while the amount of each component is given in terms of on the total weight of the mixture, in the tank outside the drum coater, c) heating the particles from step a) to a temperature in the range from 20°C below the lower melting point of the mixture from step b) to the upper limit of the melting point of the mixture from step b), d) heating the mixture from step b) to a temperature in the range from its upper melting point to a value that is 20°C above its upper melting point, e) applying the heated mixture from step d) to the particles from step c) in a rotary drum coater, f) maintaining the temperature of the layer of particles obtained in step e), at a temperature in the range from a value that is 20°C below the lower limit of the melting point of the mixture of step b), to the lower limit of the melting point of the mixture of step b) and g) cooling the composition obtained in step f) or allowing the composition obtained in step f) to cool where steps c)-f) or c)-g) are repeated using the composition obtained in step f) or g) if the composition to be obtained has two or more layers. 14. Feed for feeding a ruminant, containing a composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12. 15. Feed material for feeding a ruminant, containing a composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12. 16. Premix based feed additive for feeding a ruminant, containing a composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12. 17. A method of supplementing the diet of a ruminant with a biologically active ingredient, comprising the step of providing the ruminant with a composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12 and/or feed and/or feed material and/or premix based on feed additive according to any one of paragraphs. 14-16.