WO1996025055A1

WO1996025055A1 - Particulate feed supplement

Info

Publication number: WO1996025055A1
Application number: PCT/CA1996/000092
Authority: WO
Inventors: J. David Steckley; Varouj Jebelian
Original assignee: Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
Priority date: 1995-02-16
Filing date: 1996-02-16
Publication date: 1996-08-22
Also published as: CA2213219A1; AU4617896A

Abstract

A particulate feed supplement comprising: from about 25 % to about 90 % by weight of a flavour agent; from about 10 % to about 75 % by weight of a suspending agent; and from about 0.4 % to about 4 % by weight of a dispersing agent and, optionally, from 0 to about 0.5 % by weight of a wetting agent. The particulate feed supplement may be readily converted to a feed supplement on-site, thereby obviating transportation costs associated with conventional liquid feed supplements.

Description

PARTICULATE FEED SUPPLEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

In one of its aspects, the present invention generally relates to the field of animal feedstuffs, and in particular to a particulate feed supplement which can be suspended in a suitable fluid (e.g. water) on-site to produce a liquid feed supplement. In another of its aspects, the present invention generally relates to a process for producing a liquid feed supplement.

BACKGROUND ART

Liquid feed supplements for animals evolved from the development and acceptance of urea as an effective and economical source of non-protein nitrogen (NPN), particularly in ruminant nutrition, in the 1890's. In the 1940's, it was discovered that the action of NPN sources in ruminants was enhanced when the NPN sources were combined with a readily available energy source such as molasses. This was followed in the 1950's by commercialization of such liquid feed supplements.

Conventional liquid feed supplements have consisted of an NPN source such as urea, an energy source such molasses (which also acts as a flavouring agent) and, optionally, a mineral package and/or a vitamin package. Other additives such as preservatives, antibiotics, amino acids, wetting agents and the like could also be used. For many years, liquid feed supplements have been based on agro-chemical fertilizers, and the major producer and distributer of liquid feed supplements was the fertilizer industry.

Conventional liquid feed supplements can be delivered to the animal subject in a number of different ways, including one or more of: 1. Total Mixed Ration; 2. Top Dressing;

3. Free Choice Feeding; and

4. Silage, Hay and Biomass Application. Total Mixed Ration involves mixing the liquid feed supplement into the total diet of the animal subject. This assures that the animal subject consuming the diet receives the required amount of supplemental nutrition with each mouthful and that the animal subject does not "over-consume" the relatively palatable supplement in favour of the staple food in the diet. When the liquid feed supplement has been customized to deliver a specific dosage of one or more of minerals, vitamins, medications, and the like, Total Mixed Ration is an ideal protocol to assure delivery the specific dosage to the animal subject.

Top Dressing involves application of the liquid feed supplement over the surface of a particular staple of the diet of the animal subject. The manner by which the liquid feed supplement is applied varies considerably. This protocol is used when one or more of the following conditions exist: (i) it is not economical to incorporate the liquid feed supplement in the total diet of the animal subject (i.e. Total Mixed Ration); (ii) when the particular staple of the diet does not lend itself to passage through a mixer; and (iii) when it is desired to use the liquid feed supplement as an enticement to the animal subject to consume a particular staple of the diet (i.e. with which the liquid feed supplement is associated).

Free Choice Feeding allows for the animal subject to consume the liquid feed supplement when it is not receiving a mixed feed or when the feeder does not have means by which the liquid feed supplement can be mixed with the feed (i.e. Total Mixed Ration) or used in Top Dressing of the feed. Intake of the liquid feed supplement can be controlled by physical means (e.g. selective placement of feeder, a lick wheel, etc.), chemical means (e.g. use of unpalatable ingredients in liquid feed supplement, etc.) or a combination thereof.

Silage, Hay and Biomass Application involves supply of nutritional components via a liquid feed supplement applied to various roughage sources at the time of harvest. Thus, in this protocol, the liquid feed supplement is not intended to be used for direct feeding of the animal subject, but as an additive to the roughage source to make the feed a more complete nutritional package when it is removed from storage.

The various modes of delivery of conventional liquid feeds supplements underlies the flexibility of using the supplements. Other benefits associated with conventional liquid feed supplements include one or more of: 1. Increased palatability of the feed, resulting in an

increase in dry matter intake, which leads to a higher level of production or growth;

2. Improved consistency of the feed;

3. Good mixing with dry grain and forage;

4. Aids in the control of dust and segregation of the

dry matter; and

5. Allows incorporation into the feed of additives that

are unpalatable or difficult to pellet in dry mixtures.

Not surprisingly, in the past decade, with the increased knowledge of the nutritional requirements for the production and growth of animals, liquid feed products have gained increased market share, especially in the field of ruminant nutrient supplementation. Indeed, Paul Johnson, in an article entitled "Feedlot Production: Advantages of liquid feeds" (Feed Management, pg. 8, 1992), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, extols the various virtues of liquid feed supplements.

There are, however, a number of challenges to be overcome in the production of a suitable liquid feed supplement. For example, as not all the nutrients dissolve in water, therefore, it is necessary to maintain a uniform nutrient suspension within a product of desired viscosity over a reasonable period of time (i.e. during which the liquid feed supplement is stored). Further, the liquid feed supplement must be capable of being stored and/or used in freezing temperatures, and be easily mixed into dry food matter. Unfortunately, handling and storage of most conventional liquid feed supplements is dependent largely on the ambient temperature. This means that, in colder climates the customer/feeder must incur increased capital to provide a heated environment for storage of the liquid feed supplement. A result of this is that the customer/feeder is likely to minimize extra capital requirements by maintaining a heated environment for as low a volume of liquid feed supplement as possible which leaves the customer/feeder virtually no room for error on the volume of supplement which should always be on hand. Another inherent disadvantage with conventional liquid feed supplements is that, generally, nutrient level therein cannot be easily modified by the customer/feeder. Any change in nutrient level desired by the customer/feeder must be communicated to and effected by the supplier. This makes day-to-day adjustments of the nutrient level of the liquid feed supplement impractical to achieve.

Conventionally, liquid feed supplements have been supplied to the customer/feeder in liquid form. In recent years, due to a demand from customers/feeders for a more competitively priced product, many manufacturers of liquid feed supplements have been responding by increasing the water content of the feed supplement there by decreasing production cost leading to a decrease in the retail prices of the supplement. This has led to a host of problems. First, since the feed supplement contains more water and less nutritional value, more feed must be used by the customer/feeder. Second, the need for more feed supplement results in a net increase in the transportation costs associated with supplying the feed supplement since more water is being transported. Third, customers/feeders generally object to being forced to choose between using more feed supplement (i.e. at a higher cost) to maintain production from livestock or maintain feed costs with the consequence of reduced production from livestock. These problems are exasperated in remote locations where an increase in transportation costs is felt most.

Thus, it would be desirable to have a feed supplement which is efficient to handle, transport and store. It would be further desirable if the nutrient level of the feed supplement, as delivered to the animal subject, could be varied relatively easily by the customer/feeder.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel feed supplement which obviates or mitigates at least one of the above-identified disadvantages of the prior art.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel paiticulate feed supplement.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel process for producing a liquid feed supplement.

In one of its aspects, the present invention provides paiticulate feed supplement comprising: from about 25 % to about 90% by weight of a flavour agent; from about 10% to about 75% by weight of a suspending agent; and

from about 0.4% to about 4% by weight of a dispersing agent. In another one of its aspects, the present invention provides a method for producing a liquid feed supplement comprising the step of mixing (i) a fluid with (ii) a paiticulate feed supplement comprising: from about 25% to about 90% by weight of a flavour agent; from about 10% to about 75% by weight of a suspending agent; and from about 0.4% to about 4% by weight of a dispersing agent.

Thus, the invention obviates or mitigates one or more of the prior art disadvantages by allowing for on-site production of a liquid feed supplement. This results in a significant reduction in transportation costs associated with delivering the feed supplement to the end user (typically, a farmer or grower). Further, the end user is able control the amount of fluid (usually water) used to prepare the liquid feed supplement. Still further, the present paiticulate feed supplement is capable of being stored for extended periods in most environments (hot and cold) without appreciate loss of efficacy.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Thus, an aspect of the present invention relates to a paiticulate feed supplement comprising:

from about 25% to about 90% by weight of a flavour agent; from about 10% to about 75% by weight of a suspending agent; and

from about 0.4% to about 4% by weight of a dispersing agent. The choice of flavour agent is not particularly restricted provided that it can act as a palatabilizing agent for the animal to be fed. Non-limiting examples of a suitable flavour agent may be selected from the group consisting of: molasses, condensed molasses fermentation solubles, corn steep liquor, distillers liquid byproduct, brewery byproduct, carob byproduct, lignin sulfonate, hemicellulose extract, whey product, natural flavour extract and mixtures of two or more thereof.

Preferably, the condensed molasses fermentation solubles is a product resulting from removal of fermentation products and subsequent condensation to remove a portion of the water. Non-limiting examples of such a product may be a member selected from the group consisting essentially of ethyl alcohol, butanol-acetone, itaconic acid, yeast, monosodium glutamate, citric acid and mixtures of two or more of these.

Preferably, the corn steep liquor is a composition derived from shelled corn which has been steeped in water.

Preferably, the distillers liquid byproduct is a composition derived from the liquor obtained after removal of ethyl alcohol by distillation from fermentation of a corn mixture.

Preferably, the lignin sulfonate is an extract of spent sulfite liquor derived from sulfite digestion one of wood, abaca and mixtures thereof in combination with an alkali metal salt, an alkaline earth metal salt and mixtures thereof.

Preferably, the whey product is selected from the group consisting of condensed whey, condensed whey solubles, condensed hydrolyzed whey, condensed cultured whey and mixtures of two or more thereof.

Preferably, the natural flavour extract is a concentrated natural flavour extract derived from a member selected from the group consisting of anise oil, anise seed, apple extract, apple flavour isolates, clove oil, eucalyptol, ethyl butyrate, ethyl vanillin, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg oil, peppermint, sodium butyrate, wintergreen, yucca schidigera extract and mixtures of two or more thereof. Preferably, the molasses is selected from the group consisting of beet molasses, cane molasses, wood molasses, corn molasses, Blackstrap molasses, carob molasses, citrus molasses and mixtures of two or more thereof.

The most preferred flavour agent for use in the present paiticulate feed supplement is a molasses selected from the group consisting of beet molasses, cane molasses and mixtures thereof. Ideally, the molasses is in admixture with a carrier such as, for example, a vegetable carrier. Such a molasses is commercially available under the tradename Econolass which comprises, as the main ingredients, cane molasses and soybean mill feed. Another such molasses is commercially available under the tradename Sweet 45 which contains, inter alia, a mixture of ground molasses beet pulp and beet molasses. 'Vet another such molasses is commercially available under the tradename Molasses Plus and contains cane molasses, vegetable oils, emulsifiers, surfactants, foam control agents, phosphoric acid, mold control agents, flavour, mineral additives and a gelling control agent.

The suspending agent used in the present paiticulate feed supplement promotes an even distribution of all of the components in the supplement when it is converted to a liquid feed supplement. Not all the components of the dry mix are water soluble. Therefore, in the absence of a suspending agent, undissolved solid would have a tendency to form a sediment in the water. Unless the resultant liquid feed has a uniform distribution of components, it is difficult to control the amount of feed being given to the animals.

Suspending agents are generally known in the art and the choice thereof is not particularly restricted. Non-limiting examples of a suitable suspending agent may be selected from the group consisting of polysaccharides, clays and mixtures thereof. Non-limiting examples of suitable polysaccharides may be selected from the group consisting of dextran, corn starch, carboxymethylcellulose, gum ghatti, xanthan gum, gum arabic, gelatin, alginate, β-cyclodextrin, pectins, carrageenans and mixtures of two or more of these.

Preferably, the gum is selected from the group consisting of guar gum, xanthan gum and mixtures thereof. Such a gum is commercially available under the tradenames Genuzan 1038A and Genuzan 1063X, each of which are a mixture of guar gum and xantham gum.

The choice of a clay for use as a suspending agent in the present paiticulate feed supplement is not particularly restricted. One preferred choice of clay is attapulgite clay, more preferably colloidal attapulgite clay. As is known in the art, the clay mineral attapulgite is mined commercially in the southeastern United States. A typical analysis of this clay is: 66% silica (SiO₂), 11.7% aluminum (A1₂O₃), 4% iron (Fe₂O₃), 2.9% calcium (CaO), 9.7% magnesium (MgO) and trace amounts of titanium, phosphorus, potassium, carbon and sulphur - see Wolford, Proc. 14th Ann. Liq. Symp. , American Feed Mfg. Assn. Arlington, VA, pages 61-77 (1984), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Another preferred choice of clay is montmorillonite clay. Such a clay is commercially available under the tradename Agro Gel-S which is a naturally occurring gelling clay composed largely of tri-layered clay mineral montmorillonite, a hydrous aluminum silicate. A further advantage associated with using a montmorillonite clay lies in the fact that, when sprayed onto feed (e.g. via the liquid feed supplement), the clay causes the product (optionally comprising nutrients) to remain fully adhered to other feed particles included in the feed mixture.

The present paiticulate feed supplement further comprises a dispersing agent to aid in mixing of the supplement with a fluid (e.g. water) in the preparation of a liquid feed supplement. The dispersing agent promotes even distribution of the insoluble components of the particulate feed supplement upon conversion to liquid feed supplement, and aids in the prevention of the formation of aggregates of insoluble matter, which may have a tendency to fall out of suspension. Preferably, the dispersing agent is a pyrophosphate compound. Non-limiting examples of a suitable pyrophosphate compound may be selected from the group consisting of sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP), tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) and mixtures thereof. The pyrophosphates not only promote dispersion of the particulate feed supplement in a liquid, but also provide a nutritional source of phosphorus.

Preferably, the present particulate feed supplement comprises from about 40% to about 90%, more preferably from about 75% to about 90%, by weight of a flavour agent; from about 10% to about

60% , more preferably from about 10% to about 20%, by weight of a suspending agent; and from about 0.4% to about 2% , more preferably from about 0.5% to about 1 %, by weight of a dispersing agent.

The present particulate feed supplement is a free flowing solid substantially free of water or moisture. Preferably, the present particulate feed supplement comprises less than about 12% by weight water or moisture. More preferably, the present particulate feed supplement comprises from about 5% to about 10% by weight water or moisture. The water or moisture content of the particulate feed supplement can be assessed by: (i) weighing a sample of particulate feed supplement which passes through a #10 sieve size (allows particles having diameter up to 2 mm pass through), (ii) drying the sample to a constant weight at a temperature of from about 95° to about 100°C under a pressure of less than or equal to 100 mm Hg, (iii) calculating the weight loss of the sample, and (iv) reporting the weight loss as the percent water or moisture in the particulate feed supplement. The present particulate feed supplement can be produced by any suitable means. Preferably, the order of addition of the components comprises mixing the component used in the largest amount (% weight) with either of the two remaining ingredients. More preferably, the dispersing agent is the last component added in the mixing process. The mixing process can be conducted on conventional equipment such as a double ribbon, horizontal mixer.

Preferably, the present paiticulate feed supplement further comprises a nutrient package. Ideally, the nutrient package will comprise at least one or both of a mineral package and a vitamin package. The principal minerals and vitamins used in the art and the purpose thereof are as follows:

Thus, the preferred mineral package contains at least one inorganic compound based on a member selected from the group elements consisting of calcium, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur, zinc and mixtures thereof. Further, the preferred vitamin package contains at least one member selected from the group consisting of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, B-Vitamins and mixtures thereof.

Most preferably, the present particulate feed supplement further comprises a nutrient package comprising minerals and/or vitamins, the nutrient package consisting of the following components:

(i) from 0 to about 10 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of monoammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid and mixtures thereof;

(ii) from 0 to about 30 weight percent sodium chloride;

(iii) from 0 to about 20 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of magnesium sulfate, potassium sulphate, potassium chloride, magnesium oxide and mixtures thereof;

(iv) from 0 to about 0.5 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of sodium selenite, sodium selenate and mixtures thereof;

(v) from 0 to about 1.0 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, zinc sulphate, zinc methionine, zinc proteinate, zinc chloride, zinc carbonate and mixtures thereof;

(vi) from 0 to about 0.01 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of calcium iodate, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, potassium iodide, cuprous iodide and mixtures thereof;

(vii) from 0 to about 1.0 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of copper sulfate, cupric carbonate, cupric chloride and mixtures thereof; (viii) from 0 to about 0.01 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of cobalt carbonate, cobalt sulphate, cobalt chloride and mixtures thereof;

(ix) from 0 to about 1.0 weight percent of manganese oxide; (x) from 0 to about 0.01 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of Vitamin A, Vitamin D and mixtures thereof;

(xi) from 0 to about 0.1 weight percent Vitamin E; and (xii) the balance up to 100 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, kaolin, soybean protein, ground cereal grain and mixtures thereof.

Preferably, the nutrient package is used in an amount in the range of from about 10 to about 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the particulate feed supplement. More preferably, the nutrient package is used in an amount in the range of from about 15 to about 45 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the particulate feed supplement. Most preferably, the nutrient package is used in an amount in the range of from about 25 to about 45 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the particulate feed supplement.

The nutrient package can be added to the present paiticulate feed supplement by any suitable means. For example, the nutrient package may be added to the particulate feed supplement after production of the latter using a dry blender/mixer. It is contemplated that the nutrient package may be provided in an "off the shelf formulation, or in a formulation specific to the individual feeder's need. It is further contemplated that the nutrient package could be added to the particulate feed supplement prior to or shortly after hydration of the latter.

As described hereinabove, an aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a liquid feed supplement comprising the step of mixing (i) a fluid with (ii) a particulate feed supplement comprising: from about 25 % to about 90% by weight of a flavour agent; from about 10% to about 25% by weight of a suspending agent; and from about 0.4% to about 4% by weight of a dispersing agent. Preferably, the fluid is water or a water containing liquid. A portion of the water or water containing liquid may be substituted with a non-toxic, anti-freeze compound such as propylene glycol. Propylene glycol may be added to the water or water containing liquid in minor amounts up to about 5% by weight of the liquid component of the liquid feed supplement. The particulate feed supplement used in the method is the paiticulate feed supplement described hereinabove.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the weight ratio of the various components in particulate feed supplement can affect the physical properties of the resultant liquid feed supplement. In order to ensure a substantially uniform distribution of the various components throughout the resultant liquid feed supplement, it is desirable that upon mixing with a fluid such as water, any undissolved portion of the particulate feed supplement remain in an even suspension throughout the fluid bulk, for a period of at least 24 hours. This will enable the feeder to mix the feed supplement in large batches, sufficient for a complete day of feeding. Preferably, at least about 85%, more preferably at least about 90%, by weight of the liquid feed supplement will remain in suspension for a period of at least about 24 hours after production thereof. In cases where the resultant liquid feed supplement is prepared for immediate application to the dry feed, the long term sedimentation of insoluble material is less important. Therefore, the concentration of the particulate feed supplement in the water is less critical, and the end user/farmer/grower may achieve lower or higher addition rates of nutrients to the dry food without significantly compromising the physical benefits of adding specific levels of water to the dry feed. As known in the art, the viscosity of the resultant liquid feed supplement is an important physical property. If the liquid feed supplement is too viscous, it may prove difficult to mix with the dry diet. Further, highly viscous products are undesirable as they tend to create a large amount of friction as they are passed through pump and pipeline systems. Such friction leads to excessive mechanical wear, and necessitates the use of heavy-duty pumping equipment necessitating a higher capital cost by the end user. If the liquid feed supplement is insufficiently viscous, it will be susceptible to sedimentation. Thus, care should be exercised in choosing the amounts of particulate feed supplement and fluid used to produce the liquid feed supplement. The particulate feed supplement is preferably used such that it represents from about 10% to about 50% by weight of the liquid feed supplement. Amounts below about 10% by weight result in a liquid feed supplement which is generally inadequate while amounts greater than about 50% by weight result in a relatively viscous liquid feed supplement which presents handling difficulties. More preferably, the paiticulate feed supplement is preferably used such that it represents from about 15% to about 40%, most preferably from about 15% to about 30% , by weight of the liquid feed supplement. Grenerally, in the present method of producing a liquid feed supplement, sufficient quantities of particulate feed supplement and fluid are used to produce a liquid feed supplement having a viscosity in the range of from about 2000 cps to about 4000 cps at room temperature.

It is contemplated that veterinary medicines and other additives

(e.g. amino acids, probiotics and the like) may also be added to the paiticulate feed supplement of the present invention, in combination with, or separate from, the nutrient package. Such medicated feeds are desirable in animal production, as a convenient and easily controlled method for the protection of animal health, promotion of production or growth and the treatment of illness. The liquid feed substitute of the present invention will be particularly useful as a delivery method for medicines that are unsuitable to be administered in solid form, and yet are unstable in long term storage in liquid form.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of non-limiting Examples.

EXAMPLES 1-6

A series of experiments was conducted to illustrate various embodiments of a liquid feed supplement. The various flavour agents, suspending agents and dispersing agents are reported in Table 1. Also reporting in Table 1 is the amount of water used to prepare each liquid feed supplement. As will be

apparent to the person of skill in the art, the amounts reported in Table 1 are parts by weight of the final liquid feed supplement. Thus, in Example 1 , The relative amounts of flavour agent, suspending agent and dispersing agent used were 26.78, 3.07 and 0.15 parts by weight, respectively, which, on a dry basis corresponds to 89.27, 10.23 and 0.5% by weight, respectively.

The liquid feed supplements of Examples 1-4 were prepared in the following manner. The dry molasses flavour agent was ground to 60 mesh particle size. Thereafter, the suspending agent and dispersing agent were sequentially added and mixed with the flavour agent to provide a particulate feed supplement. To produce the liquid feed supplement, the particulate feed supplement was mixed with water (see Table 1 for amount of water used in each Example). In Examples 5 and 6, the grinding step was omitted since the flavour agent was liquid.

After preparation, the liquid feed supplement was transferred to a clear container and left for 24 hours. Thereafter, the height of any sediment in the bottom of the container was measured and subtracted from the height of the overall mixture which was then reported as % Suspension in Table 1. As will be apparent to a person of skill in the art, % Suspension of 100 is highly desirable and is indicative of a liquid feed supplement having no sedimentation.

As shown in Table 1, highly desirable liquid feed supplements were prepared. Specifically, of the 6 Examples, liquid supplements prepared in 5 of these had a % Suspension of 100. The sixth had a % Suspension of 98. These results show that the particulate feed supplement used to produce the liquid feed supplements is useful.

EXAMPLE 7

The particulate feed supplement of Example 1 was selected for use in a controlled heifer trial. The control ration was a calf starter comprising 37% by weight flaked corn, 18% by weight rolled barley, 11 % by weight rolled oats and 34% by weight pelleted calf supplement. The test liquid feed supplement was prepared by mixing 5 parts by weight particulate feed supplement (see Table 1) and 17.5 parts by weight water in a small gear action pump. After mixing for 20-30 minutes, the liquid feed supplement was mixed with calf starter described above in a TMR mixer. The liquid feed supplement was added to the calf starter in an amount of 10% by weight.

A total of 11 weaned, female Holstein calves were offered equal amounts of control and test rations. A preference trial was designed whereby one of the control ration and test ration was alternately placed in a manger on one side of the pen. This cycle was repeated over 15 days. Each calf was offered a total of 19 kg each of control and test rations. This amount was estimated to achieve normal feeding levels to weaned calves on starter (with some weighback) rather than unlimited feeding amounts. Feed not consumed by each calf was weighed back and recorded.

The results of the trial are reported in Table 2. These results support the conclusion that, there is no statistically significant drop off in uptake of ration treated with the present particulate feed supplement (i.e. after conversion to a liquid feed supplement) when compared to an untreated ration.

While the present invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that it is capable of further modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, it is contemplated and intended that this specification covers any such further modifications of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including departures from this specification which come within known or customary practice in the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A particulate feed supplement comprising:

from about 0.4% to about 4% by weight of a dispersing agent.

2. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , from about 40% to about 90% by weight of a flavour agent, from about 10% to about 60% by weight of a suspending agent, and from about 0.4% to about 2% by weight of a dispersing agent.

3. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , from about 75 % to about 90% by weight of a flavour agent, from about 10% to about 20% by weight of a suspending agent, and from about 0.5% to about 1 % by weight of a dispersing agent.

4. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the flavour agent is selected from the group consisting of molasses, condensed molasses fermentation solubles, corn steep liquor, distillers liquid byproduct, brewery byproduct, lignin sulfonate, hemicellulose extract, whey product, natural flavour extract and mixtures of two or more thereof.

5. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein the condensed molasses fermentation solubles is in the form of a composition comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of ethyl alcohol, butanol-acetone, itaconic acid, yeast, monosodium glutamate, citric acid and mixtures of two or more of these.

6. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein the corn steep liquor is a composition derived from shelled corn which has been steeped in water.

7. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein distillers liquid byproduct is a composition derived from the liquor obtained after removal of ethyl alcohol by distillation from fermentation of a corn mixture.

8. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein the lignin sulfonate is an extract of spent sulfite liquor derived from sulfite digestion one of wood, abaca and mixtures thereof in combination with an alkali metal salt, an alkaline earth metal salt and mixtures thereof.

9. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein the whey product is selected from the group consisting of condensed whey, condensed whey solubles, condensed hydrolyzed whey, condensed cultured whey and mixtures of two or more thereof.

10. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein the natural flavour extract is a concentrated natural flavour extract is derived from a member selected from the group consisting of anise oil, anise seed, apple extract, apple flavour isolates, clove oil, eucalyptol, ethyl butyrate, ethyl vanillin, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg oil, peppermint, sodium butyrate, wintergreen, yucca schidigera extract and mixtures of two or more thereof.

11. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 4, wherein the molasses is selected from the group consisting of beet molasses, cane molasses, wood molasses, corn molasses, Blackstrap molasses, citrus molasses and mixtures of two or more thereof.

12. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the flavour agent is molasses selected from the group consisting of beet molasses, cane molasses and mixtures thereof.

13. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the flavour agent is molasses in admixture with a carrier.

14. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 13, wherein the carrier is a vegetable carrier.

15. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the suspending agent is a gum.

16. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 15, wherein the gum is selected from the group consisting of guar gum, xantham gum and mixtures thereof.

17. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the suspending agent is a clay.

18. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 17, wherein the clay is attapulgite clay.

19. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 17, wherein the clay is montmorillonite clay.

20. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the dispersing agent is a pyrophosphate compound.

21. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 20, wherein the pyrophosphate compound is selected from the group consisting of sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate and mixtures thereof.

22. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , further comprising a mineral package containing at least one inorganic compound based on a member selected from the group elements consisting of calcium, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur, zinc and mixtures thereof.

23. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , further comprising a vitamin package containing at least one member selected from the group consisting of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, B-Vitamins and mixtures thereof.

24. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , further comprising a nutrient package consisting of the following components:

(ii) from 0 to about 30 weight percent sodium chloride;

(iii) from 0 to about 20 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of magnesium sulfate, potassium sulphate, potassium chloride, magnesium oxide and mixtures thereof; (iv) from 0 to about 0.5 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of sodium selenite, sodium selenate and mixtures thereof;

(vi) from 0 to about 0.01 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of calcium iodate, ethyenediamine dihydroiodide, potassium iodide, cuprous iodide and mixtures thereof;

(vii) from 0 to about 1.0 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of copper sulfate, cupric carbonate, cupric chloride and mixtures thereof;

(viii) from 0 to about 1.0 weight percent of manganese oxide;

(ix) from 0 to about 1.0 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of cobalt carbonate, cobalt sulphate, cobalt chloride and mixtures thereof;

(x) from 0 to about 0.01 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of Vitamin A, Vitamin D and mixtures thereof;

(xi) from 0 to about 0.1 weight percent Vitamin E; and

(xii) the balance up to 100 weight percent of a member selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, kaolin, soybean protein, ground cereal grain and mixtures thereof.

25. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 24, wherein the nutrient package is used in an amount in the range of from about 10 to about 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the particulate feed supplement.

26. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 24 , wherein the nutrient package is used in an amount in the range of from about 15 to about 45 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the particulate feed supplement.

27. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 24, wherein the nutrient package is used in an amount in the range of from about 25 to about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the particulate feed supplement.

28. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the moisture content thereof is less than about 12% by weight.

29. The particulate feed supplement defined in claim 1 , wherein the moisture content thereof is in the range of from about 5% to about 10% by weight.