WO2020230032A1

WO2020230032A1 - Method for preparation and use of a supplement for monogastric animals

Info

Publication number: WO2020230032A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/054498
Authority: WO
Inventors: Graeme Douglas Coles
Original assignee: Rich Technology Solutions Limited
Priority date: 2019-05-13
Filing date: 2020-05-13
Publication date: 2020-11-19

Abstract

A method for preparing a composition for improving the productivity and health of monogastric animals, said method including the following steps: a) selecting as a starting material an acidic fermentation product which includes one or more of the following: • between 5% and 90% selected organic acids, of which no more than 10% is acetic acid; • between 5% and 90% of C3 - C6 sugars and polymers of those sugars; • between 5% and 50% protein with a high protein efficiency ratio as herein defined; between 5% and 50% non-starch polysaccharides; b) reacting said starting material with a multi-valent cation material in sufficient quantity to chelate a majority of the acidic products present in the starting material; c) drying the reaction product.

Description

METHOD FOR PREPARATION AND USE OF A SUPPLEMENT FOR

MONOGASTRIC ANIMALS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of a composition for improving the productivity of monogastric animals, and to the use of this composition.

The method of the present invention uses as a starting material selected fermentation and other plant processing co-products, which are then reacted with one or more cations, as described below.

As used herein, “fermentation” means any process in which organic materials are converted from one form to another by microbial action. Such microbes include, but are not limited to, yeasts, bacteria and fungi. A prebiotic is defined as a non-living substance or composition that differentially stimulates the action of beneficial native micro organisms in the gut, and/or supports the metabolism of the host animal.

Typical starting materials include distillation byproducts such as stillage and stillage fractions and in particular partially dehydrated water-soluble components of the stillage from wheat fermentation, and stillage components (excluding the majority of the water) from wheat ethanol production. However it is emphasised that the method of the present invention is not limited to the starting materials and it is believed that potentially any acidic coproducts of plant processing may be used as a starting material.

Background Art

The discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is not an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

The use of mineral and other supplements is known, in general to compensate for the defects in the general diet of an animal.

NZ patent 625786 discloses the use of a feed supplement prepared in accordance with NZ patent 582746, as a supplement for ruminants. Obviously, if the supplement is being used to compensate for e.g. a magnesium deficiency, then it would be expected that the product would be equally effective across a wide range of species. However, due to the major differences in ruminant and monogastric digestive systems, it would not be expected that a feed supplement which actually improves the feed utilisation mechanism in ruminants would have a beneficial, or indeed any, effect on a monogastric animal.

Briefly, the important differences between ruminant and monogastric digestive processes are as follows:- in ruminants, feed is first masticated and mixed with saliva and is then fermented in a low oxygen environment in the ruminant’s first and second stomachs. This rumination occurs at a substantially neutral pH, in a solution that is of moderate ionic strength.

In contrast, monogastric digestion involves (after mastication and mixing with saliva), digestion in a single chamber with a pH between 1.5 and 2. The low pH of the monogastric stomach has consequences which include the following:

• dissociation of mineral ion chelates;

• deflocculation of acidic proteins;

• solubilisation of many of the non-starch polysaccharides of fermentation byproducts, without exposing them to fermentation;

• emulsification of dietary lipids;

• activation of enzyme precursors such as trypsinogen.

It follows from this that the nature of the digestive material which is presented to the start of the small intestine in a monogastric animal differs markedly to the material presented to the small intestine of a ruminant, even if the same diet is fed to both. Thus, it would not be anticipated by experts in animal nutrition that preparations used in ruminant nutrition would be effective in monogastric animals, apart from specific mineral or vitamin supplements intended to remedy a specific defect, or nutrients which have been treated in such a way that they are resistant to fermentation (e.g. by flocculation treatment), so that they pass through the rumen of a ruminant animal, to the fourth stomach, but are readily digested in the stomach of a monogastric animal.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is the provision of a supplement which improves the productivity (i.e. the feed utilisation) and health of monogastric animals, as hereinafter described. The present invention provides a method of preparing a composition for improving the productivity and health of monogastric animals, said method including the following steps:

• selecting as a starting material an acidic fermentation product which includes one or more of the following:

• between 5% and 90% selected organic acids, of which no more than 10% is acetic acid;

• between 5% and 90% of C3 - C6 sugars and polymers of these sugars;

• between 5% and 50% protein with a high protein efficiency ratio as herein defined;

• between 5% and 50% non-starch polysaccharides;

• reacting said starting material with a multi-valent cation material in sufficient quantity to chelate a majority of the acidic products present in the starting material;

• drying the reaction product.

The present invention also relates to a method of using the above composition to improve the productivity of monogastric animals, as discussed below.

Brief Description of Drawings

By way of example only, embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the steps of preparation of the product for use in the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a horse’s hoof.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The method for preparing the product of the present invention uses as a starting material an acidic fermentation product including, but not limited to, one or more of the following:

• acidic fermentation coproducts;

• distillation byproducts such as stillage and stillage fractions;

• partly dehydrated water-soluble components of the stillage from cereal fermentation;

• partly dehydrated stillage components from cereal ethanol production;

• acidic coproducts of plant processing; • acidic wheys from milk fermentation or related processing e.g. wheys, buttermilk. All of the starting materials are acidic, but the acidic components are not limited to short chain acids, and may include acidic proteins, polysaccharides and other acidic plant or microbial components.

Preferably, the starting material includes (on a dry solids basis) one or more of the following:

• between 5% and 90% (most preferably 20% - 40%) selected organic acids; of these acids, no more than 10% should be acetic acid and the balance preferably includes a majority of lactic acid but may also include other fruit or milk acids e.g. malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid;

• between 5% and 90% of C3 - C6 sugars and polymers of these sugars; preferably the majority of the sugar is glycerol, and the preferred total content is between 5% and 15%;

• between 5% and 50% protein with a high protein efficiency ratio (PER); preferably the majority of the protein is soluble protein of plant or microbial origin;

• between 5% and 50% non-starch polysaccharides (NSP); preferably the majority of the NSP is of cereal or other plant origin plus yeast cell wall components.

As used herein, the term“high protein efficiency ratio” (PER) means the method of estimating the biological value of protein by comparing the amount of the given proteins needed to maintain an animal in nitrogen balance, compared to whole egg protein.

As used herein, the term “non-starch polysaccharides” (NSP) means a linear or branched polymer of one or more simple sugars e.g. arabinoxylan.

In step 1 , the starting material is selected.

In step 2: the starting material is treated to adjust the water content; the preferred water content is between 40% and 75% by weight. It is not in fact essential to adjust the water content, since the starting materials can be reacted without doing so, but a high water content is undesirable in that it greatly increases the volume of material to be treated without any corresponding advantages.

The lactic acid content of the starting material is checked, and if necessary, additional lactic acid is added to bring the concentration in the starting material up to at least 20% by weight. However, it is envisaged that other C3 acids could be substituted for lactic acid if necessary.

In step 3, the water-adjusted starting material is mixed with one or more cations which are not monobasic i.e. multivalent cations such as calcium, iron, magnesium.

The effect of this mixing is a reaction between these cations and the acidic components of the starting material, which include, but are not limited to:

- some or all of the organic acid residues (including some or all of the short chain organic acids);

- terminal carboxyl residues of protein;

- the acidic amino acids (e.g. glutamic and aspartic acids) which are contained within the protein of the composition;

- carboxyl and other acidic residues within the carbohydrate fraction of the composition;

- other acidic components.

To calculate the amount of multi-valent cation material to be added, a sample of the material is taken from the material after the water content has been adjusted (step 2) and, if necessary, further acid has been added (step 2a). The sample is titrated with sodium hydroxide so that the amount of multivalent cation material required for complete neutralisation of the acidic components can be calculated i.e. to bring the pH to approximately 7.0.

The objective in adding the multivalent cation material is firstly to chelate the short-chain organic acids and then to flocculate the other acidic components with sufficient cation to ensure the final product contains the desired level of cation chelates. This produces an end product which is palatable and readily assimilated by an animal to which it is fed. In other words, in the end product, all of the acidic products should have reacted with the multivalent cation material to produce a substantially neutral product.

However, it is not always possible to achieve a pH 7.0 and an end product which has a pH in the range 6.0 - 7.0 is acceptable. In practice, at stage 3, once the quantity of multivalent cation material required for complete chelation of the short-chain organic acids has been calculated, an excess of about 25% is added as well, to ensure that the reaction is in fact complete. It is advantageous if the reaction temperatures of the starting material and the multivalent cation material can be kept as low as reasonably possible. The selection of the reaction temperature is a balance between the rate of reaction and maintaining product quality:- the higher the temperature, the faster the rate of reaction, but in many cases it is not desirable, for both product quality and economic reasons, to elevate the temperature of the process too much. Thus, where the rate of reaction is not economically critical, maintaining a low temperature is desirable. For example, condensed distillers syrup (CDS) is produced from the evaporator at about 75°C, and can be reacted straight from the evaporator, as part of a continuous process. However, a product such as grape marc which is more susceptible to high temperature degradation, preferably is reacted over a much longer period (e.g. at least 3 weeks) at a temperature in the range 10 to 15°C.

It assists in keeping the reaction temperatures low if the multivalent cation material is highly reactive. For example, if the multivalent cation source is magnesium carbonate or dolomite, it is preferred that this is calcined to magnesium oxide at a low temperature, because this improves the reactivity of the resultant magnesium oxide. It also is possible to use magnesium carbonate directly as the multivalent cation material, but the reaction then produces carbon dioxide, so that the reaction mixture has to be degassed to remove the carbon dioxide.

The or each multivalent cation preferably is chosen from the group: magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc or molybdenum. It is preferred to add the multivalent cation material to the starting materials in the form of a carbonate, oxide, bicarbonate, hydroxide, chloride, sulphate, nitrate or phosphate. Convenient low-cost multivalent cation materials are dolomite, limestone and magnesite, which may be used in that form or calcined before use, as discussed above.

To maximise the efficiency of the chelation reaction, it is preferred that the multivalent cation source is ground to a powder before adding to the starting material.

The reaction product from step 3 is then dried (step 4); optionally the reaction product may be blended with a carrier to enable the mixture to be dried easily. One possible carrier is to use the solid component from stillage, known as“wet cake”, as a carrier. The wet cake may also contain some acidic components, so the resultant mixture, once dried, typically has a pH of approximately 6.3 and contains some unreacted acidic materials and some non-flocculated acidic protein.

To preserve the maximum prebiotic effect of the end product, low temperature drying is preferred:- at or below 110°C, preferably below 80°C. The dried product may then be further processed e.g. by pelletisation (step 5), to provide a convenient form of the product for transport and feeding.

The product produced by the above described process appears to have a number of benefits when fed to monogastric species such as horses, pigs, dogs and cats, and poultry. Large-scale formal tests have not yet been completed, but informal tests carried out to date indicate that the product is palatable over a range of species and appears to lead not only to more efficient and effective mineral nutrition, but also to enhance the ability of the hind gut (both caecal and colonic) flora to ferment the animal’s basic diet, with the result that the animal can more effectively absorb both the energy giving and other nutritional components of its diet.

To achieve satisfactory results, the recommended procedure is to feed the product of the present invention to a monogastric animal at approximately 0.72 gm of product per day per Kg of body weight for a period of at least 7 days in a 6-month period.

However, feeding the product for longer periods, as described in the following examples, is beneficial, especially if the animal is working hard. No drawbacks have been observed from feeing the product for many weeks.

The beneficial consequences of this enhanced absorption are expected to include one or more of the following:

• an enhanced growth rate, plus an enhanced acquisition of body weight during growth;

• more rapid recovery of condition after giving birth;

• enhanced recovery after exercise, and better response to training, with a reduced risk of overtraining syndromes in horses (i.e.“tying up”);

• an improved rate of recovery from minor injuries;

• a reduced requirement for dietary protein and consequently less wasted in metabolic energy production.

• a reduced production of methane and other forms of gaseous, reduced carbon; • a reduced faecal volume per unit of weight gain;

• a reduced excretion of nitrogenous materials in urine and faeces, either as a reduced concentration or as a reduced volume. This leads to a reduced environmental impact from nitrous oxides, and improved faecal odour.

In a preliminary test carried out on 50 polo ponies, the ponies were fed approximately 360 gm of a product in accordance with the present invention, identified as Knewe® Mg, and prepared as described below. The product was fed daily for 50 days, while the animals were in work. The average live weight of the 50 animals was approximately 500 kg at both the beginning and end of the feeding period.

Knewe® Mg was prepared from condensed distillers’ solubles from a wheat fermentation/distillation process for manufacture of fuel ethanol. The lactic acid content of the starting material was standardised to 20% (by weight) with commercial feed grade pure lactic acid. The material was then reacted with feed grade 97.5% MgO of high reactivity. The reacted product was co-dried with distillers’ wetcake using a solids ratio of one part wetcake solids to three parts reacted solids, and then pelletised. The product was very palatable to the animals.

Empirical observations of the ponies as a group indicated that they were not adversely affected in any way by the product and in fact tended to be calmer and less excitable. The ponies had approximately 1 Kg per day of lucerne meal removed from their ration, which reduced their daily crude protein intake by approximately 250 gm; nevertheless, the animals’ performance is not affected adversely, indeed, they showed a notable increase in stamina and rate of recovery:- on average, the ponies were able to play an extra chukka before being replaced, and showed greatly reduced symptoms of over work the day after play. The ponies fed the product finished the competition season in the best condition observed among the professional competitors. The ponies appeared to heal from any minor injuries (cuts, scratches, grazes and minor bruising) more rapidly than normal

It was noted that the animals fed the product appeared to be using protein more efficiently after a period of consuming the product, and that their faeces changed properties, consistent with a reduced proportion of the fibrous component of the faeces, without any indication of the hind gut dysfunction. In addition, it was noted that the changes in the properties of the faeces also were consistent with a reduced production of offensive nitrogen rich compounds. It is theorised that there may be two reasons for this:

a. Modified fermentation processes in the caecum and colon lead to reduced levels of nitrogen available for distal colonic production of such offensive materials; b. Horses are known to use their faeces as a means of social signalling in the formation and maintenance of dominance hierarchies. It is noted that the improved availability of magnesium from the diet (both from the Mg lactate in the product, and the increased release of Mg from forage by improved fibre degradation) leads to reduced excitability. This may be accompanied by reduced excretion of materials aiding dominance hierarchy maintenance.

In a further single-animal experiment, a trekking horse was fed a standard daily dose (1 kPU) of the Knewe® Mg product described above, before and during a horse trek which covered 200 km over six days. The rider noted that the animal remained energetic during riding, recovered well after each day and was fit and eager to resume work each following morning; there were no adverse long-term effects observed after the trek.

It should be noted that there is nothing contained in the Knewe® Mg product which is not permitted in diets of horses or ponies intended for competition of any sort.

It is believed that the enhanced wound healing, improved recovery from exercise, reduction in laminitis symptoms and reduction in indications of insulin sensitivity, all are indications of enhanced immune function in animals fed the product.

Further, the indications of improved gut activity, particularly of the hind gut flora, indicate that the product may be assisting the animals to degrade forage more effectively.

In the test on the 50 polo ponies described above, prior to introduction of the product (at baseline), a representative sample of five animals was selected for full blood analysis. These animals were sampled again at the end of the feeding regimen, which coincided with the end of the competitive polo season.

Samples were drawn under veterinary supervision and forwarded to IDEXX Laboratories for analysis using ProCyteDX and Catalyst Dx Procedures. On completion of the final measurements, the data were transferred to the Minitab (Version 18) statistical analysis package. Analysis was conducted using the balanced ANOVA (analysis of variance) procedure with stage and horse as factors, horse being treated as a random factor. Data for red blood cell parameters, white blood cell parameters, blood chemical components, blood protein values, liver, muscle and kidney enzyme markers and electrolyte values were analysed separately.

One set of final platelet figures was missing from the original data. T o enable an analysis to be carried out on the remainder, a set of fitted values were calculated to provide dummy data.

ANOVA results are presented in Table I. Generally speaking, the variability between animals was greater than between the means at the beginning and end of the feeding regimen - the only statistically significant changes over time are for Plateletcrit (PCT (%)) a measure of the proportion of all blood cells composed of platelets) and mean platelet volume (MPV), each of which doubled, blood calcium content (a slight decline), a fall in blood total protein concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity. These latter declines are best explained by achieving better animal hydration. The means of all measures fall within the acceptable ranges.

Table

Table I (cont)

It was concluded from the analysis that feeding Knewe® Mg has no important effect on most blood parameters in polo ponies. All parameters remained in acceptable ranges, implying that the product can be safely fed to thoroughbreds while in work with no risk that accusations could be made that the animals are being fed‘performance enhancing’ substances. Key Red Blood Cell parameter values rose during the study period, consistent with the increase in fitness and stamina observed. The platelet data are very significant, showing a significant increase in platelet size in the blood. It is theorised that this may be a reason for the more rapid wound healing which was observed in the ponies. In addition, it was noted that the animals drank more during the feeding, allowing them to maintain better hydration during competition. It is thought that this improved water intake also contributed to better post-exercise recovery. The acronyms found in the table above are explained below.

Blood cytology

RBC - Red blood cell count

HCT - haematocrit

HGB - Haemoglobin

RETIC % & # - Reticulocyte count, percentage of reticulocyte RETIC- HGB - Reticulocyte haemoglobin

MCV - Mean cell volume

RDW- Red blood cell distribution width

MCH - Mean cell haemoglobin

MCHC - Mean cell Haemoglobin concentration

PLT - platelet count

MPV - Mean platelet volume

PDW - Platelet distribution width

PCT - Platelet haematocrit

WBC - White blood cell count

nRBC - Nucleated red blood cells Blood chemistry

Alanine aminotransferase - ALT

Albumin - ALB

Alkaline phosphatase - ALKP

Ammonia - NH3

Amylase - AMYL

Aspartate aminotransferase - AST

Blood urea nitrogen - BUN

Calcium - Ca

Cholesterol - CHOL

Creatinine Kinase - CK

Creatinine - CREA

Gamma-glutamyl transferase - GGT

Glucose - GLU

Inorganic phosphate - PHOS

Lactate dehydrogenase - LDH

Lactate - LAC Lipase - LI PA

Magnesium - Mg

Total bilirubin - TBIL

Total protein - TP

Triglyceride - TRIG

Uric acid - URIC

Urine creatinine - UCRE

Urine protein - UPRO

In a separate study, the Knewe® Mg product formulated as described above and used in the polo pony experiment was fed at the rate of 1 kPU to a horse (Maggie) which was slightly overweight, exhibiting clear signs of insulin resistance (Cushing’s disease) and suffering from laminitis. There is no fully proven link between insulin resistance and laminitis, but there is strong empirical evidence to suggest a link.

As shown in Figure 2 the initial period of feeding the product, (approximately 40 days) showed a considerable improvement in the hoof structure:- this is shown by region 1 of the hoof (the lower part of the hoof) which shows a dense, healthy structure without any ridging or defects. At the same time, Maggie showed an improvement in the symptoms of insulin resistance.

To test whether the product was actually the cause of the improvement, feeding the product was withdrawn for 40 days; this resulted in the structure seen in area 2:- there is considerable ridging around the hoof and the lines down the hoof are an indication of poor lamina strength.

Feeding of the product was then resumed for 20 days, and the resulting hoof structure (the most recently developed part of the hoof i.e. the part furthest from the ground) is shown in area 3:- the structure is again dense and healthy with no ridging. At the end of the feeding period, Maggie had completely lost any symptoms of insulin resistance.

The product in accordance with the present invention may be fed for a relatively short period (e.g. a few weeks) to deal with a specific problem such as a mineral deficiency, until testing shows that the deficiency has been remedied. However, the product may also be fed for prolonged periods, or indefinitely, since many of the effects, such as more efficient feed utilisation, essentially are of benefit for the whole life of the animal. The calculation of the quantity of product to be fed uses as a starting point the quantity of product (kPU) required to provide 8.0 grams of magnesium (in the form of hydrated magnesium lactate) preferably with more than 90% present as magnesium lactate dihydrate to a 500 kg animal. To determine the correct amount to feed to a larger or smaller animal, the mass of the kPU is multiplied by the ratio of metabolic masses, calculated as:

metabolic mass ratio = (mass of animal to be fed (in kg)/500) to the power 0.6.

The term kPU as used herein represents a prebiotic unit of the product of the present invention, which is sold under the trade mark KNEWE.

The rationale behind the formula given above is as follows:- in order to maintain the body temperature of an animal, metabolic energy must be used to compensate for heat loss. The rate of heat loss is proportional to the surface area of the animal which decreases as the 2/3 power of body mass, which is where metabolic heat is generated.

Empirical experimentation has shown that the appropriate power to which to raise the ratio of body masses to estimate the amount of dietary energy required in mammals of widely differing sizes is a little lower than the ratio of indices for surface area and volume.

In the calculation, a standard weight of 500 kg was assumed for a sport horse, and 1 kPU was the amount of the product of the present invention which was required to provide 8.0 grams of magnesium in the form of hydrated magnesium lactate.

To calculate the relative metabolic mass of a target animal, the live weight of the animal is divided by 500, to the power of 0.6. This metabolic mass ratio is then used to estimate the amount of product to be fed to the animal by multiplying it by the mass of 1 kPU.

Tests carried out to date have used as starting materials:

- partially dehydrated water-soluble components of stillage from wheat fermentation;

- partially dehydrated stillage components from wheat ethanol production.

However, it is believed that any of the range of starting products discussed above would have equally beneficial effects. An analysis of Knewe® Mg has indicated the presence of the components discussed below, in addition to magnesium lactate and magnesium lactate dihydrate:-

Glycerol content

The glycerol found in CDS (condensed distillers solubles) is due to the formation of stress products by yeast as ethanol concentration rises in the fermentation medium. The final level achieved is generally of the order of 9%.

Protein content

The protein found in CDS is comprised of the soluble cereal protein (albumins and globulins), and the soluble protein released during lysis of yeast and microbial cells. These proteins are of high nutritional value, and are generally acidic in nature: that is, they have a significant number of acidic amino acid residues, the carboxyl residues of which are exposed to the medium, and thus de-protonated. These de-protonated carboxyl residues are able to bind to magnesium ions, causing the formation of large, relatively immobile aggregates, which tends to precipitate. Therefore, it is not appropriate to refer to these as soluble proteins, nor could they be measured as such.

Ash

Ash content, which will include the magnesium incorporated into magnesium lactate and protein aggregates will be of the order of 10%, of which the nutritionally-important magnesium will comprise 25%

Water

Magnesium lactate dihydrate includes 14% water, and thus, will contribute approximately 3% to the amount of water able to be extracted at 130°C. Good shelf stability is achieved at 11 % total extractable water, implying that approximately 8% of gross weight may be free water

Fat

The fat content of CDS solids, is derived almost solely from yeast cell lysis, and will not exceed 3%.

Carbohydrates

The balance of the composition of Knewe® Mg will consist of carbohydrates not metabolised by yeast or other microbes during the primary fermentation. This will include, but not be limited to, resistant starch, maltodextrins of varying molecular weight, solvated cellulo-oligomers and arabinoxylans, and microbial non-starch polysaccharides. While these materials are important prebiotics for many microorganisms, it is not clear what effect varying the content and composition of carbohydrates in the product will have. Therefore, the content of carbohydrates in the product is determined by difference.

Standard composition (360g daily dose)

Gross nutritional impact

A 360 gm daily dose of Knewe® Mg provides, at best, approximately 6% of a horse’s daily dry matter intake. Thus, while the direct nutritional impact of such components as glycerol, crude protein, total lipid and total carbohydrate is trivial compared to the contribution of the same components from the other 94% of dry matter intake, it is expected that each of these components contribute to the prebiotic impact. For instance, the crude protein, since it consists of high-quality proteins aggregated by complexing with magnesium, will avoid heating damage during processing, Similarly the lactic acid contribution from Knew® Mg is small, but since it is in the form of magnesium lactate, which is only sparingly soluble, its nutritional impact including its impact on appetite will be altered.

In summary, the carbohydrate component of Knewe® Mg is almost certainly of key importance in determining the prebiotic effect of the product. However, determining a dose/response relationship will be challenging. Notwithstanding this, provided Knewe® Mg is produced from fermentation of cereal products, using a mixture of yeast and microbial agents, the carbohydrate profile will vary only in detail, and in all cases a significant proportion will be contributed by simple, three-carbon organic acids. These acids are known to improve the performance of the gut microflora in terms of their ability to break down fibre, and provided they are provided in moderate levels, will not have anti-appetite effects.

Material safety

Animal health

In commercial-scale ruminant and horse trials, no adverse events were noted that could be related to the product, when the product was fed at the recommended daily dosage.

The magnesium fed in this way is a relatively small but very important supplement to the magnesium in the basal forage as it is a good deal more bioavailable. There is no indication that there will be safety concerns with consumption of as high as five times the recommended daily intake in one dose, or long-term ingestion of several-fold the recommended daily intake.

Condensed distillers solubles are routinely fed at much higher proportions of total dry matter intake without apparent deleterious effect.

It is believed that the microbial components which are either present in the fermentation products used as starting materials, or which may be generated by those starting materials in vivo when the product is fed, (e.g. cell wall polysaccharides) can act as immunomodulators, and thus provide therapeutic benefits.

It is theorised that the beneficial effects discussed above are caused by one or more of the following processes:

• enhancement of the population and activity of microorganisms capable of fermenting refractory plant polysaccharides to volatile organic acids, through provision of prebiotic activity in the form of chelated organic acids;

• enhancement of the population and activity of microorganisms with specific readily fermented mono-and oligo-saccharides either not available to yeast (e.g. branched oligomers of glucose) or produced by yeast in response to stress (e.g. glycerol);

• provision of plant and/or microbe derived non-starch polysaccharides that participate preferentially in mixed micelle formation in the lumen of the gut;

• protection of dietary lipids by soap formation;

• formation of Maillard products during drying; • provision of micronutrients required by gut flora and fauna;

• suppression of deleterious flora and fauna species by yeast and plant derived antimicrobials, and by changes to gut pH and osmotic activity.

It will be appreciated that these mechanisms are speculative at present and require additional research to establish.

Referring specifically to the use of the product of the present invention for horses (this term includes both horses and ponies), in the magnesium containing form (i.e. Knewe® Mg) it appears that there are at least five separate components of the product that each provide benefits, but the overall benefits achieved by feeding the product are greater than the sum of the benefits achieved by each component alone i.e. the constituents in the product are synergistic. These products are as follows:-

1. Magnesium lactate. Magnesium lactate is known to increase the efficiency of fermentation in both the rumen and the hindgut, both through stimulating microbial activity, and increasing the rate that fermentation products are taken up. Magnesium lactate is also a highly bioavailable source of magnesium, aiding prevention of muscle cramping, and improving behaviour.

2. Flocculated soluble protein. High value protein in the raw materials is crosslinked, protecting it during drying and maintaining protein quality. Enhanced supply of performance-limiting amino acids improves feed protein utilisation,

3. Yeast components. Each daily dose of Knewe® Mg contains around 13g of yeast components, which are protected during drying, and are thus equivalent to at least 30g of fresh yeast. These yeast components interact with the gut immune system, strengthening its performance, and generating differentiated blood cells important for enhanced wound healing and infection control elsewhere in the body.

4. Yeast stress products. As fermentation comes to an end, yeast produces a number of products to help it cope with the stress of the amount of alcohol in the environment. The principal product is glycerol, but fats and proteins are also produced. These materials have a number of effects on microbes other than yeast, both as a source of nutrition and a stimulant to beneficial activity. Cereal fibres. Compared to the raw material from which Knewe® Mg is made, the content of certain soluble fibres is enhanced. These are known to provide enhanced fermentation substrates, and also to affect the performance of the gut immune system.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a composition for improving the productivity and health of monogastric animals, said method including the following steps:

a) selecting as a starting material an acidic fermentation product which includes one or more of the following:

• between 5% and 90% of C3 - C6 sugars and polymers of those sugars;

• between 5% and 50% non-starch polysaccharides;

b) reacting said starting material with a multi-valent cation material in sufficient quantity to chelate a majority of the acidic products present in the starting material;

c) drying the reaction product.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said starting material includes one or more of the following:

• acidic fermentation coproducts;

• distillation byproducts;

• stillage and stillage fractions;

• partly dehydrated stillage components from cereal ethanol production;

• acidic coproducts of plant processing;

• acidic wheys from milk fermentation or related processing.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the starting material includes (on a dry solids basis) one or more of the following:

• between 20% - 40 % selected organic acids;

• between 5% and 15% of C3 - C6 sugars and polymers of these sugars, the majority of the sugar being glycerol;

• between 5% and 50% protein with a high protein efficiency

ratio (PER) where a majority of the protein is a soluble protein of plant or microbial origin; • between 5% and 50% non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), where the majority of the NSP is of cereal or other plant origin plus yeast cell wall components.

4. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the starting material is treated to adjust the water content to between 40% and 75% by weight.

5. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lactic acid content of the starting material is checked before step (b), and if necessary additional lactic acid is added to bring the concentration of lactic acid in the starting material up to at least 20% by weight.

6. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the multi valent cation is selected from the group consisting of: magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, molybdenum.

7. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the multi valent cation material is in a form which is selected from the group consisting of: carbonate, oxide, bicarbonate, hydroxide, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, phosphate.

8. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the multi valent cation material is ground to a powder before adding it to the starting material.

9. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein in step (c), the reaction product is dried at a temperature of at or below 11 0°C.

10. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1-9 wherein in step (c), before drying, the reaction product is blended with a suitable nutritious carrier material in a proportion selected to provide a mixture convenient for drying.

11. A method for improving the productivity and health of monogastric animals, said method including the steps of:

1. Preparing a composition as claimed in any one of claims 1-10;

2. Feeding said composition to a monogastric animal at an approximate quantity of 0.72 g of composition per Kg of body weight of the animal per day for a period of at least 7 days in a six month period.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the improved productivity and health include one or more of the following:

• an enhanced growth rate;

• enhanced recovery after exercise;

• improved rate of recovery from minor injuries;

• a reduced requirement for dietary protein;

• a reduction in the production of methane;

• a reduced faecal volume per unit of weight gain;

• a reduced excretion of nitrogenous materials in urine and faeces.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 1 or claim 12, wherein the monogastric animal is a horse or pony.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the composition is prepared by selecting condensed distillers’ solubles from a wheat fermentation/distillation process for manufacture of fuel ethanol as a starting material, adjusting the lactic acid content of the starting material to 20% by weight, and then reacting the starting material with feed grade 97.5% magnesium oxide to produce a reaction product.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the reaction product is co-dried with distillers’ wet cake using a solids ratio of one part wet cake solids to 3 parts reaction product.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15 wherein the improved productivity and health includes a statistically significant increase in blood platelet volume and in blood platelet size.

17. The method as claimed in any one of claims 14-16, wherein the composition fed to the horse or pony includes the following constituents, which in combination have a synergistic effect:

• magnesium lactate;

• flocculated soluble protein; yeast components;

yeast stress products, including glycerol; cereal fibres.