The theme of sustainably feeding pigs was explored in a recent webinar, held by Pig Progress and supported by animal nutrition companies Orffa and IFF. The webinar is now available to view on demand.
The webinar was held on September 23 and featured speakers Dr Amir Ghane of Danisco Animal Nutrition, part of IFF, and Brecht Bruneel speaking on behalf of Orffa.
Dr Amir Ghane, technical sales leader at Danisco Animal Nutrition, kicked off the webinar with a presentation called ‘Programmes to achieve a favourable nutribiotic state in pigs’. With its emphasis on ‘nutribiosis’, IFF refers to the state describing the interaction between nutrition, microbiome, the gut and the immune function. Inside the animal host, Dr Ghane said, complex interactions are going on. Making sure that is all happening at the right balance contributes to the pig, the producer but also to the environment.
He went on to discuss the company’s approach Syncra SWI, a feed additive combining both enzymes and a Bacillus probiotic, destined for use in grower pigs. The combination of the 2, he said, will maximise nutrient digestibility, support beneficial bacteria and improve intestinal integrity.
Brecht Bruneel, innovation manager at feed additives company Orffa, then started his contribution, titled ‘Environmental footprint of a nutritional emulsifier applied in diets for fattening pigs’. He zoomed in on a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the company’s nutritional emulsifier Excential Energy Plus.
He stated that a life cycle assessment is a good method to map the environmental impact of feed additives. His conclusion then was that a nutritional emulsifier is very effective in improving sustainability of both broiler and swine feeds.
The webinar was closed off with a long Q&A session with both speakers.