Protein valorisation for better digestion in ruminants

Organic agriculture calls for non-synthetic amino acids and organic food manufacturers must work with a greater diversity of protein raw materials naturally rich in amino acids to achieve the nutritional objectives set out in food formulas. The innovation by Cizeron Bio, linked to the valorisation of protein, allows the transformation of protein raw materials (eg. soya beans and lupin) into several fractions and each of these fractions have specific characteristics adapted to the variable nutritional needs of the animals.

The Cizeron Bio factory where the protein nuclei are manufactured.

It is known that organic field crops are not sufficient to cover the demand for raw materials. In 2017, in France, protein crops represent only 7% of French organic production, 40% of organic soya was imported (Le Viol, 2019). The company is therefore involved in the development of local supply chains and the enhancement of organic vegetable protein.

The process

In the technical process developed by the company, the diversity of raw materials used and technological innovation make it possible, when formulating these protein nuclei, to focus on the overall amino acid profile and thus to impact animal immunity, enzyme functions etc.

The protein nucleus is composed in part of protein raw materials from the protein recovery process. The crushed seeds are separated according to the protein content of their fractions. When the fractions are separated, they are heat treated by slow cooking, which preserves the length of the amino acid chains to improve protein digestibility. Depending on the finished product wanted from the raw material, cooking of proteins can be adapted to optimise the animals’ digestibility, depending on the species or physiological stage of the animal. In this way the proteins are ‘protected’ and this makes it better for the animal as protected proteins are not degraded in the rumen but in the intestine leading to better feed efficiency.

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Digestibility and nutrition for organic livestock

For organic livestock the technological innovation by Cizeron Bio improves the digestibility of the protein for animals. In addition, waste is limited due to the use of all fractions of the seed for the manufacture of food. In addition to digestibility, nutritional well-being is also improved because rations are not excessive, this means less protein is provided to meet nutritional needs, which limits nitrogenous waste, decreases pathologies linked to nutritional imbalance and improves well-being of the animal.

Due to the work carried out on amino acids with the assembly of different raw materials and the improvement of protein digestibility, the overall protein level of food is optimised for the animal. By improving animal nutrition and protein digestibility animal performance is increased. Nucleus proteins for feedstuffs not only improves the protein value but also reduces the dependence on soya imports.