METHOD FOR PRODUCING ANIMAL FEED OF HIGHER NUTRITIVE VALUE, AND THE USE OF THE ANIMAL FEED THUS PRODUCED

Abstract: Pulverulent or granular animal feed is produced by mixing a castor oil ethoxylate, optionally dissolved or suspended in water or sorbed by a carrier and containing 8-35 ethyleneoxy groups, with the pulverulent or granular nutritious substances of the animal feed, or with other optional solid components thereof. Apart from the castor oil ethoxylate, the animal feed suitably contains 10-70 % by weight of cereals, 0-10 % by weight of feed fat, 10-50 % by weight of protein-containing nutritious substances other than cereals, and 1-10 % by weight of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, flavourings, antibiotics, probiotics and other animal-feed additives. The animal feed is suitably fed to poultry, pigs and calves.

Description: METHOD FOR PRODUCING ANIMAL FEED OF HIGHER NUTRITIVE VALUE, AND THE USE OF THE ANIMAL FEED THUS PRODUCED This invention relates to a method for producing dry animal feed containing pulverulent or granular nutritious substances, in which a surface-active compound consisting of a glyceryl polyethelene glycol ricinoleate (usually referred to as castor oil ethoxylate) is mixed with the nutritious substances and not with a hydrophobic component which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating. The resulting animal feed has been found to have a higher nutritive value, e.g. for poultry, pigs and calves. It is generally known to disperse fat in water with the aid of surface-active agents, such as castor oil ethoxy- late and lecithin, in order to produce a formula primarily destined for calves. Further, it is known to incorporate surface-active compounds into pulverulent or granular feed based on cereals and fat by admixing them to a fatty phase which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating, so as to increase the availability of the nutritive value of the fat. It is thus known, e.g. from a doctor's thesis by Christoph Giinther entitled "Einfluss von Emulgatoren auf die Verwendung tierischen Fettes von Masthiinerkϋken" at the Hohen Landwirtschaftlischen Fakultat der Reinischen Fried- rich-Wilheims-Universitat zu Bonn, 16 February 1988, to produce chickenfeed by mixing various nutritious substances, such as cereals and melted fat. Emulsifiers, such as soybean lecithin, sugar ester, polyoxyethylene glyceryl monostearate and mixtures of castor oil ethoxylate and soybean lecithin are added to the fat in order improve its digestibility. An article entitled Growth Promotion in Broilers by Copolymer CRL 87-61' by J.P. Texton et al, J.APPL. Poultry Res. (1992)1, pp 373-381, discloses the addition of nonionic RECTIFIED SHEET(RULE91) ISA/EP surface-active block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propy- lene oxide, for instance in contents of 10 ppm, to chicken- feed in an attempt at promoting the growth of chickens. According to this article, the surface-active copolymer was mixed first with a premix of maize meal and then with the other ingredients of the feed. When the chickens were fed with this feed, their growth increased somewhat and their mortality was reduced after 42 days, but not after 21 days. These results have, however, been called in question by William A. Duclley-Cash in an article published in Feed- stuffs, 1993, March 1, p. 13. The object of this invention is to improve the avail¬ ability of the nutritious substances in conventional dry animal feed, especially for poultry, pigs and calves, in order to increase the growth per weight unit of animal feed and/or the daily growth while reducing the mortality. It has now surprisingly been found that this object can be attained in the production of animal feed by mixing a castor oil ethoxylate, optionally dissolved or suspended in water or sorbed by a carrier and containing 8-35 ethyleneoxy groups, preferably 18-30 ethyleneoxy groups, with the pulverulent or granular nutritious substances or other solid components of the animal feed. According to the invention, the amount of castor oil ethoxylate added usually is 50-3000 ppm, preferably 200-1500 ppm, based on the total weight of the animal feed. The castor oil ethoxylate thus is not in¬ troduced into the animal feed via a hydrophobic component which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating, and e.g. consists of a lipid, such as fat, and/or of a carboxy- lie acid, such as a natural fatty acid. Comparative tests have shown that the addition of castor oil ethoxylate to the liquid hydrophobic component results in the production of feed which does have a slightly higher nutritive value than it would have had if the castor oil ethoxylate had not been added. By mixing the castor oil ethoxylate with the cereals or other solid nutrit i ous substances in accordance with the invention, the animals fed with the resulting feed show even better growth and lower mortality. If a liquid hydrophobic component, such as a lipid or a carboxylic acid, is added to the feed, this is done either before or after the admixture of castor oil ethoxylate to the pulverulent or granular nutritious substances or other solid components. If so de¬ sired, an additional amount of castor oil ethoxylate may, of course, be introduced separately into the hydrophobic compo¬ nent which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating. Although the reason for the surprising results of the in¬ vention is unknown, it would seem that the presence of castor oil ethoxylate outside the hydrophobic component in- creases the availability of the pulverulent or granular nutritious substances and facilitates the assimilation thereof. When preparing the animal feed, one may conveniently prepare a premix consisting of e.g. vitamins, flavourings, minerals, enzymes, antibiotics and probiotics. To the pre¬ mix, one may add dry components consisting of cereals, such as meal of wheat, oats, barley, maize and rice, or these cereals in the crushed state; vegetable protein feed based on e.g. rape, soy and sunflower; animal protein feed, such as protein E, blood meal, bone meal and fish meal; molasses; and milk products, such as various milk powders and whey powders. To this mixture or to the premix, one suitably adds the castor oil ethoxylate, optionally dissolved or emulsi¬ fied in water or sorbed (i.e. adsorbed or absorbed) by a carrier, which may consist of ground cereals, starch or in¬ organic minerals, such as silicates. After mixing all the dry additives, one may add the hydrophobic component which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating, and which may consist of lipids, such as fat, and/or of carboxylic acids, such as fatty acid. The lipids usually consist of slaughter fat and vegetable fat, optionally liquified by heating. Thorough mixing results in a mealy or particulate composition, depending on the degree of grinding of the in- gredients. If so desired, the liquid hydrophobic component may be added to the solid pulverulent or particulate compo¬ nents, or a part thereof, in order to produce a solid pulverulent mixture before adding the castor oil ethoxylate. Animal feed according to the invention usually con- tains 0-80% by weight, preferably 10-70% by weight, of cereals; 0.15% by weight, preferably 0-10% by weight and most preferred 1-8% by weight, of feed fat; 0-70% by weight, preferably 10-50% by weight, of protein-containing nutri¬ tious substances other than cereals; and 0-12% by weight, preferably 1-10% by weight, of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, flavourings, antibiotics, probiotics and optionally other common animal-feed additives. In order to prevent separation during storage, one should suitably add water to the animal feed and subject it to a conventional pelleting, expanding or extruding process. In the event that the animal feed contains an excess of water after the treatment, this water can be removed by drying. If deemed suitable, the resulting granular animal feed may be crushed to a smaller particle size. The invention will now be further illustrated with the aid of a few Examples. Example 1 Two different sorts of chickenfeed according to the invention were produced by adding to 0.3 parts by weight of wheat bran 0.15 parts by weight of a castor oil ethoxylate (R012) , in which 1 mole of castor oil was ethoxylated with 12 mole of ethylene oxide. The wheat bran was then mixed with other ground cereals, meat meal, tapioca meal and a premix containing vitamins and minerals. Melted feed fat and molasses were then added to this dry mixture under agita¬ tion. Finally, a minor amount of water was added, and the chickenfeed was pelleted and dried. Two comparative compositions, in which 0.15 parts by weight of . the castor oil ethoxylate was admixed to, respec¬ tively, 3 and 5 parts by weight of melted feed fat, as well as two additional feed compositions to which no castor oil ethoxylate was added, were also produced. The different sorts of chickenfeed produced had the following composition. Table 1 Compositions 4-6 contained about 67% more feed fat than did compositions 1-3. Compositions 3 and 6 were pro¬ duced in accordance with the invention. In compositions 2 and 5, on the other hand, the ethoxylated ricinoleate was added via the fat. Then, 210 broilers distributed between 14 cages (15 animals in each) were fed per feed composition. The weight increase, the feed intake, the feed index (feed intake/weight increase) and the relative feed conversion of the broilers were determined. The following results were obtained. RECTIFIEDSHEET(RULE91) 1SA/EP 10 15 Table 3. Feed Intake and Feed CD c 15 20 It is evident from these results that the animals fed with the feed produced in accordance with the invention showed better growth than those fed with the comparative feed. One further obtained a lower feed index, i.e. a lower feed intake per weight increase with the feed produced in accordance with the invention. Example 2 A feed composition corresponding to feed composition 6 in Example 1, as well as a composition in which the R012 content had been reduced to 1,000 ppm, was produced. One further produced two compositions where R012 was replaced with a castor oil ethoxylate (R025) , in which 1 mole of castor oil had been ethoxylated with 25 moles of ethylene oxide, and a castor oil ethoxylate (RO20) , in which 1 mole of castor oil had been ethoxylated with 20 moles of ethy¬ lene oxide. For comparative purposes, a composition corre¬ sponding to composition 4 in Example 1 was also produced. The different compositions were then fed to broilers as in Example 1. The following results were obtained. Table 4 It is evident from these results that the broilers fed with the feed compositions containing castor oil ethoxylate showed better growth, better feed index and lower mortality than those that had been fed with the comparative composition. Example 3 Six feed compositions were produced in the same way as in Example 1 (composition 6) , excepting that the ethoxylate R012 was replaced with the following additives. The different compositions were then fed to broilers under the same conditions as in Example 1. The following results were obtained. Table 5 It is evident from these results that the addition of castor oil ethoxylate had a favourable effect on growth, mortality and feed index, whereas the additives in compositions 3, 4 and 5 only had an adverse effect on mortality and feed index. The castor oil ethoxylate R025 had a favourable effect even at such a low content as 100 ppm. Example 4 A composition corresponding to composition 3 in Example 1 was produced by mixing all the components except the feed fat and the wheat bran with sorbed castor oil et¬ hoxylate. The feed fat, which had been liquefied by heating, was then added to this feed mixture under agitation, so that the fat was finely divided and a dry particulate free-flowing feed mixture was obtained. Wheat bran with sorbed castor oil ethoxylate was then added to this mixture under agitation. Finally, a minor amount of water was added, and the chickenfeed was granulated and dried. As in Example 1, chickens were fed with the feed composition, and their weight increase, feed intake, feed index and relative feed consumption were determined. The results obtained agreed very well with those obtained for composition 3 in Example 1 and were superior to those ob¬ tained for compositions 1 and 2 in the same Example.

Claims: C L A I M S , 1. A method for producing pulverulent or granular animal feed containing a surface-active compound, charac- 5 terise by introducing into the animal feed a castor oil ethoxylate, optionally dissolved or suspended in water or sorbed by a carrier and containing 8-35 ethyleneoxy groups, by mixing it with the pulverulent or granular nutritious substances of the animal feed, or with other 10 optional solid components thereof. 2. A method as set forth in claim 1, characterised by adding to the mixture a hydrophobic component which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating, after the castor oil ethoxylate has been mixed with the pulverulent 15 or granular nutritious substances and the other optional solid components. 3. A method as set forth in claim 1, characterised by mixing a hydrophobic component which is in the liquid state, optionally after heating, with at least part of the 20 pulverulent or granular nutritious substances or other optional solid components of the animal feed to form a dry, pulverulent or granular feed mixture before the castor oil ethoxylate is added. 4. A method as set forth in claim 1, 2 or 3, 25 characterised by using castor oil ethoxylate containing 18-30 ethyleneoxy groups. 5. A method as set forth in any one of claims 1-4, characterised by adding the castor oil ethoxylate in an amount of 50-3000 ppm, preferably 200-1500 ppm, based on 30 the weight of the animal feed. 6. A method as set forth in any one of claims 2-5, characterised by using feed fat as the hydrophobic compo¬ nent. 7. Animal feed, characterised in that it has been produced according to the method set forth in any one of claims 1-6, and that it contains 10-70% by weight of cereals, 0-10% by weight of feed fat, 10-50% by weight of proteins-containing nutritious substances other than cereals, and 1-10% by weight of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, flavourings, antibiotics, probiotics and other animal-feed additives. 8. Animal feed as set forth in claim 7, characte- rised in that it contains 1-8% by weight of feed fat. 9. The use of animal feed as set forth in claim 7 or 8 for feeding poultry, pigs or calves.

Inventors: SAMUELSSON ANNE-CATHRINE, SAMUELSSON, ANNE-CATHRINE
Applicants: BEROL NOBEL AB, SAMUELSSON ANNE CATHRINE, SAMUELSSON, ANNE-CATHRINE
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A23K1
IPC codes: A23K1