Feed additive manufacturer Kemin has introduced its ButiPearl brand to the poultry industry, after having introduced it succesfully in the swine industry some years ago.
The ButiPearl brand is an encapsulated source of butyric acid. The spray freezed encapsulation technique reduces the odour of the butyric acid, which has a strong smell, plus it allows a targeted release inside the chicken’s digestive tract. This ideally should happen in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon.
The product was tested on 500 broilers at the University of Georgia Poultry Research Center. The treatments consisted of a control diet and a treatment diet that consisted of the control diet plus the ButiPearl added on top for mixing prior to pelleting at a rate of 300 g/tonne of finished feed.
The broilers that received diets with the encapsulated butyric acid source showed a body weight gain of 3.0 kg/bird (6.6 lbs) versus the control group of 2.9 kg/bird (6.4 lbs).
Kemin highlighted its ButiPearl concept at the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, GA, United States.