Novus celebrates anniversary this month, planning for a long future

Novus celebrates anniversary this month, planning for a long future

What three decades in agriculture means for the feed additive company

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NOVUS INTERNATIONAL, INC

SAINT CHARLES, MO (June 1, 2021) – On June 6, Novus celebrates 30 years of supporting  animal  Protein producers globally who are working to feed the world.

In 1991, Novus International, Inc. was founded with a mission “to make a clear difference in sustainability meeting the growing global need for nutrition and health.” The outcome of Novus’s mission statement is clear – the availability of healthy and affordable animal protein can positively impact populations, particularly when produced with regard for environmental impacts, feed costs and animal performance. Looking back at the last three decades, Novus President and CEO Dan Meagher said the company has always endeavored to offer solutions for the industry’s biggest challenges.

This month Novus International, Inc., celebrates 30 years of providing solutions, service and sustainability to the animal agriculture industry. This abridged timeline shows key product launches and company growth during the last three decades

“Achieving performance and profit goals while optimizing animal health are challenges for every producer regardless of operation size,” he said. “There are many purposes for feed additives. For us, the purpose is to ensure the nutrients in raw feed are available to the animal, support the animal’s gut health to optimize the nutrition it receives from the feed, and to provide the animal with what it can’t get from raw feed materials to better prepare it for the health challenges it may encounter during its life. Regardless of the products we’ve offered over the years, focus on these objectives is how Novus helps its customers globally.”

Novus’s foundation began with methionine. In a joint partnership established in 1991, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and Nippon Soda Co., Ltd., acquired the rights to ALIMET® feed supplement and SANTOQUIN® feed preservative*, creating the company with a source of methionine as its flagship product. From there, methionine solutions MHA® feed supplement and MFP® feed supplement were added to the portfolio. Novus’s next innovation was the MINTREX® trace minerals line, which includes organic sources of zinc, copper and manganese bonded to the HMTBa (hydroxy methionine analogue) molecule allowing for better absorption and mineral availability. ACIDOMATRIX™ feed additive and ACTIVATE® nutritional feed acid, both offering combinations of organic acids and HMTBa, were created for the eubiotics portfolio. Other organic acids, essential oils and the CIBENZA® enzyme platform were added, as were pigment and feed quality products before being sold to EW Nutrition earlier this year. The sale was part of a re-focusing currently underway for the company: its Project Destiny strategic business transformation, which includes the goal of becoming the industry’s go-to source for gut health nutrition solutions.

“Food production is changing with a strong focus on sustainability, animal welfare/health, efficiency, and other drivers directly related to gut health,” said David Dowell, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Health through nutrition has been a long-time principle in human health and Novus wants to expand our solutions in the key area of growth for our industry.”

As part of the renewed focus on innovation, Novus announced its partnership with biotechnology company Agrivida Inc. to develop an innovation pipeline of products using INTERIUS™ Technology; the first in-grain-based feed additive platform commercially available to animal nutritionists and feed formulators. Novus is also working to commercialize the flagship product GRAINZYME® PHOS phytase which uses the technology to produce the enzyme inside corn kernels, thus eliminating processes and costs in feed production.

“As a part of this industry, it’s important that we’re aware of the resources we use. Expressing feed additives directly inside grain is an exciting way to do more with less,” said Chief Innovation Officer Al Zimmerman.

Doing more with less also applies to the company’s commemoration of its anniversary. Since the pandemic is prohibiting Novus from celebrating in-person, it is taking the message to the web. During the upcoming months Novus social media followers will see video and images on what 30 years means for those closest to the company – its employees.

“There’s nothing I would like more than to take a world tour to celebrate this anniversary with every employee but that’s just not feasible,” Meagher said. “We’re having a toned-down, socially-distant anniversary instead, which is really unfortunate since the employees are the reason for Novus’s success. We have hard-working, dedicated, intelligent people at every level of our company, and they each deserve a standing ovation.”

Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Maria Burt echoed Meagher’s statement on the need to celebrate all that employees have achieved, particularly during the pandemic.

“Our colleagues have gone above and beyond in so many ways throughout the pandemic. All of those challenges, coupled with big changes in our company, would have been daunting for anyone, but they have shown their commitment, ingenuity and grit through it all. They are a truly excellent group,” she said.

What will the next 30 years look like? Meagher said Project Destiny is paving the way for a Novus known more for its partnerships with customers than its product line.

“There’s no question that our solutions – methionine, minerals, enzymes, organic acids, essential oils – can help our customers with their operations but we want to be more than that. Our goal is for customers to look at Novus as a trusted advisor that is going to help make their business more sustainable financially and environmentally.”

The new goals and direction of the company are wholly supported and commended by Novus’s Board of Directors. In a statement, Tetsu Watanabe, Novus chairman of the board and senior vice president of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., congratulated Novus employees on the 30th anniversary and said the Board is eager to see what comes next.

“Since its formation, Novus has been an integral part of our strategy and we have worked hand-in-hand with Novus to help ‘Feed the World’,” he said. “As always, we fully support the transformation and growth of Novus as it endeavors to be the provider of viable solutions for the industry. We are pleased to see that the organization is going down the right path.”

Learn more about Novus at www.novusint.com

* Now owned by EW Nutrition.

Feed Additive Combinations could be Solution for Wooden Breast

Feed Additive Combinations could be Solution for Wooden Breast

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New research from Novus International is included in latest issue of Frontiers in Physiology.

Dr. Vivek Kuttappan, photo
Dr. Vivek Kuttappan, Novus Research Scientist

 

SAINT CHARLES, MO (May 6, 2021) – A concern for poultry producers globally, wooden breast is a degenerative condition affecting chicken breasts that ultimately impacts meat quality and can cost the industry millions each year. New research from Novus International, Inc. recently published in Frontiers in Physiology explains how combinations of feed additives can impact this financially damaging myopathy.

Strategies to reduce wooden breast do exist; these are broadly growth-rate-related and antioxidant-based approaches. The results from these methods vary and sometimes can impact performance such as growth rate, slaughter weight, and breast yield. However, an ideal solution is one that offers repeatable success in reducing incidence of wooden breast without sacrificing performance in broiler birds.

The study*, led by Novus Research Scientist Dr. Vivek Kuttappan, evaluated the effect of various dietary interventions on the incidence of wooden breast, particularly when birds are exposed to oxidative stress.

“Although the exact reason is unclear, it’s well-known that incidence of wooden breast is associated with oxidative stress in broiler birds,” Kuttappan said. “So, we wanted to see if combinations of feed additives such as highly bioavailable sources of trace minerals and dietary antioxidants that address tissue oxidative stress could make an impact.”

Poor quality fat or heat stress can instigate oxidative stress in animals, potentially leading to conditions such as wooden breast. Knowing that, Novus researchers took birds experiencing oxidative stress associated with feeding oxidized fat and heat stress and evaluated how Novus’s MINTREX® trace minerals (zinc, copper and manganese), which are marketed for their bioavailability, along with or without a dietary antioxidant and organic selenium impacted the meat quality.

In the study*, birds fed a diet with oxidized fat, a combination of MINTREX® Zn, MINTREX® Cu, and MINTREX® Mn, along with a dietary antioxidant showed reduced oxidative stress in muscle tissue and significantly increased normal/wooden-breast-free fillets by 22% (33% vs 11% when compared to control birds). Where heat stress was concerned, adding MINTREX® trace minerals alone to the diet showed significant increases (13%) in the incidence of normal fillets (21% vs 8% when compared to control birds), and reduced other poultry carcass quality defects such as tibial head lesions, skin scratches, and breast blisters. Researchers observed a higher magnitude of increase in normal fillets (38% vs. 8% compared to control birds), when MINTREX® was combined with the antioxidant and organic selenium.

“The combination of MINTREX® trace minerals, organic selenium, and dietary antioxidants resulted in the effective reduction of wooden breast severity, plausibly through the reduction of oxidative stress in tissue,” Kuttappan said. “This may be due to the activation of various endogenous antioxidant enzymes and reducing dietary sources of oxidative stress.”

*Frontiers in Physiology is a peer-reviewed Journal that examines the physiology of living systems and its interaction with the environment. The Novus study titled, “Nutritional Intervention Strategies Using Dietary Antioxidants and Organic Trace Minerals to Reduce the Incidence of Wooden Breast and Other Carcass Quality Defects in Broiler Birds,” is included in the April 2021 journal in the Avian Physiology section and is viewable Here.

For more information about MINTREX® trace minerals or Novus, visit www.novusint.com.

Nutritional strategies for poultry gut health in antibiotic-free production

Nutritional strategies for poultry gut health in antibiotic-free production

Novus LogoA healthy chicken gut is essential for optimum digestibility, maximum nutrient absorption, immunity development and disease resistance. Disruption of gut integrity and imbalance of gut microbiota may have negative effects on feed conversion, productivity, and health of chicken.

Dr. Anjan Mondal
Dr. Anjan Mondal, Senior Technical Manager, Novus International, Inc.

For the last few decades in poultry production, antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have been widely used in poultry diets to promote growth, improve feed efficiency and control dysbacteriosis and enteric diseases. Unfortunately, the extensive use of antibiotic growth promoters at subtherapeutic doses in poultry diets has the possibility to generate antibiotic resistant pathogens in animal products. Antibiotic-free poultry production is a common trend worldwide because the use of antibiotics has been banned by governments in many countries and due to increasing concerns about antibiotic resistance. These circumstances have ensured a search for alternative strategies to modulate gut development and health in poultry.

Strategies to modulate gut health in antibiotic-free poultry production

Feed quality

  • Optimum nutrient digestion and absorption depends on high quality feed ingredients.
  • Feed particle size is very important for gizzard development. A well-developed gizzard is essential to enhance grinding activity, leading to not only increased gut motility and greater digestion of nutrients, but also to greater reduction in particle size entering the small intestine, ultimately increasing the accessibility of the feed to digestive enzymes. Poor pellet quality and excess fine particles can reduce gizzard function which can increase the incidence of feed passage (undigested feed in the animal’s waste) and dysbacteriosis or microbial imbalance.
  • High levels of antinutritional factors in the feed could lead to poor digestibility, resulting in more undigested protein in the intestinal lumen. The presence of undigested protein in the lumen favors the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, such as Clostridium perfringens. Supplementing the diet with good quality exogenous protease enzyme has been shown to considerably improve protein digestibility.
  • High concentrations of trypsin inhibitors in diets have a negative effect on nutrient digestibility and gut health. Trypsin inhibitors are directly correlated with rapid feed passage and dysbacteriosis. Thermal processing of soybean meal is critical because negative effects from undercooked and overcooked soybean meal on digestion have been cited. Undercooked soybean meal has higher concentrations of trypsin inhibitors whereas overcooking decreases digestibility of the proteins. Inclusion of a good quality protease in the diet can reduce the impact of trypsin inhibitors on digestion.
  • Coarser particle size of soybean meal, close to 700-900 µm, favors higher digestion of soybean protein and minimizes the negative effects of antitrypsin factors.
  • A high content of soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) in the feed can increase viscosity in the gut, decreasing the passage rate of feed in the stomach (digesta). This leads to decreased absorption of digesta and increased incidence of wet droppings. The addition of an exogenous NSP enzyme in feed can considerably decrease NSP levels and reduce the risk of bacterial enteritis.
  • Mycotoxins can alter the normal gut functions, such as barrier function and nutrient absorption. Where feed storage is concerned, control measures need to be implemented to minimize grain damage and conditions that could increase mold and insect spoilage. Adding a broad-spectrum mycotoxin binder to the diet can reduce the adverse effect of mycotoxins on poultry health.
  • Rancid oils and fats should be rejected since they have been shown as a path to enteric diseases. Proper storage conditions in tanks and transportation lines should be evaluated frequently to control rancidity development within the feed mill. Additionally, the use of antioxidants in feed can reduce oxidation and thereby reduce rancidity.
  • Certain feed ingredients and additives have been shown to modulate gut microbiota and the immune system in poultry. Those dietary factors should be considered when formulating broiler diets (Figs 1 & 2). Several classes of feed additives have been proposed and evaluated in poultry preproduction, including organic acids, essential oils, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and trace minerals. These feed supplements are used as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to modulate gut microbiota and enhance gut integrity for better growth, feed efficiency and improved bird health (Fig 2).
Fig.1 The vicious cycle of poor gut health
Fig.1 The vicious cycle of poor gut health
Fig 2
Fig.2 Nutritional strategies to improve gut health in antibiotic free production

Water quality
Water is the most important nutrient for poultry and is involved in every physiological process of a bird. Water is also a medium that can transport bacterial, viral and protozoan infections in poultry houses. Unfortunately, the importance of water quality is usually overlooked. Water quality is essential for proper digestion, so its physicochemical characteristics should be measured, controlled and improved on the farm.

The water’s pH is an important factor that can influence microbial populations in water and in the animal’s gut, thus maintaining microbiota balance in the lumen environment. The ideal water pH for poultry should be between 5 and 7, because alkaline pH (that above 7) is shown to reduce the activity of digestive enzymes. Studies show that birds can tolerate a low pH of 3.5. Drinking water with carbonates and other salts that increase the alkalinity and hardness can cause problems. Hardness and alkaline pH of water create an environment for biofilm and endotoxins to thrive in the water tank, pipeline, and drinker due to the proliferation of algae and microbes.

Conclusion
To better optimize poultry digestibility and performance in antibiotic-free production, there is a need to develop cost effective alternative strategies that manipulate gut microbiota. Several feed additives including organic acids, essential oils, probiotics, prebiotics, exogenous enzymes, and trace minerals have been successfully used for better gut health and efficient production performance in poultry. Combinations of these various alternatives with proper farm management and biosecurity measures are the key to maximizing poultry performance in this antibiotic free era.
References available upon request.

This article has been originally published by FeedNavigator.com, for more details contact : reena.rani@novusint.com

Novus International and Agrivida form R&D alliance for New Feed additive technology

Novus International and Agrivida form R&D alliance for New Feed additive technology

Novus International, Inc., the global leader in nutrition and health solutions for the animal agriculture industry, announced plans to redefine its business through an enhanced focus on gut health and innovation. Agrivada – the Missouri-based company is making good on its strategy with a new partnership.

Agrivida, a privately held biotechnology company based in Massachusetts, was founded in 2003 by scientists from MIT who discovered a way to incorporate feed additives directly into corn grown for production animals. By having the additive inside of the grain, the molecules are more efficiently absorbed, and producers can improve both animal performance and their bottom line.

The partnership combines Novus’s nearly 30 years of research, sales and marketing experience with Agrivida’s unique technology, allowing both companies to grow the customer base as well as explore new innovative products and solutions through R&D collaboration.

Novus is making Agrivida products available to its customers in the U.S. immediately while registration is underway to expand to other countries.

For more information on Novus visit www.novusint.com. For more information on Agrivida visit www.agrivida.com.

Source: Novus International

EW Nutrition Acquires Feed Quality and Pigment Business from Novus International Inc.

EW Nutrition Acquires Feed Quality and Pigment Business from Novus International Inc.

On 1 Feb 2021, EW Nutrition completed the acquisition of the Feed Quality and Pigments business from Novus International, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, EW Nutrition becomes the owner of world-renowned brands such as Santoquin® feed preservative, SURF●ACE®, a feed mill processing aid, and feed ingredient Agrado®. The acquisition also gives EW Nutrition ownership of a state-of-the-art production facility in Constantí, Spain.

“This transaction will bring additional value to our customers, further reinforcing EW Nutrition’s global market position, and increasing its product portfolio and geographical reach,” says Michael Gerrits, Managing Director of EW Nutrition. “The products acquired will further support EW Nutrition’s mission to mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance by providing comprehensive animal nutrition solutions.”

Dan Meagher, President and CEO of Novus International, Inc., explained that the sale is part of Novus’s Project Destiny, a multi-year plan to focus the company’s resources on core platforms and emerging technologies, with a focus on gut health.

“We are pleased to have found a committed owner for these platforms so that they may continue bringing value to the industry,” said Meagher. “This event is a significant milestone in our Project Destiny journey. Now that our Feed Quality and Pigments platforms are in good hands with EW Nutrition, we are excited to focus our energies on developing new, innovative technologies into meaningful nutrition solutions for our customers.”

A robust services agreement between the companies is governing critical activities to ensure customers are supported through the transition. The range of products is immediately available to customers.

EW Nutrition is a global animal nutrition company that offers integrators, feed producers, and self-mixing farmers comprehensive, customer-focused solutions for gut health management, antibiotic reduction, young animal nutrition, toxin risk management and more. For details, visit https://ew-nutrition.com