The search for more economical and sustainable animal production is constant and encompasses all links in the chain. Within this scenario, the inclusion of an emulsifier in the diet may be of great help.
The explanation is simple: fats and oils are important sources of energy in feed formulations, nonetheless, these raw materials come at a high cost. Thus, the nutritional emulsifiermay be used to improve digestibility and consequently energetic efficiency in animal diets.
Luiz Gustavo Rombola, master in animal nutrition and Technical Director at Orffa, a Dutch multinational that produces additives for animal feed, explains the concept of the product category. An emulsifier is a molecule with a hydrophilic part, which is soluble in water, and a lipophilic part, soluble in fat. “The combination of these characteristics grants the unique property that the emulsifier can dissolve in fat, as well as in water, thus helping in the mixture of both fractions”, he explains.
There are different types of emulsifiers in the market. So, when picking a product, it’s important to pay attention to the Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB), Rombola points out: “The HLB determines how much the product is soluble in fat or water. The scale varies from 0 to 20. The lower the value, the more lipophilic or lipossoluble the emulsifier becomes. The higher the HLB, the more hydrossoluble or hydrophilic it will be. Due to the fact that an animal consumes approximately twice as much water as feed, the gut contain more water than fat”.
With this in mind, the aim of a nutritional emulsifier is to optimize the emulsification and formation of micelles in the intestines and, thus, an emulsifier with a high HLB is better fit for use in animal feed, Orffa’s Technical Director states.
Consequently, considering the results obtained, the solution cost is considered an investment. In general, as the technician shares, the use of Excential Energy Plus, Orffa’s emulsifier, doesn’t burden the producer financially. “On the contrary. Its energetic matrix partially saves in the inclusion of fat/oil sources, generating a 5% savings in general in the feed and diet formulations”, he says.
Highly soluble in water, Excential Energy Plus’s differentials are in its productive process. “With quality and traceability ensured by our Quality Control department,” Rombola points out, “The result is a product with a high HLB value, which has a fixed value, without variations, like the other lysolecithin-based products”, he concludes.
Another point to be highlighted, according to the director, is the use of a mineral vehicle to eliminate the interference with the product functionality. “Too many products in the market use vegetable vehicles, such as soy lecithin, which may undergo physical-chemical changes and interfere in the emulsification process”, he arguments.
Another point to be highlighted, according to the director, is the use of a mineral vehicle to eliminate the interference with the product functionality. “Too many products in the market use vegetable vehicles, such as soy lecithin, which may undergo physical-chemical changes and interfere in the emulsification process”, he arguments.
