Amino acids for animal nutrition

Like vitamins, amino acids are essential to human and animal life because all proteins are built up from them. There are in all more than 20 different amino acids, most of which are made by the body itself. But there are exceptions: Depending on the particular organism, eight to ten of the essential amino acids are not produced by the organism and must be supplied in food, every single day.

Close to the customer and competent

Evonik Industries is making a significant contribution to healthy nutrition. We are the only company in the world to produce and market the four most important amino acids for the advanced animal nutrition: DL-Methionine, Biolys® (L-Lysine), L-Threonine, and L-Tryptophan. As additives to animal feeds they are vitally important because natural feeds such as wheat, corn, soy, and peas are all deficient in one or more amino acids. A broiler fed exclusively on plant protein, for example, is deficient in methionine.

Feeds containing wheat result in a marked deficit of lysine and threonine as well as methionine. Supplemental amino acids can fill the gap very efficiently, significantly improving animal nutrition. Evonik has systematically expanded the product range to provide expert total solutions that meet customers‘ needs: “We don‘t just sell amino acids but rather offer an entire package of innovative systems, from amino acid analysis at the customer‘s location to comprehensive quality control. This is how we differentiate ourselves from the competition, says Dr. Reiner Beste, head of Evonik‘s Health & Nutrition Business Unit, explaining the strategy.

Balanced provision of amino acids is key

The right mix and the correct quantities of amino acids are crucial for healthy and effective nutrition.In feeds based upon cereals such as wheat or corn, large amounts of soy bean meal and fish meal must be added to the feed to ensure an adequate supply of amino acids for animals. Although a feed of this type has high protein content, only a part of this protein can be used to produce milk, egg or meat. With supplemental amino acid, on the other hand, even small percentages allow a feed containing more cereals and less protein.

The decisive advantage here is that for each kilogram of weight gain in the animal, only about half as much nitrogen is released in the manure, and hence into the environment, as for feeds with high protein content. This is extremely important because more than one fifth of agricultural land in the EU already has a considerable nitrogen surplus, posing a hazard to groundwater.