Source: Fabian Brockötter, Poultry World, March 29, 2022
During the 2022 IPPE, Fabian Brockötter, Editor in Chief at Poultry World, spoke with three industry decision-makers about what dynamics are influencing decisions in the U.S. Dan Jaffee, President and CEO of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America and President and General Manager of Amlan International, spoke with Fabian about the increasing trend of antibiotic-free production and the need for natural non-antibiotic solutions.
In part 2 of our Q&A with Dr. Wade Robey, VP Marketing and Product Development, we ask Wade about sustainability and what that means to Amlan. He discusses how Amlan products naturally and synergistically work with the animal’s gut and are made without pharmaceuticals or harsh chemicals.
Source: Susan Littlefield, Rural Radio Network/KRVN, January 27, 2022
Oil-Dri® Corporation of America launched their first mineral-based product in 1941, and since then the range of unique minerals mined and processed by Oil-Dri have been used for many applications across diverse industries, including animal health. In an interview with Susan Littlefield from Rural Radio Network/KRVN, Amlan teammates Reagan Culbertson, Director of Strategic Branding and Communications, and Dr. Wade Robey, VP of Marketing and Product Development, discuss the history of the mineral technology that is the core of Amlan products. They also describe how Amlan’s mineral-based feed additives optimize gut health in poultry and livestock and improve production economics.
Listen to the interview here.
Proprietary mineral technology is the foundation for Amlan’s innovative value-added products for animal protein producers. In this article, we take an in-depth look into the mineral technology used in our all-natural feed additive Calibrin®-Z and its unique properties that are the Amlan difference.
Consistent, Controlled Mineral Supply
The physical and chemical properties of a mineral can differ depending on where it is mined. That is why — to ensure consistent quality — Amlan only uses a single-source mineral in our products. Amlan is vertically integrated as the animal health business of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America, allowing Amlan and Oil-Dri to control every step of the production process and reliably deliver safe, high-quality products.
Calibrin-Z: Our All-Natural Broad-Spectrum Biotoxin Control Product
Calibrin-Z protects poultry and livestock health and performance by binding intestinal pathogens, bacterial exotoxins and endotoxins and polar and nonpolar mycotoxins. It is composed of a single ingredient — our proprietary mineral technology, thermally processed to create the specific physical and chemical properties that give Calibrin-Z its powerful mode of action.
A Network of Interconnected Pores
The distinctive properties of Calibrin-Z include a high surface area and extensive porosity. More than 99% of Calibrin-Z’s total surface area is internal due to the product’s structural properties. This means that targeted molecules can migrate via interconnected networks of capillary channels towards internal binding sites. These physical features provide Calibrin-Z with a high adsorption capacity for binding a broad range of mycotoxins, bacterial pathogens and their toxins.
Layers Within Layers
The mineral in Calibrin-Z is a particular type of phyllosilicate (“phyllo” meaning sheet) and is primarily calcium montmorillonite with amorphous opal-CT lepispheres and other minor and trace minerals.
Phyllosilicates consist of silicon, oxygen, magnesium and water molecules, and either aluminum or iron atoms. The aluminum, iron or magnesium atoms form octahedron structures, whereas the silicon forms tetrahedrons. These formations give the mineral a nano-scale structure of a 2:1 layer of octahedrons between tetrahedrons. Between the 2:1 layers are interlayers of water molecules and cations (Figure 1). Various positively charged sites in the mineral structure — interlayer cations and broken edge octahedral units — provide the adsorption sites.
Proprietary Thermal Processing
Typical montmorillonites have water molecules between the mineral layers that make the pores and surfaces hydrophilic for adsorbing hydrophilic (polar) molecules (e.g., aflatoxins) but do not bind hydrophobic (nonpolar) molecules (e.g., zearalenone and fumonisin). However, the montmorillonite used in Calibrin-Z undergoes proprietary thermal processing that uses an optimized temperature and time to allow adsorption of hydrophilic and hydrophobic toxins (Figure 2).
Thermal processing eliminates most of the water molecules from the mineral in Calibrin-Z, making it more hydrophobic. The process is carefully controlled since excessive heat that completely dries the mineral — removal of the interlayer water molecules — would destroy Calibrin-Z’s binding capabilities. The naturally occurring opal-CT lepispheres help maintain the layered sheet structure of the mineral during processing and provide Calibrin-Z’s high binding capacity (Figure 3). Amlan’s proprietary processing method also avoids the use of harmful chemicals typically used by other companies preserving a natural composition.
A Variety of Binding Mechanisms
Calibrin-Z’s binding forces include hydrophobic interactions, chelation, electrostatic attractions, hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. Thermal processing allows an interaction between both polar hydrophilic molecules and non-polar hydrophobic molecules and the inter-mineral layer. This is the method used to adsorb mycotoxins to Calibrin-Z.
Bacterial exotoxin binding to Calibrin-Z occurs through molecular ion exchange mechanisms. For example, a part of the Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin electrostatically anchors (tethers) to either the positively charged broken-edge sites (exposed alumina octahedra) or the positively charged interlayer cations of Calibrin-Z.
Molecular conformation change mechanisms are also possible binding methods. Large exotoxins can distort their molecular structures or conformations to adsorb themselves onto macro-surfaces within the pore spaces.
Compatible With Nutrient Availability
While Calibrin-Z excels at binding biotoxins, its binding abilities do not interfere with the absorption of important nutrients in the diet. It is possible that some minor quantity of nutrients could temporarily be absorbed into Calibrin-Z’s pores. However, this is via weak thermodynamic and kinetic interactions that are readily reversible. Therefore, nutrients can travel in to and out of Calibrin-Z particles based on concentration gradients in the gastrointestinal tract.
A 42-day swine study conducted by SAMITEC in Brazil, examined the performance of pigs fed a common basal diet (Control) and Calibrin-Z included at 5 kg/MT, a level that is 10 times the recommended dose. Even at this very high inclusion rate, Calibrin-Z had no adverse effects on nutrient availability, supporting equivalent weight gain and feed conversion.
The proprietary mineral technology used in Calibrin-Z is what sets it apart from other companies’ mineral-based products. For more information about Calibrin-Z and how it can help protect your animals from the deleterious effects of biotoxins, contact us at info@amlan.com.
Meet Dr. Wade Robey, VP Marketing and Product Development, as he answers questions about Amlan, the industry and the science behind our products. In this short video, Wade discusses how Amlan’s mineral technology meets the needs of global poultry and livestock producers and their consumers while stressing the importance of a natural approach to this demand.
Source: Poultry World, February 25, 2022
One of the biggest challenges for the poultry industry, especially after the removal of in-feed antibiotics, is bacterial enteritis, and in particular, necrotic enteritis caused by pathogenic Clostridium perfringens. Add production losses associated with mycotoxin-contaminated feed, and you have two industry challenges that need a natural control solution.
Calibrin-Z from Amlan International provides natural protection against field challenges, optimizing animal performance and boosting your bottom line. It is a highly efficacious, mineral-based feed additive that adsorbs a broad spectrum of bacterial toxins and mycotoxins in the intestinal tract of chickens. Unlike comparable products, Calibrin-Z binds both polar and nonpolar mycotoxins as well as bacterial toxins like alpha-toxin and NetB toxin that are produced by C. perfringens.
Read more here.
As the animal health business of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America, Amlan International shares more than Oil-Dri’s millions of tons of mineral reserves — we also share Oil-Dri’s values and ethics. As the Amlan business continues to rapidly grow, so does our team of talented professionals focused on providing mineral-based solutions for our customers — while maintaining their strong ethical values.
The Family Values of Oil-Dri
Nick Jaffee, the grandfather of the current Oil-Dri President and CEO Dan Jaffee, founded Oil-Dri in 1941 with the very same values we live by today. Oil-Dri’s tight-knit inclusive culture means teammates are more like family than colleagues, which can be credited to Oil-Dri’s focus on integrity, approach and vision.
Respect and Trust Are Key
Amlan employees strive to be positive, honest and open-minded to maintain trust in each other and, more importantly, earn the trust and respect of their customers. As our business continues to expand throughout the world and we welcome more team members to Amlan, we continue to uphold these values.
Our Growing Amlan Family
An example of our growing Oil-Dri and Amlan family is our expanding team in China. We recognize that the animal protein market there is growing rapidly, so we’re meeting this demand with the addition of several team members and an expansion of our logistics operations. Our new teammates and investment in our infrastructure in China will help support our mission of providing excellence in technical and customer service that keeps pace with the increasing animal protein demand in this region.
We have also invested in a secure product supply chain for our customers in China by operating multiple logistics centers. The warehouses are located in Tianjin, which supplies the northeast; Shenzhen in the southeast; and Chongqing, which supplies central and southwest China. The supply hubs allow us to quickly adjust to any shifting product demands within the country.
Continued Growth Around the World
Our team continues to grow in other regions and countries around the world, including Indonesia where a patent was recently issued that protects the novel, mineral-based formulation used in Amlan’s existing natural feed additives, Varium® for poultry and NeoPrime® for swine (not available for sale in the U.S.). With the world’s fourth-largest population, the expansion of Indonesia’s sales and technical service team, together with the patent issuance, allows us to better support Indonesian producers, helping them to achieve their production goals and meet the demand for high-quality animal protein.
We have established a strong North American team, as well. Stay tuned for some exciting North American news!
Oil-Dri’s core values were passed down to Dan Jaffee from his grandfather and father, and Dan strives to instill these values in all Oil-Dri employees, including the Amlan team. As we continue to grow, we know that our relationships with our customers will prosper too, due to our strong belief in these core values.
Source: Sarah Muirhead, Feedstuffs 365, January 26, 2022
During IPPE 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, Sarah Muirhead from Feedstuffs 365 spoke with Amlan leadership about global poultry production trends and the background of Amlan’s natural mineral-based products. During the discussion, Dan Jaffee, President and CEO, Oil-Dri Corporation of America and President and General Manager of Amlan International, described the history of Amlan and the origin of the mineral that is the core of Amlan products.
Other discussion topics included global trends Fred Kao, VP of Global Sales, is observing in the poultry industry. Fred spoke about the increase in antibiotic-free poultry production in Brazil as producers adjust to new EU export requirements and the impact that African Swine Fever has had on poultry product demand in Asia.
Dr. Wade Robey, VP Global Marketing and Product Development, also detailed the benefits of two new Amlan products that were launched at IPPE (International products, not for sale in the US). One product is intended for application in antibiotic-free broiler production when pathogens are decreasing bird performance or when producers are trying to reduce pathogen levels entering the processing plant (NeutraPath®), and the other is a natural alternative to anticoccidial drugs and vaccines (Phylox®) for full time use or in a shuttle program when resistance to traditional coccidiostats is a concern. Both products also have excellent application potential in broiler breeders which are often challenged with coccidiosis and which can be very sensitive to mycotoxins and bacterial pathogens during grow-out and egg production.
Watch the interview here.
Amlan International is excited to offer our North American customers an exclusive portfolio of mineral-based feed additives that support gut health and improve the sustainability of poultry and livestock production. The North American portfolio expands our efforts to support optimal intestinal health in protein-producing animals around the world.
Consumers in North America, like global consumers, demand high-quality animal protein raised without antibiotics. These consumer preferences, coupled with concerns about microbial resistance, have put producers under pressure to reduce the use of in-feed antibiotics. Consequently, North American producers and vertical integrators are seeking cost-effective, non-antibiotic, natural feed additives that support feed conversion and optimal intestinal health. Their search ends with our North American product range that can help with these challenges.
Our mineral-based feed additives offer multiple advantages for animal protein producers. The products support optimal gut health and meet the demands for cleaner food while reducing the inputs needed to raise production animals, helping to decrease the cost and environmental impact of poultry and livestock production.
Our North American sales and technical service team, led by Heath Wessels, Director of Sales and Technical Service for North America, is eager to partner with top-tier producers to help them achieve their production goals by integrating Amlan products into their operations. “Our natural feed additives are formulated to have strong synergy with each other for supporting optimal gut health,” said Heath. “We offer individual product solutions or can recommend product combinations for maximum results.”
The new product line will only be available for sale in North America but will be offered with the same excellence and reliability that global producers know and trust from our international product offerings. Amlan is vertically integrated as the animal health business of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America, allowing Amlan and Oil-Dri to control every step of the production process and reliably deliver safe, high-quality single-sourced products from company-owned mines.
The North American product portfolio strengthens our commitment to leading the industry in supplying natural feed additives that support animal intestinal health and add value for producers. Meet our products below, and if you have any questions about our North American product portfolio, please contact info@amlan.com.
Source: ThePoultrySite.com, 5 Jan 2022
A natural feed additive that yields performance results comparable to AGP use? It really does exist. Varium® supports a healthy intestinal tract AND can help provide production economics similar to antibiotic-fed birds.
Read the full article from The Poultry Site.
