Preservation – Silaging – Feed hygiene –Acidifi cation

Safe feeding with Lupro-Grain® and Amasil® NA

2 Farm Feed

The imporTance of feed hygiene and feed preservaTion

The worldwide rise in the price of corn and grain is making feed grain pro-

duced by the farm itself, a very valuable raw commodity. Growing demand

for renewable raw materials for bioenergy is also leading to a rise in agri-

cultural rents. Home-farm-produced feedstuffs such as grain and silage,

also by-products and mixed feed too, should therefore be effect ively pro-

tected against microorganisms in order to preserve their high value. Fur-

thermore, feedstuffs that are free from any hygiene problems can relieve

the burden on our farm animals’ immune system, making it possible to

achieve optimal production.

Feed spoilage, which ranges from a musty smell to visible mold and, pro-

bably, toxin formation, is a typical consequence of the proliferation of

microorganisms. Once fungal or bacterial toxins have formed in the feed

however, they are virtually impossible to get rid of. Spoiled feed can thus

mean that animals do not do as well.

Protect feed quality effectively –

with organic acids from BaSF

In the fight against microorganisms

in feed, our Luprosil and Amasil

product lines have proved highly

successful over a number of de-

cades. The liquid starting materials

formic and propionic acid which

we produce occur in nature, in

plants, in silage, and even in foods,

e.g. Swiss cheese. There are thus

no leftover residues; the organic

acids, being natural preservatives,

are used as a source of energy by

the animal and thus completely

metabolized.

Luprosil® -treated barley after 4 weeks’ storage (25 % moisture content)

Untreated barley after 4 weeks’ storage (25% moisture content)

Farm Feed 3

The range of prodUcTs for Use on The farm

Propionic acid and formic acid are

already widely used for feed pre-

servation in the form of liquid acids

under the trade names Luprosil and

Amasil. Both products are very ef-

fi cient to use, but, being corrosive

acids, require a high level of equip-

ment and careful work-safety mea-

sures for their use. We have there-

fore recommended only the use of

Luprosil propionic acid (99.5%) on

the farm, and not the much more

dangerous formic acid.

As a specifi c solution for farmers,

the user-friendly NC (non-corro-

sive) products were developed.

Buffering attenuates the biological

activity, reducing it from corrosive

to irritant. The products are also

non-abrasive and are not dan-

gerous goods according to trans-

port regulations.

The two NC products Lupro-Grain

and Amasil NA, which in their ac-

tive-substance content are very

similar to the pure acids Luprosil

and Amasil 85, are now at the end

of the process of continuous de-

velopment and constant product

improvement. Lupro-Grain is the

buffered propionic acid and Amasil

NA the buffered formic acid.

To exploit the strengths of formic

and propionic acid in a single ap-

plication, the acid mixtures Lupro-

Mix NC and, recently, Lupro-Cid

NA have been developed. As well

as providing an optimal combina-

tion of propionic and formic acid,

these buffered products are more

pleasant to handle than pure acids.

They, like Lupro-Grain and Amasil

NA, are NC products, are classed

only as irritant, and do not consti-

tute dangerous goods.

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

formic acid/formate

propionic acid/propionate

propylene glycol

ammonia

Water

sodium

amasil Na Lupro-Cid Na Lupro-mix NC Lupro-Grain Luprosil

USE OF PROPIONIC AND FORMIC ACID PRODUCTS IN FARMING

The four principal areas of use for

our products in agriculture are pre-

servation (e.g. grain, home-farm-

produced mixed feed), silage ma-

king (grass, corn, and other types

of silage), improvement of feed

hygiene, i.e. the reduction of pa-

thogenic microorganisms such as

Buffered acids pure acids

Reduction of bacteria, yeasts,

and molds

Reduction of pH and buffer capacity

Reduction of Salmonella,

Campylobacter, E. coli, etc.

Prevention of reheating

Improvement of the fermentation

process

Single feedstuffsMixed feedsBy-productsLiquid feeds

Piglet feedsMilk replacersDrinking water

Single and mixed feedstuffs

By-productsLiquid feeds + water

CCMCorn silageGrass silage

TMR

Grass silageAlfalfa

Beet leaves

Preservation Silage making Feed hygiene Acidifi cation

BASF preservatives recommended for this use:

Luprosil Lupro-Grain

Lupro-Cid Naamasil Na

Lupro-Cid Naamasil Na

Luprosil Lupro-mix NCLupro-Grain

Lupro-mix NC*Lupro-Cid Na*

amasil Na*

4 Farm Feed

possiBLe Uses of preservaTives in home-farm-prodUced feed

Salmonella and E. coli in all feed-

stuffs, and, finally, acidification of

feedstuffs and by-products.

One of the most important areas

of use for organic acids in agri-

culture is the preservation of feed-

stuffs such as grain or home-farm

produced mixed feed. Propionic

acid, here, shows broad antimicro-

bial effi cacy against fungi, yeasts,

and bacteria, which, with an ade-

quate dose, is maintained for up to

a year. Treatment with Luprosil or

Lupro-Grain dramatically reduces

the numbers of these unwanted

microorganisms, and then suc-

cessfully suppresses their further

proliferation.

With Luprosil and Lupro-Grain, feed grain, corn, home-farm-produced

mixed feed, by products, TMR, or hay can be preserved for a storage

duration of up to a year. The following table shows, for example, the patho-

gen reduction achieved in damp grain corn through preservation treatment

with Lupro-Grain (32.8% moisture content, 1.65% Lupro-Grain).

Farm Feed 5

With Luprosil and Lupro-Grain, feed grain, corn, home-farm-produced

Storage time (months) Fungi Yeasts Bacteria

0 27.000 5.000 36 Mio

1* < 15 < 15 670.000

6 0 0 6.100

12 0 0 500

Matthias 1998, Haus Düsse*Months after preservation treatment

Period Propionic acid (%) Bacteria (per g) Fungi (per g)

After 2 days Untreated 169 Mio 4.3 Mio

After 4 weeks Untreated 5.1 Mio 27 Mio

After 1 year Untreated Decomposed Decomposed

After 2 days 1.5 % 10,000 < 1,000

After 4 weeks 1.5 % 20,000 < 1,000

After 1 year 1.5 % 5,300 < 100

BASF Offenbach 1999/2000*of which, 2.5 million Fusarium

The microbe reduction and pre-

vention of microbial proliferation

that are induced by Luprosil can

be seen in the following graphic.

The results are from a preservation

study with winter wheat (17% moi-

sture content) which was treated

with 0.65% Luprosil immediately

after harvesting.

animaL feed preservaTive

Feeding our high-producing ani-

mals nowadays calls for silage

with the highest energy content, of

the best fermentation quality, and

with long storage-stability. Organic

acids can be successfully emplo-

yed in two areas of use to achieve

the requisite quality objectives:

Optimization of the fermen-

tation process under diffi cult

silage-making conditions

Improvement of the aerobic

stability of the silage

Weather conditions have a decisive

effect on the success of silage-ma-

king: spells of damp weather often

mean that green fodder cannot be

adequately prewilted and needs to

be ensiled with a low dry matter

content. With Lupro-Mix NC, buty-

ric-acid-free silage with a high feed

value can be produced even under

such diffi cult conditions. This ensi-

ling agent has therefore been awar-

ded the DLG’s [German Agricultu-

ral Society’s] quality label in action

category 1A for improvement of the

fermentation process under diffi -

cult silage making conditions.

Ensuring maximal storage-stability

of the silage after removal from the

silo depends on a careful ensiling

technique. Suitable measures to

improve aerobic stability are: rapid

fi lling of the silo, a high level of

compaction, and air-tight coverage

with silo foil. Furthermore, the rate

of removal should be 1 m/week in

winter and 2 m/week in summer.

These measures can be supple-

mented effectively by the use of

the ensiling agents Lupro-Mix NC

or Luprosil. The capacity of these

products to give protection against

reheating losses is confi rmed for

both products by the DLG quality

label in action category 2 (improve-

ment of aerobic stability).

Lupro-Grain, the buffered propio-

nic acid, has also proved to be very

successful for improvement of the

aerobic stability of grass and corn

silage, however, as the following

study results show:

6 Farm Feed

ae

rob

ic S

tab

ility

(day

s)

* WYSS, RAP Posieux 2001 ** Kalzendorf, LWK Rheinland 2002 *** INRA Clermont-Theix 2003

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0Grass silage* maize silage** maize silage***

control Lupro-grain (5 l/t)

Grass silage: 62 % dry matter,Maize silage: 37 % dry matter

siLage maKing

Reducing salmonellae in the human

food chain is a pressing objective,

which has already been taken up

by the European Commission in

EU Regulation EC 2160/2003. In

an initial step, the prevalence of

Salmonella in farm animals was

determined by means of a Europe-

wide investigation of Salmonella

in animal production, slaughter

animals, and feedstuffs. Now, in a

second step, measures have been

taken to reduce and ultimately eli-

minate Salmonella in animal hus-

bandry. Every stock farmer will be

affected by these national decrees

on pigs and poultry in the medium

term. Feedstuffs can be a source

of salmonellal contamination of the

food chain. Formic acid’s lethal ef-

fect against salmonellae in feed is

well documented. With the formic-

acid-containing products Lupro-

Cid NA and Amasil NA, therefore, a

sustained reduction of Salmonella

in feedstuffs can be achieved. In

Salmonella-free feed, acid treat-

ment with Lupro-Cid NA or Amasil

NA reduces the risk of infection with

Salmonella through birds or rodent

acidification of feedstuffs and by-products

Acidification of feed is a tried-and

tested method for preserving it.

The pH of feedstuffs such as whey,

brewer’s yeast, or other liquid by-

products is lowered to a level at

which microorganisms are no lon-

ger able to grow. The feedstuff then

remains stable for a few days to a

number of weeks, depending on

the dose. Lupro-Cid NA and Amasil

NA are the products recommended

for this.

Farm Feed 7

pests for example. This measure re-

duces other pathogens in feedstuffs

too, such as E. coli.

Piglets in the first few weeks of

life do not produce enough gas-

tric acid. This can lead to digestive

problems such as diarrhoea, par-

ticularly after weaning. Acidifying

piglet feed with Lupro-Cid NA or

Amasil NA reduces the buffer ca-

pacity of the feed and reduces mi-

crobe levels.

Further information on possible

uses and on doses can be obtained

by requesting our “Feed Preserva-

tion Guide” booklet.

BeTTer feed hygiene

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BaSF Nutrition IngredientsBASF‘s Nutrition Ingredients business unit is a leading supplier of food ingredients and feed additives. The product portfolio for animal nutri-tion includes vitamins, carotenoids, enzymes, organic acids, omega-6s and other feed additives. BASF offers products of outstanding quality produced with modern, state-of-the-art technologies. BASF also combines technical services and scientific expertise to meet the highest demands and to deliver the best value to the industry. Pre-mium formulations are a key strength that has made BASF a leader in the industry. Further information is available at www.nutrition.basf.com orwww.nutrition-ingredients.basf.com

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