Benefits of encapsulation
for phytogenic feed additives
Competence Center
Phytogenics
Competence Center
Phytogenics
Benefits of encapsulation
for phytogenic feed additives
An encapsulation process enables essential oils to have a longer shelf life by protecting them
from environmental impacts, and maintaining key features of enhancement of palatability,
stability in ration, improved digestion and better performance.
S
ince ancient times, medicinal plants have been
used to treat humans and livestock. The preparations made from plants were either from raw
materials (leaves, roots or branches) or processed
(cooked or boiled). Most likely, natural medicine has been
evaluated in two directions; the first is based on observing
animals’ self-medication, whereas the second is associated
with human folk medicine. Nowadays the industrialised
medicaments may also be plant derivatives.
After decades of intensive growth promoter application, the resistance of important pathogens of farm animals to drugs has to be considered a serious threat to
the profitability and consequently sustainability of animal production systems worldwide. Besides the growing
problem of drug resistance amongst diseases, consumer
concerns with regard to the use of chemicals in agriculture and residues in food items are also contributing to
the increasing requirement for alternative measures to the
exclusive use of growth promoters. The rapid growth of
the popularity of organic farming can be considered another major driving factor for the increased necessity of
alternative control measures. Plant extracts and essential
oils have received greater attention in recent years. Phytogenics are plant derivate products and essential oils used
as additives in animal feed. Studies of Amorozo (2002)
indicated that there is a growing academic interest on the
natural production of medicines, which was enlarged after its ascertainment developed over centuries, nowadays
having scientific proof to completely enable the usage in
the industrialised society.
Mode of action
The mode of action of phytogenics to achieve better
performance is not completely clear. According to Ultee
and others (2002) and Xu and others (2008), essential oils
have the ability to disrupt cytoplasm membrane of pathogens. Moreover, antibacterial activity occurs in reason of
active substances of essential oils which might cross the
cell membrane and interact or disrupt intracellular structures (Cristani and others 2007). The best assumption for
the performance enhancer effects is due to its antibacterial
properties as mentioned above, where the reduction of
pathogens within the intestines will promote less nutrient competition and consequently increase more nutrient
availability for animal utilisation and also prevent intestinal diseases. In animals, the beneficial effects of essential
oil supplementation include an increase of production
and secretion of endogenous digestive enzymes; modulation of the immune system; antibacterial, antifungal and
antiviral activity; and decreased mortality (Cowan 1999,
Çabuk and others, 2006). Under different storage conditions and environmental variations, natural products
can degrade rapidly when compared to chemotherapics.
The aim of this article is to give an overview about a new
technology developed by feed additives manufacturer
BIOMIN, headquartered in Herzogenburg, Austria, to
protect phytogenic products and their benefits towards
animal production and performance.
The feature and its benefits
Microencapsulation is a procedure where a liquid,
gaseous or solid substance is packed by a tiny millimetric
capsule. In other words, it is a technology of protecting a
certain substance (core) into a sealed (coated, walled or
2
Technical advantages
Encapsulation processes
Integrated processes and zones in the extruder:
Feeding
zone
Melting
zone
Dispersion
zone
Compression
zone
End zone
(die)
1. Highly increased product value
due totailor-made encapsulation
process
2. Even dispersion of essential oils in
the matrix
3. Continuous EO release in the GIT as
key to performance enhancement
vs. conventional coatings with
punctual EO release.
4. Partly masking of the strong odour
of essential oils and increased shelf
life
5. Better technological properties:
• Dust-free
• Excellent flow ability
• Easy to dose
Figure 1. Production scheme and technical advantages of the encapsulated product.
shelled) capsule. The encapsulation process was discovered
accidentally in the 1950s when inventor Barrett K. Green
of the National Cash Register Company attempted to create a carbonless copy paper that would provide multiple
copies. The pharmaceutical industry later improved the
encapsulation methods to safeguard, control the release
and target the delivery of medicaments. The improvements developed allow choosing the location where the
drug needs to be applied and, moreover, release it at gradual or continuous rates in response to a variety of triggers.
Following this tendency, the food industry emphasised
on the microencapsulation of flavours to concentrate and
prevent flavour losses during processing. It also established
constant research to evaluate new materials and methods
of encapsulation to avoid degradative reactions followed
by loss of food quality. Moreover, ongoing research has
been reducing the capsule size to ‘nano’ to improve its
efficiency. Encapsulation also facilitates to aggregate incompatible substances in a formulation. This can be as
forthright as formulating lipophilic ingredients into clear
aqueous systems.
In the feed industry, encapsulation may have the following benefits as shown below:
• Flavour optimisation
• Better handling
• Delayed release
• Reduced dustiness
• Increased stability
Sensitive
Phytogenic compounds such as essential oils (EO) are
sensitive substances which have a tendency to lose their
efficacy and efficiency in reason of quality mitigation
due to their susceptibility to high temperatures, dusty
inclination and remarkable odour, oxidative and volatile
properties. In the course of ongoing research and innovation, ­BIOMIN ‘trapped’ its phytogenic feed additive into
a capsule by a modern matrix-encapsulation process to
obtain all the benefits shown by previous encapsulation
techniques, also avoiding ingredient losses during feed
processing (pelletisation or extrusion) and storage. The
carrier is a blend of carbohydrates which is processed in an
extruder to form the matrix capsule. The process exceeds
temperatures above 100°C for a couple of seconds when
the essential oils are sprayed into the matrix and sequenced
by the die to cutting and forming the matrix-encapsulated
product, see Figure 1.
This method of encapsulating essential oils ensures
uniform capsules with a well-defined diameter to enhance
the ingredient bioavailability and efficacy. This approach
of encapsulating essential oils led to a new set of phytogenic feed additives, called Digestarom® P.E.P. MGE. This
innovation was developed to overcome two major technical issues with powdered essential oil additives: stability
and odour. Furthermore, in contrast to conventional wax
or fat coated products, the active ingredients are evenly
distributed in a matrix and continuously released in the
digestive tract.
3
3. Continuous
EO release
in theuniform
GIT as key tocapsules with
tial oils
ensures
Encapsulation also facilitates to
enhancement
vs. conventional
a well-defined
diameter
to enhance the
aggregate incompatible
substances in a performance
Compression
coatings with punctual EO release.
Melting
Dispersion
ingredient bioavailability and efficacy.
formulation. This can bezone
as forthright
zone
zone
4. Partly
masking
of the strong
of essential
End zone
(die)
This
approach
ofodour
encapsulating
essenas formulating lipophilic
ingredients
oils and increased shelf-life
tial oils led to a new set of phytogenic
into clear aqueous systems. In the feed
technological
properties:
feed
additives,
called Biomin P.E.P.
industry, encapsulation may have the 5. Better
Dust-free
MGE. This innovation was developed
following benefits as shown below:
Excellent flow ability
two major technical
* Flavour optimisation
Easytoto overcome
dose
issues with powdered essential oil
* Better handling
additives: stability and odour.
* Delayed release
Furthermore, in contrast to conven* Reduced dustiness
tional wax or fat coated products, the
* Increased stability
Figure 2. Average Daily Weight
(ADW) gain on piglets supplemented with
of seconds when
active
matrix-encapsulated
essential
oils.ingredients are evenly distribute sprayed into the
ed in a matrix and continuously
Sensitive
ed by the die to
released
in the
tract.
Phytogenic compounds such as essenAvg. Daily
gain digestive
(g)
the matrix-encaptial oils (EO) are sensitive560
substances
e Figure 1.
4.9%
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nd odour.
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ntrast to conveningredient losses during
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withWeight
matrix-encapsulated
essential
Figure
2. Average Daily
(ADW) gain on
piglets oils.
supated products, the
(pelletisation or extrusion)
and storage.
Pigs fed the matrix-encapsulated
plemented
with
matrix-encapsulated
essential
oils.
Figure 3. Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) of piglets supplemented with matrixre evenly distributThe carrier is a blendencapsulated
of carbohyessential oils.essential oil product had enhanced
continuously
drates which is processed in an extrudweight gain (+4.9% vs. control group)
stive tract.
er to form the matrix capsule. The
and improved
FCR feed conversion (-4.3%
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above of vs.
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ed over 56 days in
www.pigprogress.net
cilities of the Biomin
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ial compared the
ncapsulated essentionally encapsulatd a control group
d conversion were
by supplementation
ulated essential oils.
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The zootechnical performance of 90 piglets was eval1.64
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uated over 561.64days in the experimental
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Figure 3. Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) of piglets supplemented with matrixencapsulated essential oils.
FCR
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1.64
1.64
1.62
–1.8%
1.61
1.6
–4.3%
1.58
1.57
1.56
1.54
1.52
Control
Conv. coating
Matrix coating
Figure 3. Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) of piglets supplementthe
othermatrix-encapsulated
treatments, indicatingessential
the
ed with
oils.
advantages of this encapsulation technique (Figure 2 and 3). PP
References available upon request.
Growth rate and feed conversion were positively affected by supplementation with matrix-encapsulated
pig progress Volume 26, No. 7 2010
essential oils. Pigs fed the matrix-encapsulated essential
oil product had enhanced weight gain (+4.9% vs. control
group) and improved feed conversion (-4.3% vs. control
group) as compared with the other treatments, indicating
the advantages of this encapsulation technique (Figure 2
and 3).
References available upon request.
the other treatments, indicating the
advantages of this encapsulation technique (Figure 2 and 3). PP
References available upon request.
pig progress Volume 26, No. 7 2010
BIOMIN Holding GmbH
Industriestrasse 21, A-3130 Herzogenburg, AUSTRIA
Tel: +43 2782 803 0, Fax: +43 2782 803 11308, e-Mail: [email protected], www.biomin.net
©2014 BIOMIN Holding GmbH
ART_No27_PHY_S_EN_0514
enefits
550