Topics in common

Animal nutrition, which includes nutrition for fish, is provided as feeds and specialty products manufactured from raw materials and, in volume terms, the vast majority of these raw materials come originally from agriculture and fisheries. That places Nutreco at a critical junction between raw materials and farmers who are the producers of food in the form of meat, dairy, eggs and fish. Developments at the junction as improvement of feed conversion rates can increase the efficiency with which the food is produced and can help reduce the environmental impact of its production. Having these factors in common means there are some common themes running through all Nutreco R&D.
Research delivers a better understanding of the nutritional requirements of animals and fish through all stages of the lifecycle. Developments in feed formulation and manufacturing technology then help the feed companies meet those requirements precisely, optimising the production on the customers’ farms and minimising waste of nutritional content.
Additionally, precision in nutrition reduces the loss of nutrients such as minerals into the environment. Other formulation developments, for example with feed additives, can reduce greenhouse gas production by ruminants.
Feed additives can increase the availability of nutrients by making them more readily digestible or by protecting them until they reach the optimum location in the digestive tract. Additives can also support the health status of the animals and fish, thereby increasing productivity and reducing the need for veterinary intervention and medication.
Extending the range of feed raw materials provides Nutreco purchasers and formulators with greater flexibility and reduces dependency on any individual raw material. The wider choice enhances formulators’ ability to prepare the specified nutrition at the lowest cost and makes best use of by-products of other industries that otherwise might be consigned as waste. By-products from the biofuel production industry are particularly interesting.
Combining knowledge from these themes enables the R&D teams to develop innovative feeds that improve productivity and differentiate Nutreco businesses. The R&D teams give a particular focus to the development of feeds targeted specifically at crucial transition periods. Good nutrition at stages such as the period prior to insemination, at parturition and weaning, or transfer from freshwater to seawater for salmon can make a substantial contribution to animal health and productivity throughout the lifecycle.

All Nutreco research teams combine work in their own centres with cooperative and commissioned research at external research institutes including leading universities around the world. They maintain contacts with leading specialists and participate in scientific conferences to be aware of the latest findings and theories in animal nutrition. In 2009, Nutreco again organised an InnoVision day (see page 43) to precede the Agri Vision conference in June.

R&D activities in Nutreco contribute to the leading positions of Nutreco businesses in their market places and to increased and sustainable production of high-quality protein food for the world of tomorrow.

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