We are glad to announce that the keynote speakers for the second and third themes have secured their support. The speakers and their subjects are as follows:
1. Keynote on New technologies for future solutions: to bridge the food-feed axis.
Volker Heinz, PhD, CEO German Institute of Food Technology (DIL), Germany
"The formation and stabilization of specific Structure and Functionality characteristics is essential in food and feed processing".
Often chemical, physical or biological interventions are need to convert raw materials into value added products for the purpose to improve nutritional aspects, safety or storage stability. This presentation will review a number of hovel technologies that emerged in the last years in the food processing sector but still are uncommon in feed production. The focus will be on physical treatments like high pressure, pulsed electric fields, shock waves, extrusion and ohmic heating. Also sustainability aspects will be addressed.
2. Keynotes on valorization of raw materials by technology
Birger Svihus, PhD, Professor Nutrition & Feed technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
‘’Redefining the grinding and pelleting process for an optimized micro- and macrostructure of broiler diets’’
The structure of the poultry diets is a major concern, since it affects both technical and nutritional properties. In pelleted diets, the macrostructure can be defined as the diameter and length of the pellets, plus the amount of and particle distribution of the fraction of pellets that disintegrate between production and feeding. These properties will mainly have an effect on feed intake. The microstructure on the other hand, defines the particle distribution of the particles which the pellet consist of, and is determined by dissolving the pellet in water followed by wet sieving. A sufficiently coarse microstructure is important for gizzard function and thus digestive tract functionality, particularly when diets with a low level of coarse fibre is fed. A delicate interaction exists between macro- and microstructure, complicating optimalisation. However, a coarser grinding, changes to processing conditions and a larger pellet diameter and length may offer opportunities.
Ruurd Zijlstra, PhD, Professor Swine & Carbohydrate Nutrition at the University of Alberta, Canada
"Ingredient fractionation: the worth of sum of parts versus the whole for animal nutrition"
Plant seed including cereal grains, pulse grains and oilseeds can be simply ground and included as ingredients in animal feeds. In contrast, these ingredients can be fractionated into unique fractions that are targeted to specific markets segments within or outside the feed industry. High-value, nutrient-dense fractions enriched, for example, in starch, protein or fat can be targeted to animals with high nutritional demands. Furthermore, high value fractions might be targeted to human food or biofuel production; consequently, fractions enriched in fiber might be targeted toward the feed industry. Therefore, ingredient fractionation can generate added value to locally-produced crops and thereby create opportunities for the production of unique fractions for feed application.
3. Keynote on feed additives and premixes
Mia Eeckhout, PhD, Professor Feed technology at Ghent University, Belgium
"Technology with respect to pre-mixtures/additives/bio-active substances"
With the prospect of increasing global consumption of animal products, there is also an increased demand for animal feed. Today's feed must meet several conditions, including providing the necessary nutrients, ensuring good feed efficiency with maximum output while limiting input and not at least, minimizing the global footprint and pursuing the sustainability goals. Decades of research in animal nutrition proved the need for feed additives and premixes to supplement important nutrients or play a role in optimizing the bioavailability and digestibility of feed materials and thus to be of indispensable value to the livestock sector. Feed additives and premixes are more than ever important and challenged by the growing animal based food consumption.