Chicken protein hydrolysates: An alternative for animal nutrition

Chicken protein hydrolysates have animal sources, such as chicken viscera, guts and meat that, after the enzymatic hydrolysis process, become functional and nutritional solutions for a large number of sectors within the animal nutrition industry, the latter being our main focus in this article. This products are formulated specially to enhance the performance of animal feeds, adding value to the species and cost-benefit to the producers.

Chicken protein hydrolysates: An alternative for animal nutritionBy BRF Ingredients
One of the biggest challenges faced by the animal nutrition market is finding a nutritional, safe and functional ingredient to include in the diets of cultivated species. Besides these requirements, the ingredients must have a cost-benefit that generate added value to producers and provide enhancements to metabolism and health of the animals. Cost-benefit is a very important detail when it’s time to decide which formulation to choose for animals of the aquaculture, pet food and pig farming sectors, for example, as it’s estimated that 70% of operational costs of the cultivation are used for animal nutrition (Winnikes, 2020) [1]. Having said that, it’s also necessary to address that investing in healthier feeds is more than a temporary trend – it’s a social commitment.

With innovation and the use of technology, some companies like BRF Ingredients developed enriched formulations that not only provide a great cost-benefit to producers, but also generate added value to the species.

The Chicken Protein Hydrolysates promote better metabolism and health in animals, as they are nutritive, functional and safe. Therefore, they fulfill the essential requirements when producers need to choose an ingredient to include in diets for cultivation animals.

Moreover, the chicken hydrolysates are sustainable ingredients that decrease leftovers from animal slaughter, reducing wastes in the environment and cultivation tanks (in the aquaculture case), which also contribute to better water quality. As affirmed by Soares (2019) [2], to reuse raw materials from animal co-products is to consciously compensate for environmental impacts caused by the sector waste generation.

The Chicken Protein Hydrolysates are produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis process that, with water utilization, breaks amino acid chains (that form the raw material proteins) and generate bioactive peptides – substances that provide several benefits for metabolism, health and animal performance, such as hypoallergenic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihypertensive and immunostimulant functionalities.

The transformation of animal co-product raw materials into protein hydrolysates aims to achieve a functional and nutritional solution with low levels of minerals and fats (Pasupulek, et al., 2010) [3], rich in proteins and bioactive peptides that will aid with specific metabolic and nutritional needs.

With the breaking of amino acids, the Chicken Protein Hydrolysates have a low molecular mass, in which 100% of the bioactive peptides are below 3,000 Da, a characteristic that makes this protein source an hypoallergenic ingredient, reducing probabilities of causing allergic reactions, a frequent problem in the pet food sector.

It’s also worth noting the diversity of protein hydrolysates usages in nutrition. Besides the animal nutrition, hydrolysates can be used in food ingredients to enrich food in a process that allow the creation of rich and nutritive formulations, applicable in treatments for malnutrition and other diseases related to nutrient digestion and absorption, as well as for allergy control (Albuquerque, et al.) [4].

For all of these reasons, nutrient digestibility and absorption are some of the most important benefits provided by the Chicken Protein Hydrolysates in animal nutrition, which also present several other contributions, scientifically proven during tests conducted by companies that develop these ingredients and Universities from countries such as Brazil and Vietnam.

APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS IN ANIMAL NUTRITION
Chicken hydrolysates have animal sources, such as chicken viscera, guts and meat that, after the enzymatic hydrolysis process, become functional and nutritional solutions for a large number of sectors within the animal nutrition industry, the latter being our main focus in this article.

Chicken Protein Hydrolysates are formulated specially to enhance the performance of animal feeds, adding value to the species and cost-benefit to the producers. Besides improving digestibility and nutrient absorption, CPH has a protein rate of at least 75% in its composition.

Along with this high protein rate is the apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) that, despite the variation from sector to sector within the animal nutrition, is above 90% in all cultivations. Scientifically proven data, for didactic purposes in this article, points out that the formulation developed by BRF Ingredients – BioActio, for example – reaches an ADC of:
● 92,99% in shrimps.
● 94% in tilapias;
● 92,03% in dogs and cats.

Also, as stated before, the presence of bioactive peptides favors animal development, as they are absorbed directly through the bloodstream, an aspect that optimizes essential amino acids utilization in the animal organism.

Therefore, the rich presence of bioactive peptides in chicken hydrolysates reveals benefits such as the improvement of feeding efficiency, faster growth of species, enhancement in animal physiology by stimulating the immune and nervous system – thus freeing animals from stress -, among other pathologies.[5]

Another important aspect when it’s time to consider including Chicken Protein Hydrolysates in animal nutrition is the improvement in feed conversion rate, an essential factor when an alternative feeding is needed in the food industry.

In short, feed conversion is the measure of animal productivity, which is calculated by dividing the total amount of feed consumed by the average weight of the species, with the result being also related to the cost-benefit of the ingredient.

Scientifically proven data in tests conducted by BRF Ingredients show that the inclusion of hydrolysates in diets of animals improve feed conversion rate, increase final weight, size and yield of filets (in cultivations of tilapias and shrimps).

Furthermore, Chicken Protein Hydrolysates increase the survival rates of species, providing better resistance to infectious diseases and contributing for a better performance of the cultivations.

CONSIDERATIONS
In a market with ever growing competition, investments in research, innovation and production of richly balanced ingredients to supply nutritional needs of the animal nutrition industry are fundamental to maintain the productivity of cultivations.

Scientific tests and researches prove that the inclusion of Chicken Protein Hydrolysates in animal nutrition promotes a large number of benefits for health, morphology and performance of many species.

These improvements in metabolism of cultivations are associated with the high digestibility and palatability, providing better feed conversion rate – which is directly related to the cost-benefit of the ingredient.

Therefore, to the producers, protein hydrolysates originated from co-products of animal slaughter are functional protein sources with great biological value, as they are an excellent source of bioactive peptides, which improves performance, health and animals’ welfare.

By providing a better nutritional absorption, protein hydrolysates reduce costs, increase benefits – as stated before in this article – and expand profit rates for the producers, generating added value.

By providing more health for animals in cultivation with efficient results in final size and weight, chicken hydrolysates prove to be a feeding alternative for every aspect of the animal nutrition industry.

In conclusion, with all being said, the benefits of protein hydrolysates utilization are scientifically proven, as pointed out by the studies mentioned, as well as by the tests and innovations of BRF Ingredients in formulations of rich and balanced foods, also collaborating with preservation of the environment, reducing wastes and improving the reutilization of animal co-products.

References;
[1] Winnikes, F. R. (2020). Análise de viabilidade econômica da utilização de proteína hidrolisada de frango (PHF) na alimentação da tilápia-do-nilo (Oreochromis niloticus). Dissertação (Mestrado em Recursos Pesqueiros e Engenharia de Pesca – Centro de Engenharias e Ciências Exatas, da Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná. Toledo, pp. 65. Available in: <https://tede.unioeste.br/bitstream/tede/5046/2/Francklin_Winnikes_2020.pdf>. Access: March 2023.
[2] SOARES, M. Avaliação de hidrolisados proteicos de subprodutos de frango e suíno na nutrição do camarão-branco-do-pacífico. Tese (Doutorado em Aquicultura) – Centro de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, pp. 99. 2019. Available in: https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/215699/PAQI0572-T.pdf?sequence=-1&isAllowed=y. Access: March 2023.
[3] PASUPULEKI, V. K., DEMAIN, A. L., editors. Protein hydrolysates in biotechnology. New York: Springer Science, p. 11–32, 2010. Available in: Protein Hydrolysates in Biotechnology | SpringerLink. Access in: August 2022.
[4] Albuquerque, P. M.; Marques, D. N.; Soares, L. H. B.; Ayub, M. A. Z. Hidrólise Enzimática de Proteínas: Obtenção, Propriedades e Aplicações Na Indústria De Alimentos. Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, UFRGS). Available in: <000153966.pdf (ufrgs.br)>. Access: March 2023.
[5] Revista Peixe BR. A utilização de peptídeos bioativos para melhor desenvolvimento da nutrição animal. Available in: <https://www.peixebr.com.br/a-utilizacao-de-peptideos-bioativos-para-melhor-desenvolvimento-da-nutricao-animal/>. Access: March 2023.