Various initiatives, such as applying digital farming strategies, the development of fermentation-based and cell-based protein or incorporating insects in animal and human food are developing rapidly. All of these approaches help answer the immense question of how to provide healthy nutrients to feed all of earth’s inhabitants. With Selko, the feed additive brand of Nutreco, we play our part in this big picture, by upscaling by-streams from the food- and beverage industry.
Business Manager Food2Feed
Selko Feed Additives
Human or animal… There has to be a sustainable way to feed us all with what nature offers. This is exactly what experts in the agricultural industries are chasing: To sustainably feed the living things on the planet… Because reputable organizations that make predictions based on the rate of increase in the world population are united on the possibility of our future nutritional problems.
Companies known for their expertise in the animal nutrition industry, such as Nutreco and its subsidiary Selko Feed Additives, have already stepped up their efforts to avoid this problem. While these companies are looking for ways to increase animal protein production in a sustainable way, they also focus on how to use existing resources more efficiently.
Evelien van Donselaar, Business Manager for Food2Feed at Selko, shared with us one of the ways how animal protein production can be increased sustainably: Evaluating by-products from the food- and beverage industry correctly and reliably…
The fact that humans need the same natural resources/raw materials as animals as a food source is a topic that has been talked about a lot in recent years. What is the real meaning of this? Why is consuming the same resources considered a serious problem?
This is an interesting question. A common misconception we see in the industry is the belief that humans and animals compete for the same resources. In fact, according to the 1st Feed Sustainability Charter progress report (2021) of the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC), 96% of the grains, soybean products or pulses are grown specifically for animal feed production and are of a quality standard that does not meet the standards required for human consumption. This tells us that it is not the cereal itself, nor its availability, that are causing friction, but rather the use of arable land.
The challenge of feeding an additional two billion people in a mere 30 more years is placing increased demand on our planet’s resources. The industry is trying to find ways to produce more protein with fewer resources. We need to find a way to manage a growing population’s demand for more food with the planet’s limited land resources for a long time to come.
When it comes to utilizing arable land, we need to look at opportunities to reduce the amount land required to produce cereals for animal consumption, which will allow more land to be used for food-grade cereals. This means we need to look at other sources of feed ingredients, like by-products from the food- and beverage industry, grain by-products and increasing feed efficiency (feeding lower amounts while maintaining production performance).
When we think that we need more food to feed the growing world population, but our natural resources are limited, is there a way to use the available resources more efficiently? For example, what is the way to separate our resources from animals directly or indirectly?
There are abundant opportunities to achieve more sustainable protein production and feed a growing population. Various initiatives, such as applying digital farming strategies, the development of fermentation-based and cell-based protein or incorporating insects in animal and human food are developing rapidly. All of these approaches help answer the immense question of how to provide healthy nutrients to feed all of earth’s inhabitants.
With Selko, the feed additive brand of Nutreco, we play our part in this big picture, by upscaling by-streams from the food- and beverage industry. Keeping in mind the ‘food waste hierarchy’ of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, figure 1), we refuse to call these products ‘waste’ since they contain re-usable components such as carbohydrates, fibre, protein, and other nutrients that can be used to produce animal feed. With effective and safe preservation, these products can be diverted from ending up in bio-fuel production or land fill and serve as high quality feed ingredients.
Food and beverage production takes place all over the world and is not bound to one specific location. This means that by-products can often be sourced locally, reducing the need for long distance transport or energy consuming drying processes. For example, in the Netherlands, 5.4 million tons of liquid and moist by-products were used by home mixing farms in 2021, which would be roughly equal to 1.25 million tons of dry feed materials (Circular Feed Association). However, in other parts of the world, by-products are not utilised at all and continue to end up as landfill.
Our aim is to connect the food- and beverage industry with the animal industry, creating new, powerful partnerships and resulting in long-lasting shared efforts that improve sustainability.
Some of the resources that are extremely valuable for both human and animal nutrition are wasted for various reasons. Today, a new recovery model called circular economy is on the agenda in order to eliminate this waste. What is circular economy? What is the place and meaning of the circular economy in the food and feed sector?
The term ‘circular economy’ can be explained in many ways. There is no fixed definition or formula on how to achieve it. Basically, the industry is moving from a traditional linear economy, based on a ‘take-make-dispose’ approach, where residues are not used, towards a more circular economy, where companies are aware of the losses that occur along the production chain and try to find ways to utilise them. This so-called circular approach emphasises reduce, reuse, and recycle (or upcycle) principles. Today, in our feed and food industry, we might even call it ‘infinite economy’ as by-streams from one process can supply animal protein producers who in turn supply by-products to the food and beverage industry in a never-ending cycle (figure 2). Our role within Selko is to connect the dots within the infinity cycle and to effectively preserve nutritious by-products to ensure their value within the food-to-feed chain.
What waste can the animal nutrition industry consider as an alternative feed or feed ingredient within the scope of the circular economy model?
This question does not have a simple answer. If we were to list all possible by-stream candidates that can act as feed ingredients, we would need many more pages. As a rule of thumb, all pure by-products containing substantial levels of carbohydrates, protein or fibre can be suitable candidates. Some examples of companies we have partnered with over the years are (global) beer brewers, utilising spent yeast and spent grains, pulses and grain processors, utilising pea cream and starch-rich by-streams, animal slaughter facilities, utilising process water, and the dairy industry, utilising whey and permeate.
In all these examples, preserving ingredients in a cost-effective and safe way has been on a case-by-case basis relying on customised inclusion and application of Selko’s Revalet product range. The best results are achieved through applying products at the right time and with the best possible dispersion. Selko offers state-of-the-art dosing services that allow for safe, accurate and reliable application of products.
Considering that most of the wastes are foods that start to rot and spoil, we cannot ignore the fact that they are contaminated by different microorganisms. Therefore, how can we protect and transform these wastes in a way that does not pose a risk to human and animal health?
It is indeed correct that by-products and other residual streams are exposed to microbial challenges when left untouched. Especially in liquid or moist products we see challenges with yeast or Enterobacteria, and in some cases even both. Within hours, yeast and microbes can significantly decrease nutritional value and produce vast amounts of CO2, making them dangerous to process or store and rendering them unfit for animal feeding.
Next to microbial pressure, there is also an increased risk of mycotoxins, especially in grain by-products like DDGS, maize gluten meal or rice by-products. Most mycotoxins are present on the outer parts of the kernel. As the core is removed, the overall mycotoxin concentration in these by-products can reach levels that can harm animal health and performance.
Selko offers various solutions to preserve moist and liquid by-products and to mitigate mycotoxins in grain by-products. When it comes to moist and liquid by-products, Revalet has proven to be a cost-effective way to deactivate yeast and preserve valuable by-products (figure 3). As there is no silver bullet solution, each customer situation is thoroughly investigated, and inclusion rates are determined on a case-by-case basis.
As Selko Feed Additives, what are the solutions you offer for more efficient use of resources and circular economy model?
In over four decades of bringing effective feed additive solutions to the market, we learned that simply applying a product is not enough to truly make a difference in today’s fast-changing economy. To make steps towards an infinite economy, we need to act as a connector between industries and look beyond our own solutions alone. This is where I believe Selko differentiates our solutions. Being part of Nutreco allows us to utilise our global network and connect both global and local players in the food and feed industry.
With our nutritional know-how, global presence, and customer-driven services, we bring effective solutions that help produce safe, nutritious feed. I am convinced that all our initiatives, whether it is applying our Selko solutions, investing in fermentation- and cell-based proteins, implementing digital farming models and solutions or providing advice on nutrition and good farming practices, we all work towards our shared passion of feeding the future.
About Evelien van Donselaar
Evelien van Donselaar, Business Manager Food2Feed at Selko, focuses on providing practical solutions for- and creating connections within- the food and feed industry. She is responsible for Selko Revalet®, a product portfolio that reduces microbial challenges from the source, preserving nutritional value of by-products. Her animal healthcare background and extensive experience in working for innovative companies focusing on production of alternative proteins, as well as a passion for upcycling by-products, allow her to think out of the box and support the company’s purpose of Feeding the Future.
