ISSUE FOCUS 48 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE June 2024 “When applying precision nutrition to broiler diets it is crucial to consider how nutrients affect bird health and performance along with production budgets. Betaine has demonstrated its ability to support broilers facing heat-stress challenges and can also serve as an effective alternative to more expensive methyl-group donors like choline chloride.” The business of poultry production requires formulating diets that nurture flock performance as well as farm economics. Betaine provides a good example of a nutrient that supports broiler performance and profitable production. A trial conducted at the Trouw Nutrition Poultry Research Centre in Spain demonstrated the opportunity to replace up to 14% of a bird’s DL-methionine requirement with less expensive crystalized betaine while maintaining performance. As is often the case with precision nutrition, the trial inspired more questions and subsequent research. Globally, heat-stress contributes to broiler production problems such as reduced growth. As the trial noted above was conducted under thermal-neutral conditions, researchers wanted to discover if betaine could deliver the same performance benefits for flocks experiencing heat-stress. Researchers also wanted to understand if betaine in the diet could be a more effective methyl donor than methionine to support heat-challenged flocks. Another trial conducted at the Trouw Nutrition Poultry Research center in summer 2023 sought to answer these questions. BETAINE SUPPORTS BROILERS AND BUDGETS More and more feed additives are being assigned a matrix value. The matrix value acknowledges that some feed additives interact with other nutrients, potentially creating a nutrient oversupply. Comprehending the matrix value of an ingredient within a precision feed formulation can reveal possibilities to prevent oversupplying costly ingredients while meeting an animal’s nutrient requirements with lower cost alternatives. This approach can enable the partial substitution of pricier ingredients in the diet, such as choline chloride and methionine. It is widely acknowledged that betaine can effectively supplant choline chloride in most poultry diets when matrix values are taken into consideration. When applying precision nutrition to broiler diets it is crucial to consider how nutrients affect bird health and performance along with production budgets. Betaine has demonstrated its ability to support broilers facing heat-stress challenges and can also serve as an effective alternative to more expensive methyl-group donors like choline chloride. TradiOPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE UNDER HEAT: CRYSTALLIZED BETAINE OR MORE METHIONINE? Sanne van Beers Product Manager Selko
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