NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE July 2025 23 A new product that reduces animal stress could be the key to increasing artificial insemination rates in cattle. Kansas State University's (K-State) Technology Development Institute (TDI) collaborated with faculty in the College of Agriculture to design, produce and test the product. Assistant Professor Nicholas Wege Dias and Professor Sandy Johnson, both in K-State's animal science and industry department, specialize in beef cattle reproduction and have been involved in several projects designed to improve the fertility of the animal. Their initial studies indicated that acclimating the animals to their surroundings during the artificial insemination (AI) process reduced animal stress and increased reproduction by up to 10%. "Once we saw the benefits of getting animals acquainted with the facilities on AI success, we began to think about adoptable strategies to promote positive reinforcement during handling," Dias said. "You often see cow brushes and how the animals enjoy rubbing against them on social media, so we thought, 'Let's come up with a way to place a cow brush in the alleyway so the animals can enjoy themselves while they wait their turn.'" Their goal was to position a brush in the center of the alley just below bovine head height so the animals could rub their backs with the brush to reduce stress. Read more>> Lesaffre, an independent French key global player in fermentation and microorganisms, and Zilor, a privately held Brazilian multinational that produces sugar, ethanol, renewable electric energy, and natural ingredients for animal nutrition from sugarcane processing, announced the completion of Lesaffre’s acquisition of a 70% stake in Biorigin, a business unit of Zilor. The companies explain that this initiative leads to the creation of a joint venture that will leverage Biospringer by Lesaffre and Biorigin’s complementary capabilities and competencies to enable enhanced yeast derivative and savory ingredient solutions for food and feed markets. By combining strengths, Lesaffre and Zilor aim to unlock significant mutual benefits to deliver enhanced natural yeast-based ingredient solutions to customers around the world. This innovative partnership will accelerate the delivery of customer-centric solutions. It will rely on common values, recognized sales and technical expertise and on a global industrial network including Biorigin's production unit in Quatá/São Paulo, combined with a vertical and sustainable supply chain. Zilor will continue to run its production unit for ethanol and brewer’s spent yeast for animal nutrition. The yeast-based products for pet and livestock nutrition produced at the Lençóis Paulista (SP) and Macatuba (SP) facilities will remain under the management and commercialization of Zilor. Read more>> K-State develops product for cattle stress reduction Lesaffre and Zilor join forces for enhanced yeastbased ingredient solutions Photo: Kansas State University Photo: Lesaffre
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