The reality is, we are just getting started and this is exciting. The next phase is about targeted innovation, both by extending our existing technologies into new regions and categories and by developing new solutions where we see unmet needs. Gut health and the microbiome will remain core pillars, but within MHS we are also focusing on integrating our digital tools and services to support our customers’ on-farm decision-making.
Vice President
Cargill Micronutrition & Health Solutions (MHS)
We sat down with Dr. Christos Antipatis, Vice President for Cargill’s Micronutrition & Health Solutions (MHS) business, to reflect on how the recent changes to the brand portfolio are transforming the industry and to get a glimpse of what’s next in the fast-evolving landscape. From tackling persistent poultry health challenges to driving gut health innovation in swine, the Cargill Micronutrition & Health Solutions team is reshaping what’s possible for animal performance, protection, and profitability.
Mr. Antipatis, it’s been an exciting year for Cargill MHS, especially with the launch of the new brand portfolio for your solutions in 2024. Can you share your reflections on the progress you’ve made since introducing wave one and how that’s resonating in the market?
Absolutely! It’s been a significant step forward for us. The launch of our refreshed portfolio of brands under the MHS umbrella wasn’t just about introducing new names; it was about bringing clarity and really putting our customers at the center of where it starts, focusing on delivering species-specific, and need-based solutions. We did that by organizing our products in a way that helps customers navigate and find the best solution to their challenge while also directing our efforts on innovation. We are focusing these into three pillars: Protecting the animals, preserving the environment, and enhancing performance – connecting our technologies and helping producers proactively manage challenges, promote animal resilience, and support long-term productivity.
Since the launch in 2024, we focused on identifying how we’ll bring this to the markets, and we have the first wave of changes starting to be seen now. We’ve rolled out several key brand updates, including new products for poultry, swine, and ruminants, and it’s exciting to see the positive reactions from our customers in different regions.
One of those new launches is Biostrong™ C-Protect, which tackles a significant challenge in layer production. What can you tell us about this product and its role in the portfolio?
Biostrong™ C-Protect is a prime example of how we innovate with purpose.
With Biostrong™ C-Protect, we combined a phytogenic and postbiotic based solution to optimize nutrition and thereby support a balanced gut microflora. Field and feeding studies showed promising results: in challenged flocks, egg production improved by nearly 20%.
The launch in the U.S. has happened recently with success among our customers, and we’re now preparing the introduction in EMEA later in 2025. It’s a perfect example of how we design solutions by focusing on species-specific customer needs and highlighting the importance of microbiome health into everyday nutrition.
Alongside that, Biostrong™ H-Protect for turkeys has been another notable development. How does this fit into the broader poultry strategy?
Turkeys are a segment that historically hasn’t benefited from dedicated solutions, yet producers face significant challenges like Histomoniasis, or blackhead disease, which costs the U.S. industry only over $2 million annually. In challenged conditions, it is important to optimize nutrition. Biostrong™ H-Protect helps optimize nutrition, supports performance, and balances gut microflora and resilience during challenging conditions through a combination of postbiotic and phytogenic components.
Our trials demonstrated improvements in feed conversion rates and bodyweight, under both healthy and challenged conditions. It offers operational efficiencies too, replacing multiple feed additives and reducing micro bin space requirements in the feed mill. It’s another example of our Protect-Preserve-Perform approach in action.
Shifting to swine, Cinergy™ Protect launched recently as well. What’s the thinking behind this brand and its timing?
The swine sector is under intense pressure right now. From disease management to profitability to increasing sustainability demands. Gut health is central to all these challenges, especially when it comes to the weaning period. That’s where Cinergy™ Protect comes in.
It’s a phytogenic-based solution designed to promote feed intake and thereby support piglet resilience immediately post-weaning, when digestive and immune systems are underdeveloped and animals face stressors from new environments, diets, and pen mates. By promoting feed intake and supporting optimal gut functioning, animals become more resilient to these stressors leading to reduced need for antibiotic use. Cinergy™ Protect helps producers navigate this high-risk period with more confidence.
But Cinergy™ is more than a single product. It’s our global brand for swine in our portfolio and a platform that will continue to expand in order to address needs across all swine life stages. It exemplifies our move toward species-centered, lifecycle-based solutions that pair deep science based, nutritional science with precise interventions in the animal diets.
Looking ahead, what can we expect from the next phase of the Cargill MHS portfolio evolution?
The reality is, we are just getting started and this is exciting. The next phase is about targeted innovation, both by extending our existing technologies into new regions and categories and by developing new solutions where we see unmet needs. Gut health and the microbiome will remain core pillars, but within MHS we are also focusing on integrating our digital tools and services to support our customers’ on-farm decision-making.
Our roadmap includes a promising expansion of the Biostrong™ and Cinergy™ lines and continuing the introduction of the remaining species brands under the Cargill MHS business. Producers can expect innovations designed not just for today’s challenges but anticipating what’s coming next. Whether it’s antimicrobial resistance pressures, evolving sustainability goals, or changing consumer expectations.
At the heart of it all is our commitment to micronutrition and health solutions that protect, preserve, and perform, driving transformative change for animal producers worldwide.
It sounds like exciting times ahead for Cargill and your customers. Thank you for sharing these insights.
Thank you! It’s an exciting journey, and we’re proud to be working alongside our customers to shape the future of animal nutrition together.
About Dr. Christos Antipatis
Christos Antipatis is the Global Micronutrition & Health Solutions (MHS) Director for Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health, where he is responsible for managing and advancing the MHS portfolio leading the innovation pipeline and seeking new partnerships that strengthen our portfolio.
Antipatis joined Cargill in 2016 as Global Technology Director and since then, has held various global strategic marketing and technology roles. Before joining Cargill, he worked at DSM Nutritional Products for 15 years, holding various global and regional roles in marketing, innovation and other business/technical positions.
Antipatis has an undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering with specialization in animal science from the Agricultural University of Athens in Greece. He earned a Master of Science in Animal Nutrition and, subsequently, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nutrition and Reproduction from the University of Aberdeen, UK. In addition, he spent three years doing nutrition-related scientific research at the Rowett Research Institute.
Christos Antipatis lives with his wife, son and daughter in Edinburgh, Scotland. He enjoys walking, exercising, reading, and travelling, particularly back to his home country Greece. He is a wine and whisky enthusiast and has developed a passion for watching rugby.
