Imerys’ minerals provide animal feed producers a tool box of functionalities helping them either in the production -anticaking, carriers and binders or as animal health improvers. Our solutions are 100% natural and chemically inert, therefore not harmful for the animals and for animal derived products, provided compliance with relevant regulations. It is also important to note that authorized minerals can be used in organic farming according to respective European regulations.
Imerys Group, which is among the world leaders in mineral-based solutions, serves more than 15,000 customers in different industries in more than 140 countries. Animal care is one of the industries for which the company provides various solutions with minerals such as bentonite, moler, diatomite, kaolin, talc and zeolite that it sources from European mines.
“Our minerals play a key role in a wide range of animal care applications, from technological feed additives in premixes to anti-caking agents, mycotoxin binders and bedding conditioners. With our minerals, we are promoting healthy living conditions for farm animals,” says Eleni Ipsilanti, Marketing Manager for Animal Feed, EMEA, from whom we have learned about mineral solutions of Imerys. “Improving animal well-being is one of our priorities. Healthy animals live longer, produce better yields and have a higher quality of life. Therefore we have as priority to develop natural and cost effective solutions as alternatives to synthetic substances and chemicals that potentially may jeopardize animals’ health,” she adds.
Ms. Ipsilanti tells more about Imerys and its solutions for the animal care industry for the readers of our magazine.
Dear Eleni, first of all, can you give some information about Imerys Group? What can you tell us about the story, solutions, competences and working fields of Imerys Group?
Imerys is the world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry. With more than two centuries of expertise, we deliver high value-added, functional solutions to diversified set of industrial sectors, from processing industries to consumer goods: from construction to personal care, but also for batteries & fuel cells, food and beverage, paints and coatings, paper, ceramics etc.
The Group draws on its knowledge of applications, technological expertise and its material science know-how to deliver solutions based on beneficiation of its mineral resources, synthetic minerals and formulations. Minerals such as moler, bentonite, kaolin, diatomite and more, contribute essential properties to customers’ products and performance, in particular by fostering the emergence of environmentally-friendly products and processes.
Our ambition is simple: We want to unlock the sustainable potential of minerals. We recognize the need to act rapidly to provide solutions to the environmental and societal challenges facing the world.
You are one of the world’s leading companies in industrial minerals. Can you inform us about the production/processing minerals? Where are they used?
With 250 industrial sites located in 40 countries, Imerys have specialist expertise in the following transformation processes in order to deliver key properties for our customers’ products and production processes: mechanical treatments, heat treatments and chemical treatments.
The mineral solutions and advanced materials we market account for a relatively insignificant portion of our customers’ production costs, but they add key properties to their products—such as purity, crystal structure, size and distribution of particles, shape and specific surface area—or industrial processes by making it possible to reduce energy consumption or accelerate production processes.
As mentioned before, our solutions contribute to a vast range of products that touch every aspect of life. A wide variety of industries use our high value-added, functional solutions, ranging from process manufacturing or mobility to consumer goods. We sell our solutions as powders, grains, granules, blends, pastes and aqueous dispersions.
Could you tell us a little about your corporate organization worldwide and your role in the global minerals market?
Imerys serves more than 15 000 customers in over 142 countries. Our minerals are used as functional additives, providing unique properties to our customers’ products. This includes applications such as personal care, ceramics, food & beverages, agriculture, paper, rubber, paints & coatings and of course animal feed.
Our specialty minerals are used as processing aids to facilitate a manufacturing process typically working with high temperatures and providing unique properties to our customers’ products of markets such as abrasives, building materials, foundry, refractory and steel.
Animal care is one of the industries you serve. Can you tell us about the solutions you offer under this section? For example; what are the minerals used in the field of animal care? Can you tell us which minerals are used for what purpose, and their properties?
For the animal care market, Imerys offers several mineral solutions: bentonite, moler, diatomaceous earth, kaolin, talc and zeolite, all sourced from our proprietary European mines. Our minerals play a key role in a wide range of animal care applications, from technological feed additives in premixes to anti-caking agents, mycotoxin binders and bedding conditioners. With our minerals, we are promoting healthy living conditions for farm animals.
Imerys’ bentonite grade, SMECTAGRI®, is mainly used as an aflatoxin binder. It can adsorb aflatoxins within the animal’s gastrointestinal tract and then excreted through the feces. Its aflatoxin binding capacity is >90%, which is not the case for all bentonite. SMECTAGRI® is in compliance with EU official requirements, providing optimum performance and reducing economic loss attributed to mycotoxins.
Last but not least, SMECTAGRI® also demonstrates excellent technological performance in terms of binding, anticaking and flow effect.
As per our moler and diatomaceous earth solutions, we specifically engineered DIAMOL® grades and DIATOBON®. Both solutions demonstrate high absorption capacity, thanks to their unique microporous structure which allows them to carry liquid additives i.e. fats and oils, organic acids, plant extracts, vitamins, enzymes. Consequently, they are optimizing their use and functionality, by providing a homogenous dispersion in feed while retaining the free flow.
Other benefits include improved flowability and acting as anticaking agents for feed raw materials, premixes and compound feeds for both solutions. DIAMOL® grades are also used as milling additives to prevent “clumping” effects and it provides efficiency in the compound feed manufacturing and consequently saving energy cost.
Kaolin is another prime ingredient for animal care. This soft clay mineral is known for its soothing effects on the digestive system; it facilitates the processing of powders and granules for feed during extrusion, reducing the extrusion energy, and can act either as a binder or a lubricant. Imerys’ kaolin grades Agri Bind™ and Argirec® ABF are registered in the EU as technological feed additives.
Our zeolite range is also a highly versatile feed additive. Its high cation exchange capacity gives zeolite high adsorption properties that trap heavy metal ions that can be found in feed. It is also an excellent carrier for nutrients and it improves the use of nitrogen, mainly in diets containing urea, by slowly making nitrogen available to ruminal bacteria. Zeolite is water and moisture-binding, so it prevents caking and promotes the free flow of feed, and it aids digestion by reducing the rate of passage in the gastrointestinal tract, enabling better absorption of all nutrients.
In addition, zeolite adsorbs ammonia, unpleasant odors, and liquid waste, resulting in a sanitized farm house and consequently improved living conditions for the animal.
Finally, our talc grades, STEALIM® and STEAM FEED®flow, available in different granulometries, are excellent anti-caking agents, lubricants and dispersing agents which also improve the flow of raw materials in animal feed. Naturally water repellent, talcs form a barrier around feed particles, reducing moisture evaporation and water uptake. Talc’s soft nature ensures zero abrasion in feed processing equipment.
Our minerals offer many benefits to the animals but also to the farmer as our solutions enable increased productivity, lower ventilation and overall costs reduction.
What are the benefits of minerals for animal nutrition, health and welfare?
Imerys’ minerals provide animal feed producers a tool box of functionalities helping them either in the production -anticaking, carriers and binders or as animal health improvers. Our solutions are 100% natural and chemically inert, therefore not harmful for the animals and for animal derived products, provided compliance with relevant regulations.
It is also important to note that authorized minerals can be used in organic farming according to respective European regulations.
What do you promise to the livestock and feed industry with your products? What would you like to say about the reliability of your products?
All Imerys animal feed solutions are registered and authorized in Europe as technological additives, and go through quality controls to ensure they meet global safety standards. We can ensure that our solutions:
• Have no adverse effect on animals
• Are produced at FEMAS and FAMi-QS accredited operations
• Meet Directive 2005/87/EC of 5 December 2005 governing natural dioxin and heavy metal content.
• Are covered by EC approval (E560 – talc, E559 – kaolin, 1m558, 1m558i – bentonite, E551c – diatomite/moler)
Imerys’ animal feed grades pass numerous quality control tests and trials to ensure every batch meets the stringent European regulatory specifications. Our dedicated product stewardship team ensures quality and consistency of pure products.
Finally, could you brief us about Imerys’ future plans? What innovations and solutions does your company plan to offer in the future? What are your investment plans, if any?
Improving animal well-being is one of our priorities. Healthy animals live longer, produce better yields and have a higher quality of life. Therefore we have as priority to develop natural and cost effective solutions as alternatives to synthetic substances and chemicals that potentially may jeopardize animals’ health.
Additionally, other animal health problems are in the spotlight of European regulatory authorities, and they constitute key projects for Imerys R&D teams and we invest to innovate and find solutions.
Our development team is working in exploring market needs related to environmental concerns associated with animal feed and farming. For instance, methane emissions and nitrogen runoff and how natural solutions like minerals can help towards this direction.
Last but not least, our product stewardship team is closely following the developments of regulations around animal feed and feed additives ensuring our products are in compliance and when required we invest in adequate testing.
Anything else you want to add…
Imerys’ solutions for the animal care market are based on minerals sourced from our proprietary European mines. It allows us to have flawless transparency and traceability, therefore offering the highest quality of mineral for each application. Premix and compound feed manufacturers should carefully select the mineral, technological additives they use.
All Imerys minerals meet all the specifications imposed/applied by EFSA and EU, ensuring optimum quality, effectiveness, safe use and consequently better health for the animals and increased yield for the farmers.
We are excited to showcase our mineral based solutions at Eurotier, in Hannover, from 15 to 18 November. It will be a great opportunity to interact with our global network. These events are essential, that’s where key discussions are held to better understand the future demands, anticipate new trends and be innovative in how we can accompany our customers in driving the future of animal care.
