The present disclosure relates to compositions, concentrates, supplements and animal feeds for feeding to ruminant animals. The present disclosure further relates to methods of improving feed conversion, resource utilisation, water utilisation in livestock, as well as methods of reducing livestock emissions and reducing antibiotic use in livestock feed, methods of inducing satiety in livestock and methods of preventing lactic acidosis in ruminant animals.

Methods for identifying Methylobacterium strains which can be used to increase mineral nutrient, vitamins, oil and/or protein content in plants are provided. Also provided are related methods of providing seed lots, food ingredients, feed ingredients, food, or feed with increased mineral nutrient, vitamins, oil and/or protein content. Methods of providing increased mineral nutrient and/or vitamin content, and/or increased oil and/or protein yield from plant seed lots are also provided.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a combination and/or composition comprising a growth factor and one or more of silica, mineral clay, glucan, mannans, endoglucanohydrolase, yucca, quillaja, metal chelate, chromium compound, probiotic, polyphenol, direct fed microbial, copper species, vitamin, allicin, alliin, alliinase, yeast, growth promotant, preservative, antimicrobial, or vaccine. The growth factor may be an active growth factor such as an active insulin-like growth factor. Also disclosed are methods of administering the combination and/or composition to an animal. The combination and/or composition may provide a beneficial effect to the animal upon administration, such as, but not limited to, improved immune function, metabolism, milk production, growth, feed conversion, fertilization, reproduction, oocyte quality in a ruminant undergoing superovulation, embryo viability, muscle growth, muscle percentage, heart muscle development, egg product and/or quality, sperm production and/or quality, meat quality, or a combination thereof.

A coating apparatus and method are disclosed for coating tablets with a film, in which the tables transit through a drilled first container where they are coated, then exit the first container and are removed from a rotating element provided on the periphery of a plurality of removal members that are spaced angularly apart from one another, in which each removal member removes a quantity of tablets, raises the removed tables as far as a certain height and then discharges the tablets into a chute that conveys the tablets into a second rotating drilled container, with delicate transfer of the coated tablets from one container to the next.

A trace element solution comprises at least the following metals: zinc; manganese; selenium; and copper; and which comprises Vitamin B12. The solution furthermore comprises butaphosphan to stabilize the Vitamin B12 and the inclusion of butaphosphan may have synergistic activity with the minerals.

The present invention relates to a supplement for animal feed for pigs, comprising a mixture of glycerol tri butyrate and glycerol mono laurate, deposited on an inert carrier, in a weight amount comprised between 2 and 6 kg per ton of feed and zinc oxide in an amount comprised between 50 and 200 gr per ton of feed in feed. The invention also relates to an animal feed comprising such supplement The supplement, respectfully the animal feed, enhances the immunity system of pigs, in particular sucking pigs.

The invention relates to a method for producing, amongst other things, amino-acid and/or hydroxycarboxylic-acid metal chelates, a solvent-free mixture of at least one metal oxide, metal hydroxide, metal carbonate or oxalate, and the solid organic acid is subjected to intensive mechanical stress. According to the invention, this is done in that the reaction partners are introduced in particle form into a fluid stream of a fluid-bed countercurrent mill operating without grinding elements, wherein mechanical activation of at least one of the reaction partners is effected by collision processes within a reaction chamber formed in a region of the fluid stream, and a solid body reaction to form the metal chelate is triggered. The novel method operates very energy-efficiently and with a high specific yield. It leads to a product having compact particles in the small, single-digit micrometer range having a comparatively narrow particle size distribution and a large surface. The product is homogenous and very pure. Thermal loading or decomposition of the organic chelate ligands, in particular of the amino acids, is likewise avoided, as are contaminants from milling and grinding element abrasion.

The present invention relates to methods of releasing galactose from legumes using polypeptides having alpha-galactosidase activity. The invention also relates to polypeptides having alpha-galactosidase activity, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing the polypeptides. The invention also relates to compositions comprising the polypeptides of the invention and the use of the polypeptides in animal feed.

Low moisture feed blocks deliver supplemental nutrients to animals and are free or substantially free of molasses by using concentrated separator by-product as a molasses replacement. A premixture of concentrated separator by-product and added sugar may be pH-adjusted and concentrated to a high solids content. The premixture may be combined with dry components to form an admixture that is poured into a vessel and allowed to naturally cool and harden into the supplemental feed block.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method of making a mineral product. The method includes contacting a carboxylic acid and an inorganic mineral compound sufficient to form a solution, reacting the solution over a period of time sufficient to provide a mineral chelated compound, transferring the mineral chelated compound to one or more molds prior to the compound substantially solidifying and reducing the size of the mineral chelated compound sufficient to provide a rapidly soluble mineral chelated product.