Feed Processing Industry Research Articles

Purification and characterization of a novel neutral and heat-tolerant phytase from a newly isolated strain Bacillus nealsoniiZJ0702

BackgroundPhytic acid and phytates can interact with biomolecules, such as proteins and carbohydrates, and are anti-nutritional factors found in food and feed. Therefore, it is necessary to remove these compounds in food and feed processing. Phytase can hydrolyze phytic acid and phytates to release a series of lower phosphate esters of myoinositol and orthophosphate. Thus, the purification and characterization of novel phytases that can be used in food and feed processing is of particular interest to the food and feed industries.ResultsA novel neutral and heat-tolerant phytase from a newly isolated strain Bacillus nealsonii ZJ0702 was purified to homogeneity with a yield of 5.7% and a purification fold of 44. The molecular weight of the purified phytase obtained by SDS-PAGE was 43 kDa. The homology analysis based on N-terminal amino acid and DNA sequencing indicated that the purified phytase was different from other known phytases. The optimal thermal and pH activity of the phytase was observed at 55°C and 7.5, respectively. Seventy-three percent of the original activity of the phytase was maintained following incubation at 90°C for 10 min. The phytase was stable within a pH range of 6.0 − 8.0 and showed high substrate specificity for sodium phytate. Cu2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, Ba2+ and Ni2+ ions were found to inhibit the activity of the phytase.ConclusionsA novel phytase purified from B. nealsonii ZJ0702 was identified. The phytase was found to be thermally stable over a wide temperature range at neutral pH. These properties suggest that this phytase is a suitable alternative to fungal phytases for the hydrolysis of phytic acid and phytates in food and feed processing industries.

Overview of the 12th Five Year Development Plan for the Chinese Food Industry: Cereal Processing

The food industry is responsible for providing safe, secure, nutritious, and healthy foods for Chinese residents. The focus of the 12th Five-Year Planning Program for the National Economy and Social Development of the People's Republic of China (2011–2015) is to accelerate structural adjustments within the food industry, promote industry transformation and upgrades, and achieve sustainable healthy development. Detailed objectives include further optimization of regional distribution systems; formation of a modern food industry with the capacity for strong, independent innovation; ensuring food safety, nutrition, and health; development of stronger international competitiveness; enhancing the contribution of the food industry to society; driving related industry development; and facilitating social harmony and stability. Keys to the development direction of the cereal processing industry in China include active development of the feed processing industry, regulation of the development of alternative cereal...

Optimization of the Production of Thermostable endo-β-1,4 Mannanases from a Newly Isolated Aspergillus niger gr and Aspergillus flavus gr

The aim of this work was to establish optimal conditions for the maximum production of endo-beta-1,4 mannanases using cheaper sources. Eight thermotolerant fungal strains were isolated from garden soil and compost samples collected in and around the Gulbarga University campus, India. Two strains were selected based on their ability to produce considerable endo-beta-1,4 mannanases activity while growing in liquid medium at 37 degrees C with locust bean gum (LBG) as the only carbon source. They were identified as Aspergillus niger gr and Aspergillus flavus gr. The experiment to evaluate the effect of different carbon sources, nitrogen sources, temperatures and initial pH of the medium on maximal enzyme production was studied. Enzyme productivity was influenced by the type of polysaccharide used as the carbon source. Copra meal defatted with n-hexane showed to be a better substrate than LBG and guar gum for endo-beta-1,4 mannanases production by A. niger gr (40.011 U/ml), but for A. flavus gr (33.532 U/ml), the difference was not significant. Endo-beta-1,4 mannanases produced from A. niger gr and A. flavus gr have high optimum temperature (65 and 60 degrees C) and good thermostability in the absence of any stabilizers (maintaining 50% of residual activity for 8 and 6 h, respectively, at 60 degrees C) and are stable over in a wide pH range. These new strains offer an attractive alternative source of enzymes for the food and feed processing industries.

Impacts of nutritional technology on feeds offered to horses: A review of effects of processing on voluntary intake, digesta characteristics and feed utilisation

Advances in feed processing technology applied to diet systems for ruminant livestock have been used extensively in the equine feed industry. The translation of these technologies is an important area of interest for the feed processing industry servicing the various sectors of the equine industry such as feeds for the racing, meat, milk and urine production, as well as supplements for leisure horse use. However, there are few reviews examining impacts of feed processing technologies on the processes controlling voluntary intake or utilisation of processed feeds by horses. In this paper, some of the specific features of feeds and impacts of feed processing on factors controlling meal pattern, frequency and size, and digestive physiology will be addressed. Three main areas are examined in this review, being impacts of feed processing on processes of “information gathering” (sensory and nutritional knowledge) by the horse, eating behaviour of the horse offered processed feeds (notably issues of preference and control of short-term ingestion rate), and implications of constraints of digestive physiology, process and function on voluntary intake and digestibility of processed feeds. The review highlights areas of future research and development for nutritional technology to increase knowledge of interactions between equine physiology and feed processing to enhance efficiency of capture of nutrients and maintain the welfare of horses managed in the housed environment.

Market perceptions of food and feed safety

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in the introduction of risk management and safety assurance throughout the UK’s food and feed processing and manufacturing industries. This has resulted in part from changes in legislation, but more significantly it has reflected a fundamental shift in the market environment in which the food-chain industries operate. Risk management was established as a key requirement when the emergence of food safety problems in the 1980s became a matter of public concern. Retailers responded by driving the safety assurance ‘down’ the food-supply chain, and politicians by moving food-chain regulation up their list of legislative priorities.