An Industry profile from International Aquafeed magazine
by Odd Elvebo, Technical Sales Manager – Aquaculture, Norway
Biorigin is a Brazilian company which has developed knowledge and technology to produce a wide range of yeast based products for both the food and feed industry. Biorigin produces natural ingredients as immune modulators, prebiotics and nutritional products for feed as well as additives for flavour enhancement, sodium reduction, shelf life extension in the food market.
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Leading brand MacroGard® has been used worldwide for more than 20 years in feed for aquaculture of fish and shellfish as well as swine, poultry, cattle and companion animals.
Odd Elvebo, Technical Sales Manager
– Aquaculture, Norway
by Odd Elvebo, Technical Sales Manager – Aquaculture, Norway
Biorigin is a Brazilian company which has developed knowledge and technology to produce a wide range of yeast based products for both the food and feed industry. Biorigin produces natural ingredients as immune modulators, prebiotics and nutritional products for feed as well as additives for flavour enhancement, sodium reduction, shelf life extension in the food market.
Biorigin is a business unit of Zilor, a company with more than 65 years of experience and one of the largest Brazilian producers of ethanol, sugar and electricity from sugar cane.
Biorigin was created in 2003, with a structure completely dedicated to the development of innovative solutions based on yeasts and yeast derivatives.
The company invests approximately eight percent of its annual revenues in technology, innovation and R&D projects. In 2008 Biorigin acquired the companies PTX Food Corp in The United States and Immunocorp Animal Health, in Norway; expanding and strengthening its international presence. Immunocorp Animal Health was the pioneer in the area of glucan mediated immune modulation. MacroGard® is now part of Biorigin’s portfolio, serving the needs of aqua, livestock and petfood markets. Under Biorigin ownership, Immunocorp’s sales and technical knowledge continued to evolve with a strong focus in Norway, the key market for the salmon industry.
Biorigin portfolio products offers a wide range of yeasts and derivatives products developed from specially-selected yeast strains, according to its exclusive biotechnological and controlled processes. The products are beta 1,3/1,6 Glucans, mannan-proteins, oligosaccharides, nucleotides and natural sources of nutrients as proteins, amino acids and vitamins.
Biorigin strategy
Farmed animals are presented daily with stressors such as high stock density, environmental changes, handling and pathogenic challenges. These stressor agents have consequences for animals’ performance, immune system, overall health status and growth. Biorigin provides a wide range of natural and environmentally friendly and specialized feed materials that enhance the animal immune system, act as prebiotic, agglutinate bacteria and mycotoxines, add nutrients and enhance flavours of diets.
Farmed animals are presented daily with stressors such as high stock density, environmental changes, handling and pathogenic challenges. These stressor agents have consequences for animals’ performance, immune system, overall health status and growth. Biorigin provides a wide range of natural and environmentally friendly and specialized feed materials that enhance the animal immune system, act as prebiotic, agglutinate bacteria and mycotoxines, add nutrients and enhance flavours of diets.
An improved health status leads to other benefits such as better protection against pathogens and parasites, improved nutrient uptake, better growth and survival.
Leading brand MacroGard® has been used worldwide for more than 20 years in feed for aquaculture of fish and shellfish as well as swine, poultry, cattle and companion animals. – Aquaculture, Norway
MacroGard® and Immune modulation through Beta-Glucan Action
MacroGard® is a purified form of beta-1,3/1,6-glucan, a cell wall component of bakers’ yeast. Beta-glucans are natural and harmless, yet as they are biologically foreign to animals, they initiate an immune response upon consumption. More specifically, they heighten the activity of the white blood cells of the innate branch of the immune system. This strengthens the immune system against pathogenic infections; enabling quicker and more efficient clearing and better evasion of subsequent infections.
MacroGard® is a purified form of beta-1,3/1,6-glucan, a cell wall component of bakers’ yeast. Beta-glucans are natural and harmless, yet as they are biologically foreign to animals, they initiate an immune response upon consumption. More specifically, they heighten the activity of the white blood cells of the innate branch of the immune system. This strengthens the immune system against pathogenic infections; enabling quicker and more efficient clearing and better evasion of subsequent infections.
The innate immune system is ancient and has been highly conserved throughout evolution. This explains how the effects of MacroGard® can be seen throughout the animal kingdom. Biorigin uses advanced biotechnology to ensure the purity and activity of its beta-glucan products.
Research
MacroGard® has been and is still studying within the field and laboratory. The wide-ranging effects are well documented and published. Biorigin is not involved just in the aquaculture of Atlantic salmon but also in other marine and fresh water species, carrying out research and collaborating with other institutions in order to investigate the applicability of MacroGard® on global fish production. Biorigin invests a lot in R&D and uses a significant portion in the aquaculture sector, together with collaborating institutions and feed producers.
MacroGard® has been and is still studying within the field and laboratory. The wide-ranging effects are well documented and published. Biorigin is not involved just in the aquaculture of Atlantic salmon but also in other marine and fresh water species, carrying out research and collaborating with other institutions in order to investigate the applicability of MacroGard® on global fish production. Biorigin invests a lot in R&D and uses a significant portion in the aquaculture sector, together with collaborating institutions and feed producers.
The aqua-feed industry has pioneered the development of products that enhance the ability of farm animals to resist infections and disease, and of speciality feeds that are designed to reduce production losses during critical phases of the animals’ life cycle. Within the entire animal feed industry, there is an increasing emphasis on enabling animals to improve their own ability to resist infections, rather than relying on pharmaceuticals.
The development of this new way of thinking and implementation; made somewhat easier because of the known chemical nature of this product and well-described mode of action, not only in fish, but from the simplest of invertebrates to humans.
Several global feed companies within the aquaculture industry have implemented this more natural concept in their diets, and these parties have also contributed to the development and documentation of beta-glucans efficacy. Basic research on beta-1,3/1,6-glucans is, today, deeply rooted in modern medical science, whilst their practical use, and those of other immune-stimulating substances, dates back to ancient medicine.
Biorigin’s investments for the future
As a consequence of the increasing demand not only for MacroGard®, Biorigin will start the expansion of its unit located in Quatá, Brazil. The aim is to double production capacity of yeast extracts, thereby increasing the production capacity of yeast cell wall products beta 1,3/1,6 glucans, MOS, as well as other products like organic selenium yeast (Selemax), autolysed yeasts (Hicell), and new products that are close to launch as the new generation of MacroGard.
With investments of around U$120 million an expected start date of June 2013, the expansion plan includes the Fermentation, Pure Culture, Autolysis, and Drying sectors, with production increases expected by the end of 2014.
Biorigin has a unique setup, where the main raw material and utilities are produced in a sustainable manner and with full control of the entire production chain, which allows full traceability of the ingredients applied.
The Aquaculturists
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