ICC Brazil and USP: a partnership that translates into quality animal nutrition

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Find out more details of the Research and Development Department’s activities with the team from the University of São Paulo (USP) – Pirassununga Campus, São Paulo.

Did you know that several ICC Brazil experiments are carried out in partnership with the University of São Paulo (USP)?  Today we are going to discuss the details about activities carried out by R&D (Research and Development Department) along with the renowned Brazilian university at the Pirassununga campus in São Paulo. Liliana Borges, specialist and R&D analyst at ICC Brazil, explains the collaboration.

In partnership with USP, ICC Brazil invested in an experimental poultry facility where the studies are coordinated by Prof. Lúcio Francelino Araújo, Ph.D., who has extensive experience in poultry and pig farming. Following his guidance, the researchers provide results that can prove the efficiency of ICC Brazil’s products used for animal nutrition, considering the health, welfare of the animals, and food safety.

Approximately 20 professionals are involved in the research: members of ICC Brazil’s R&D and commercial teams, doctoral, master, and undergraduate students from USP and university collaborators who help managing experiments, laboratory technicians, and professors, under the coordination of Prof. Lúcio Francelino Araújo, Ph.D.

The research process starts even before the animals arrive. The project is designed, and the feed is formulated according to the nutritional needs in each growth/production phase. The barn is organized, and experimental feed is prepared  at the campus itself. Once the test starts, the standard daily management is carried out, and according to the objective of each study, including the challenges applied, activities are performed on specific days so that there are fewer external influences on the results. Based on performance and collection data, a report with statistical results is produced. Then, it is discussed by the R&D and commercial teams of ICC Brazil so that the best targeting of the product under test in the market can be made as well as the content for articles, scientific materials, marketing materials, websites, and training, etc.

Learn more about the proven effectiveness of ICC Brazil’s products

According to Borges, the majority of analyses carried out in partnership with USP prove the effectiveness of ICC Brazil’s products on animal performance, improvement of gut integrity and immune system, as well as pathogen control. “Data is always collected for weight gain, consumption, carcass yields, and abdominal fat percentages, among others. Analyses such as intestinal histomorphometry are also performed to obtain data related to villi, crypts, and intestinal cells and microbiological counts to verify the reduction in the number of pathogenic bacteria colonies,” she explains.

Moreover, monitoring the experiments as well as the delivery of results occurs efficiently, given its easy accessibility and the R&D team being stationed in the region of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.

The importance of research on animal nutrition

When it comes to animal nutrition, research goes from the influence of molecules on the structure and physiology of gastrointestinal tract cells to the financial return that the farmer will have with production. Thus, the research carried out provides a basis for improving the products, dosage, form of use, and benefits they can bring.

“We seek maximum efficiency when it comes to the products and process as well as to the animal’s potential so that the farmer achieves the expected profitability. In the last few years, we noticed a need beyond the knowledge of performance results. Therefore, we sought to understand better the mechanism of action of the product compounds to promote health and the gains that we always see in our indications. Nutrition is linked to health, i.e., ingredients and mainly quality additives that make up a diet are capable of maximizing production rates. We managed to make the animals absorb nutrients efficiently while improving their immune status and disease prevention capabilities. The result is evidenced through responses in performance and production gains. When it comes to research, professionals apply their knowledge or innovations in the most diverse areas to obtain results that can be applied and used by industries, producers, and society,” Borges explains.

Research related to solutions that improve animal health and nutrition is already a tradition at ICC Brazil, which since 1992, has carried out more than 200 studies with products that ensure quality and profitability for its customers. Additives seek to improve intestinal integrity, pathogen control, the immune system, and animal performance while ensuring food safety. To learn more about the activities of the R&D Department, visit www.iccbrazil.com/pd.

Do you want to understand more about how investments in research become improvements in animal production? Access and learn details of ICC Brazil’s products www.iccbrazil.com/linha-produtos.

 

 

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Posted in 17 August of 2020