The journey towards performance and gut health with Koen Schwarzer - part 2
You have already started walking down memory lane about ProPhorce™ SR with Koen Schwarzer. In the first part of his interview, he described how the times in animal nutrition were before the third-generation product, ProPhorce™ SR, and now he shares his insights on the product and his views on the future.
Haven't read part 1 of this interview yet? You can find it here>>
The way ProPhorce™ SR has been unique from the beginning
Butyric acid, besides being absorbed before reaching the intestine, has an unpleasant odor and a very low detection threshold for humans handling the products. ProPhorce™ SR is delivered into the small intestine and, thanks to the esterification technique, is odorless. “We made sure that nearly no free butyric acid remained in the product, because butyric acid’s odor is easily detected and not liked by the people who handle the product” stated Koen. Another feature that made ProPhorce™ SR unique was that “while the salt and the coated versions are only present in dry products, the third-generation product, ProPhorce™ SR, is available as a powder and as a liquid.” Besides all the benefits the product offers, according to Koen “the stability and shelf life of the product itself is evenly important as it is included in feed and premixes.” From the beginning, the team was determined to find the optimal application level of the products for the different phases in the animals’ life cycle through response trials. With these important steps, they made sure that ProPhorce™ SR was suitable for today's market.
Koen’s opinion about ProPhorce™ SR’s position in the market
“Being thoroughly researched in the market is a kind of essential component to assist animal performance through gut health in an economical manner is important” said Koen, indicating that a solid backbone of research is absolutely paramount. He proved right, especially because other butyrin products were getting introduced in the market, but they were lacking the statistical and relevant trial data. This was not the case with ProPhorce™ SR. “From the beginning, we set up many trials in different regions over the globe to find the optimal diet inclusion level for the different animal species and their age phase, mainly poultry and swine. Making it cost-effective for the different types of production phases in the animal’s life period was key.”
A view on the future
Sustainability is becoming essential in today’s agriculture. Maintaining animal health, optimizing nutrient absorption, and supplying high quality feed are aspects where ProPhorce™ SR and other Perstorp concepts play an important role now and in the future. “So why not look at combined glycerol esters with different organic acid?” asks Koen the question. “There is still a big scope for opportunities to experiment and there is strength within Perstorp’s innovative side, not only in the agricultural section but also in the chemical section. There is more distinction coming up in the hope of a good link between the research and the commercialization of the products to make it a continuous business. It is important that we are involved in field trials in which new concepts, based on certain combinations of esters, are placed in the different setups in the industry.”
