Facts On Formulation



FACTS ON ANIMAL FEED FORMULATION

CONSTANT NUTRITION^®, FIXED FORMULA OR LEAST COST– WHICH IS BEST?

Biomedical researchers advance science through experimental research conducted with animal models. Accurate results and meaningful conclusions are achieved only when tight control is maintained over all materials and methods used in every research study. As the sole nutritional input, the animal diet is a key variable that must be controlled and managed for long periods of time.

The variation in natural ingredient diets fed to animals involved in biomedical research could confound experimental results or influence the interpretation of those results.1 If variability in the natural ingredients is not accounted for in the formulation and manufacturing of laboratory animal diets, data generated from animals fed these diets can be affected. In fact, it is unlikely that production batches manufactured according to the same formulations would contain exactly the same concentrations of nutrients or contaminants.2

Several strategies are used to formulate and manufacture animal diets. Three of these strategies, CONSTANT NUTRITION^®, fixed formulation and least-cost formulation, are detailed below.

CONSTANT NUTRITION^®

A concept and program in diet formulation, exclusive to PMI^® LabDiet^®, of delivering a constant level of nutrients while taking into account the biological variation of natural feedstuffs. Ingredients are assayed daily and necessary formulation refinements are made to assure a constant level of nutrient delivery. The actual set of ingredients used in a diet does not change.

The benefit to the science community is a constant baseline of nutrition to help control unwanted, nutritionally induced variables. In addition, the constant set of ingredients are assayed for interfering environmental contaminants to further reduce the possibility of unwanted variables introduced through the diet. An unwanted variable may lead to confounding experimental results.

CONSTANT NUTRITION^® removes uncertainty and assures control, predictability and maintenance of baseline data in research experimentation.

LEAST-COST FORMULATION

The practice of ingredient interchange, known as "least-cost formulation," is widely practiced within the commercial feed industry. When the cost of one ingredient increases, a lower cost ingredient may be used as a substitute in order to produce a lower cost feed, providing the customer with the most economical feed for animal production. It is widely know, however, that laboratory feeds are fed to animals raised for breeding and research, not for animals used to produce food such as meat, milk and eggs.

FIXED FORMULATION

Fixed Formulation - Extensive ingredient research has proven, beyond a doubt, that a formula produced under 'Fixed Formulation', without credence to ingredient variability, will result in unknown and sometimes radical changes in nutrient levels. PMI^® does produce non-laboratory products under Fixed Formulation. These are primarily economy minded formulated feeds that can be safely fed for production purposes to the beef, swine and dairy industries. The finished product testing on these products from season to season proves ingredient variability can change the nutritional composition of an animal feed.

LABDIET^® NUTRITION STANDARDS

In harmony with Ph.D. Nutritionists, the PMI^® Formulation Department manages the Nutritional Standards for each LabDiet^® product. Through computer assisted technology, they evaluate and assure all products conform to the Standards on a daily basis.

The LabDiet^® Nutritional Standards assure CONSTANT NUTRITION^® formulation. LabDiet^® formulation does not change with individual ingredient price - there is no interchange between ingredients, such as gluten meal, soybean meal, fish meal, meat meal, and others. Miniscule formula changes are absolutely necessary only when required due to variability of individual ingredient nutritional content. To minimize the need for such changes. LabDiet^® products are formulated with a wide variety of ingredients to help assure nutrient consistency and minimum formula change.

LabDiet^®, macro and micro formulas are issued by staff nutritionists at PMI^®'s St. Louis headquarters. The Richmond, Indiana plant does not change formulas or make substitutions. The formulation department provides written instructions for formulas on a daily basis. Ingredient information collected by daily sampling and testing is automatically fed into the computer matrix via Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR). The formulas are then updated daily for evaluation to maintain nutritional consistency.

In summary, CONSTANT NUTRITION^® is insurance against a nutrient deficiency or excess, and is the only method that will maintain animal performance day in and day out. No ingredient substitutions or deletions are ever used. By maintaining the dietary requirements at strict levels and making no exceptions in ingredient specifications, along with maintaining a database of analytical information, a consistent and constant diet will be produced.

Based on database maintained at PMI^®, the following example shows how widely protein, alone, can vary in a fixed formula: