Pass the Mic! Nutristar
From a quality feed to a quality food
Feeding is a key factor for the efficient management of farm animals, especially for dairy cattle. The Mantuan company Solaris supplies the bioreactors with which Nutristar of Reggio Emilia carries out laboratory analyzes to optimize its wide and varied range of feeds. Benefits include better milk and fewer greenhouse gases.
Porto Mantovano, Italy, 8 September 2021 - The milk industry is constantly evolving, and the sector is always looking for innovative methods to support high-quality and efficient production. Solaris Biotech Mantua's bioreactors play a key role in this analysis and research process. Numerous factors can influence the milk produced by cows and among these, nutrition plays a fundamental role.
The world of bovine feeding is very complex and articulated, there are multiple variables, and the forage part is the predominant aspect of nutrition, representing a large percentage of the diet (50-60%); therefore, knowing the forages well and understanding their digestibility is fundamental. Another important aspect is the balance that exists within the diet between fiber, protein, starch, and mineral salts that keep the bacterial flora alive and vital, on which the quality of the milk also depends.
Ruminants also produce methane, one of the main causes of the greenhouse effect and an important index of the efficiency of the nutritional cycle. To this aspect Nutristar, a feed manufacturer based in Reggio Emilia, has dedicated a specific laboratory called Rumilab + where a key role is played by Solaris bioreactors.
The Nutristar company claims to use Solaris bioreactors to be able to self-produce a stable rumen juice. In this way it is possible to verify how the various diets change, how certain additives can influence the improvement of the digestibility of the forages and, recently, how they can reduce the metanigers, that are the bacteria responsible for the formation of methane.
The project, conducted by Nutristar in collaboration with the University of Udine, involves the creation of a standard rumen liquid from a starting inoculum. In this way, part of the biological variability is eliminated, allowing Nutristar technicians to analyze and investigate with high repeatability both fiber and proteins, fundamental elements for the rumen-gastrointestinal balance of animals. The goal is to formulate truly balanced diets, to keep the animal healthy and productive at the same time.
For the Solaris Biotech Solutions company, this is a great result, the Solaris bioreactors, whether they are industrial plants or, as in this case, laboratory systems, are used in the most varied fields of application, from pharmaceuticals to food, from agriculture applications to bioplastics, from cosmetics to vaccines. Supporting Nutristar in this pioneering project has allowed us to develop a type of bioreactor with unique characteristics, capable of reproducing a part of the animal's digestive system, constantly monitoring, and controlling its phases.
