Across the supply chain, a wide range of risk factors can compromise the quality and safety of grains used in animal feed. Some risk factors include human behaviours as well as contaminants present at each link in the supply chain. A recent instalment in the global webinar series of Selko, the feed additive brand of Nutreco, convened experts from GMP+ and Selko’s raw material quality team to discuss the value of building a feed safety culture and mitigating potential risks to safeguard grains used in animal feed. Excerpts from the discussion are shared below.

Feed safety breaches can threaten more than animal and human health. A product recall or regulatory violation related to feed or food safety can potentially erode customers’ trust in a business and even threaten its license to operate. In today’s global marketplace, companies and producers are increasingly required to demonstrate that they have used due diligence in terms of addressing feed safety and taken steps to guard against fraud. 

Implementing proactive steps to protect feed safety and assure quality may also help reduce liability risk. Being recognised as a supplier of consistently safe products can be more important than having the lowest cost ingredients. The ability to prove that feed inputs are safe, and that adequate due diligence protocols are in place to safeguard food safety can differentiate a trustworthy supplier from others in the marketplace.  

 

A company’s commitment to feed safety is reflected in its feed safety culture. For example, employees’ understanding that ingredients must meet quality parameters before being accepted – and their willingness to comply with these standards - is an example of a feed safety culture in action. 

All team members should demonstrate the ability, capability, and willingness to support a feed safety culture. Achieving buy-in requires knowledge transfer across the organisation, developing employees’ technical skills and ongoing communication.

Sadly, there are some people who try to “game” the system to gain financial advantage. A few examples of feed fraud include substitution of ingredients, use of ingredients that arrive in a contaminated condition at the processing plant or are intentionally mislabelled. Fraud can occur at any point in the supply chain and employees should be alert to red flags. Potential signs of feed fraud include products being offered below normal market price, shipping from an atypical location or following a non-logical transportation route, products having a different look or smell, unexpected results in the finished feed analysis, or reduced production.

A feed safety culture should be paired with mitigation efforts to address non-human risk factors. Mitigation strategies include analysing grains to detect feed safety risks, taking proper action to address specific contaminant pressures, assuring proper application of solutions to achieve efficacy in reducing microorganisms, and ongoing monitoring of grains to maintain quality. Together, these actions bring a holistic approach to grain preservation and quality assurance. As knowledge can drive decisions that support a feed safety culture, these steps should begin early as possible.

The period after harvesting and before grains are placed in storage is an ideal time to assess risks, identify threats and introduce mitigation strategies. Similarly, grains should be checked before they are transported to customers. For example, in Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest port, Selko dosing systems are used to apply specific blends of buffered and non-buffered organic acids to grains before they are loaded onto barges and shipped around the globe. Of course, temperatures, moisture, or problems with the integrity of a shipping vessel can all introduce contamination risk. Therefore, quality control checkpoints for grains should be integrated throughout the supply chain.

Following an analysis of grains, interventions may be required to address challenges. The use of Selko’s feed additives to protect and preserve grain quality can address challenges that can damage grains’ quality or create favourable conditions for contamination to occur. Not only should these measures be in place, but companies should be able to demonstrate that the measures are implemented. 

Throughout preharvest, harvest, storage and transport, grains face both quantitative - loss from spillage, spoilage, or damage - and qualitative - loss of grain quality - damages. 

Growing crops can incur damage from severe weather, pests, and inadequate soil quality and may see the beginning of problems like mould growth. Common challenges that occur post-harvest include contamination by foreign materials, mould or bacteria growth, mechanical damage, and issues with drying. Wet grain is at increased risk for mould growth and has a reduced shelf life. Couple that with sub-optimal storage practices and the risk for further mould and bacteria growth will increase significantly, while grain residue can contaminate clean grain coming into a storage structure. Transportation considerations include how the grain is being stored and the duration of transport.

Some considerations for preserving grain during storage and transport include making sure the optimal form of storage is selected, controlling moisture, and ensuring adequate ventilation to reduce moisture build-up. The capability to observe conditions within the storage facility or modify temperatures also can help maintain grain in reasonable condition. 

Actions to help check and protect the safety of grains include analysis, application of specialised additives to protect grain quality, and using relevant maintenance tools to apply solutions. 

Ingredient analysis can help identify safety issues like contamination by salmonella, mould or mycotoxins, while also assessing elements that can alter shelf life, like moisture and pH value or conducting a shelf-life estimation test.

Grain quality also can be supported with additive use. Stored grain, especially when faced with variable storage conditions, may provide the perfect environment for microorganisms to grow, potentially altering grains’ nutritional value and reducing shelf-life. A new product launched by Selko, Fylax Grain, can help extend shelf-life by inhibiting microbial growth. The additive is a blend of free and buffered organic acids that provide broad spectrum protection against the growth of unwanted microorganisms including moulds, bacteria, and yeasts. 

In testing examining the growth of clostridium perfringens, salmonella typhimurium, or saccharomyces cerevisiae, populations of all unwanted microorganisms declined following the application of Fylax Grain. 

For any solution to deliver its full value, it must be properly applied. Dosing systems equipped with state-of-the-art technology can assure that additive dosing volumes and applications are correct for the grains being treated. Proper dosing helps assure that products applied to grains deliver desired efficacy against risk factors while also respecting producers’ economic and sustainability objectives. Conditions in storage, transport and even during production are subject to changing conditions. Selko’s capabilities to provide continuous dosing solutions from a remote facility allow dosing adjustments to be made in real time. An operator in the 24/7 Selko facility can efficiently finetune the inclusion level of solutions or the volume of application based on data. 

Given the risk factors that can reduce the quality of grains, protecting quality and safety is essential. Implementing a feed safety culture is a foundational step in protecting grain, safeguarding feed, and consistently producing high-quality animal feed. Linking that to a raw material quality programme that provides grain monitoring, testing, and applying additives that inhibit microbial growth can help maintain grain quality. 

There are risks faced throughout the supply chain and grain can be contaminated, noted Pieter Steyn, technical commercial manager for Selko’s raw material quality programme. “For all of us in the animal feed sector, it is our responsibility to maintain a feed safety culture across our organisation and show a willingness to provide our animals with quality ingredients,” he said. 

A participant attending the Selko webinar posed an interesting question: Is it possible to guarantee that grains will not be contaminated? The question brings up the timeless topic of addressing factors within a farmer’s control. Supply chain disruptions and extreme weather are a few challenges that lie beyond human control. However, by taking charge of factors that can be controlled – such as detecting contaminants in grains, taking action early to solve for the specific risk factors, applying solutions at the correct dosage, and continually monitoring grain quality, farmers can help protect the quality of grains and preserve their shelf-life. 

Selko continues to invest in research to identify ways to support farmers’ efforts to manage quality across their business. Areas such as optimising water activity, managing the ideal acidic and alkaline levels for ingredients and evaluating the environmental considerations for different processes used to dry grains are just a few examples of how investments in research and development aim to support customers around the globe.