Oğuz Kıyak
Senior Business Manager
Evonik Animal Nutrition

Addressing raw material variability with rapid, reliable NIR technology, AMINONIR® empowers feed manufacturers to eliminate costly margins, optimize animal nutrition precision, and secure a highly competitive, sustainable advantage in the global market.

Raw material variability remains one of the most significant and underestimated challenges in animal nutrition, directly impacting feed efficiency, animal performance, and production costs. For feed producers in Türkiye, who face a unique combination of challenges, this variability can be particularly difficult to manage.

With the opening of Evonik’s new AMINONIR® laboratory in Ankara, advanced NIR-based feed analysis is now closer to the market than ever before. By combining a globally validated calibration database with region-specific insights, AMINONIR® enables rapid, precise nutrient analysis across a wide range of feed materials.

This article explores how access to near real-time analytical data allows producers to optimize formulations and make more informed purchasing decisions—ultimately improving profitability while supporting more sustainable production.

THE HIDDEN COST OF VARIABILITY

Feed represents the single largest cost in livestock production, typically accounting for 50–70% of total expenses. Within this cost structure, variability in raw materials is one of the most important—and often overlooked—sources of inefficiency.

Fluctuations in nutrient composition can negatively affect animal performance, gut health, and feed conversion efficiency. At the same time, they drive up costs by forcing nutritionists to include safety margins to avoid underfeeding. These safety margins often result in oversupply of nutrients, increasing both feed costs and environmental emissions.

In Türkiye, variability can occur due to differences in origin, climate, and processing conditions. Reducing this variability—or managing it more effectively—is therefore an important lever for improving profitability.

WHY ACCURATE RAW MATERIAL ANALYSIS MATTERS

Precision feeding relies on aligning nutrient supply as closely as possible with animal requirements. However, this can only be achieved when the actual nutrient composition of raw materials is known.

Traditional feed tables and average values provide useful reference points but are insufficient for practical formulation, as they fail to capture the often-significant variation between batches. This creates two key risks: undersupply, which compromises animal performance and efficiency, and oversupply, which increases formulation costs and nitrogen emissions without delivering additional benefits.

To strike the right balance, feed producers need access to fast, reliable, and accurate analytical data. This is where rapid, robust analysis becomes essential for modern feed formulation.

AMINONIR®: TURNING DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

Evonik has long supported the feed industry with advanced analytical services, from wet chemistry-based AMINOLAB® to the development of its near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy solution, AMINONIR®.

AMINONIR® translates NIR spectra into detailed nutrient profiles for more than 60 raw materials and compound feeds. The system is built on a comprehensive, globally sourced sample database, continuously updated to reflect changes in raw material quality, new crop varieties, and evolving processing conditions.

All calibrations are developed and validated in accordance with ISO 12099 standards, ensuring consistent and reliable analytical performance. This robust scientific foundation allows users to trust the results and integrate them confidently into decision-making processes.

One of the key advantages of AMINONIR® is speed. Within minutes, users can obtain detailed insights into nutrient composition, enabling rapid response to variability. The service can be used both onsite and via external laboratories, offering flexibility depending on operational needs. AMINONIR® enables real-time decision-making, helping feed producers turn complex data into practical, value-driven actions.

THE NEW AMINONIR® LAB IN ANKARA

The launch of Evonik’s AMINONIR® laboratory in Ankara brings these capabilities closer to Turkish feed producers, offering clear operational and strategic advantages. Local laboratory capacity significantly reduces turnaround times, allowing producers to react more quickly to changes in raw material quality.

This is particularly important in volatile markets, where delays in analytical results can translate directly into economic losses.

BEYOND OPERATIONS: PARTNERSHIP WITH ACADEMIA

In addition to these operational benefits, the new laboratory is hosted within the Faculty of Agriculture at Ankara University, reflecting Evonik’s commitment not only as a product and service provider but also as a contributor to science and education. Through this collaboration, NIR analyses are now conducted under a scientific framework, with the involvement of academic experts.

The decision to relocate the laboratory to Ankara University was also influenced by Prof. Dr. Necmettin Ceylan, Head of Department and a respected faculty member. His dedicated efforts to build bridges between academia and the private sector played an important role in making this collaboration possible.

This partnership enhances the quality and credibility of Evonik’s services, while also creating unique opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain handson experience with advanced analytical technologies. By supporting academic research and training, Evonik strengthens the link between industry and education, ensuring that future professionals are equipped with cuttingedge knowledge and skills.

By reducing dependence on distant laboratories, strengthening local expertise, and embedding services within a university environment, AMINONIR® supports faster, more confident decisionmaking at the feed mill level while simultaneously advancing scientific education in Türkiye.

EVONIK’S CONNECTED SERVICES ECOSYSTEM

AMINONIR® is part of Evonik’s broader services portfolio, which provides an integrated approach to precision nutrition. In addition to raw material analysis with AMINONIR®, AMINOSpec® supports the calculation of species-specific nutrient requirements under varying production conditions, while AMINODat® offers one of the world’s most comprehensive feed ingredient databases, with millions of analytical results.

Together, these tools enable feed producers to combine accurate raw material data with advanced nutritional models and global benchmarking insights. The result is a fully data-driven approach to feed formulation and optimization.

Oğuz Kıyak

CONCLUSION: REDUCING VARIABILITY, UNLOCKING PROFITABILITY

Managing raw material variability is a critical success factor in modern feed production. By improving the accuracy, speed, and relevance of nutrient analysis, AMINONIR® helps feed producers reduce uncertainty, optimize formulations, and enhance economic performance.

With the new laboratory in Ankara, these capabilities are now more accessible to the Turkish market than ever before. Local expertise, faster analysis, and region-specific insights support feed producers in responding more effectively to market challenges and opportunities. In an increasingly competitive and volatile environment, better data provides a clear advantage.