Evonik has launched a new fast and easy-to-use analytical service to test dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

Until now, Evonik said the feed industry has lacked reliable tests to judge the quality of corn DDGS during the process of raw material reception. Evonik’s new AMINORED 2.0 has been developed to close that gap.

The new AMINORED 2.0 test allows users to rapidly and reliably evaluate the nutritional value of corn DDGS used in feed production, detecting the impact of processing. Crucially, it distinguishes over-processed batches and reveals the degree of over-processing; a major concern in corn DDGS, the company said.

Without the test, nutritionists usually apply high safety margins to corn DDGS and use low digestibility coefficients, to minimize risk as quality is variable both among different plants and even within plants. Up to 20 percentage points difference had been reported in digestibility levels. For example, digestibility of lysine in pigs ranged from 44% to 63%.

“With insufficient global supplies, and higher prices of standard raw materials for animal feed, there is a trend towards increased use of alternative ingredients. Deeper understanding of DDGS and a precise evaluation of its quality allows a more accurate feed formulation and thus a more consistent livestock performance over time,” said Ingolf Reimann, head of analytical services, Animal Nutrition at Evonik.

“Over-processing has a negative impact on the nutritional value of DDGS as the amino acids are destroyed and amino acid digestibility is lowered. If this is not considered in feed formulation, then animal performance and producer profit levels will suffer,” he said.

AMINORED 2.0 allows separate calibrations for ground and unground material, the company said, explaining that this includes calibrations for unground material when immediate results are requested, for example for incoming material on a weigh-bridge. When producers require a more precise analysis, such as for feed formulation, calibrations for ground material can be chosen.

The new calibrations are up-to-date regarding sample quality and variability on global basis. Their accuracy has been proved by validations with independent samples.

DDGS are the nutrient rich co-product of dry-milled ethanol production and are used as a feed ingredient to provide supplementary energy and protein.

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