As the world becomes increasingly multi-polar, companies must become local citizens, which means domestic invention, production and service rather than having a narrow footprint, according to BIOMIN founder Dr. Erich Erber, who spoke recently at the eighth World Nutrition Forum in South Africa.

“You must keep the juice in the steak,” he said.

Growth projections are optimistic. “You are definitely in an industry with big opportunity,” Nan-Dirk Mulder, senior global animal protein analyst at Rabobank, said at the BIOMIN-hosted event.

“Growing global incomes provide opportunities for entire animal protein industry, but the added production must be safe, affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly,” added Jan Vanbrabant, managing director of BIOMIN and chief executive officer of ERBER Group.

“Radical technological development must be used to close yield gaps in Africa and Southeast Asia,” noted Dr. Peer Ederer of Africa Enablers. “This will solve many food security problems without having to increase land use or changing consumer demand.”

BIOMIN hosted 800 delegates from 76 countries Oct. 3-5 in Cape Town, South Africa, for the eighth World Nutrition Forum under the theme of S.C.O.P.E., or “Scientific Challenges & Opportunities in the Protein Economy.” More than 40 expert speakers in industry and academia from across the globe explored the latest market trends and scientific developments related to food-producing animals.

Market outlooks, consumption patterns and technology were discussed during the Oct. 4 plenary session of the World Nutrition Forum.

The fast pace of technological advancement in the fields of next-generation gene sequencing (so-called "-omics" technologies), mycotoxin detection and mitigation and the adoption of Farm 4.0 methods were cited as trends that promise to reshape the protein economy, BIOMIN said.

Examining specific trends at the conference, BIOMIN reported that the move to reduce the application of antibiotics and remove the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in production systems, in particular, is having an impact on the meat, egg and dairy markets as livestock becomes more sustainable.

“Today, we can raise high-performing, healthy farm animals and reserve antibiotics for treatment, thanks to science,” Franz Waxenecker, BIOMIN director of development and innovation, said.

The understanding of fungal metabolites and how they affect agriculture and the living organisms that consume them has expanded significantly over the years, BIOMIN noted. Presenters at the mycotoxin session discussed climate change, tools to predict mycotoxin occurrence patterns and novel mitigation strategies relying upon enzymatic biotransformation (the MYCOzyme concept).

“Climate change means that we will likely need to change our mitigation strategies,” professor Naresh Magan of Cranfield University in the U.K. explained.

BIOMIN global head of research Dr. Gerd Schatmayr said the company "will continue to invest in new [mycotoxin] solutions for the industry in the future.”

In a press conference held shortly before the official opening of the forum, Vanbrabant explained how BIOMIN sustainably supports the animal protein industry. “Our goal has always been to support sustainable agriculture, now and in the future,” Vanbrabant said, noting that the company's “main contribution to sustainability is the application of our solutions in livestock.”

Africa in focus

In holding the event in Cape Town, BIOMIN kicked off MycoSafe-South, a research project to tackle mycotoxin-related food safety issues in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to BIOMIN, Africa holds considerable potential in terms of agriculture and economics, given that a quarter of the human global population will reside there by 2050.

“We will see a protein revolution in Africa,” said Albert Van Rensburg, regional director Africa and managing director of BIOMIN South Africa, which was founded in 2011 and has expanded to serve feed and animal producers throughout sub-Saharan Africa.