Canthaxanthin:profitability and better egg quality
Supplementation with carotenoids in poultry feed has been recognized for decades as an efficient tool for the production of buds of bright and attractive egg and broiler chickens with golden skins as different markets like Mexico, Japan, China and France.
Among the carotenoids, canthaxanthin is favorite long term, since it not only provides yolks with very good pigmentation but also other advantages including improved bird health, better emergence, increased resistance of the vitelline membrane egg yolk, increasing the life of the egg for its antioxidant properties and a general increase in profitability. This is where sustainability is incorporated into the equation, because promoting health and efficiency carbon footprint of the sector is reduced and a stronger message of sustainability that responds to consumer concerns is provided and meets the provisions in environmental protection.
Canthaxanthin is a red carotenoid that occurs naturally (EFSA, 2014) and can be found in some fungi and as part of the system of coloring pens cardinals, flamingos and orioles (Thomas, et al., 2014). For many years, research has shown that the additional carotenoids in poultry feeds to provide better quality end products, such as the tips of bright color, highly appreciated worldwide. Many egg products depend on the yolk as the sole source of color. However, additional advantages with respect to the newly discovered role of dietary carotenoids as antioxidants in immunomodulation and improving egg quality by strengthening the vitelline membrane, advantages that add a role to carotenoids in increasing sustainability in poultry production.
Sustainability
Let's see what is sustainability. According to the above context, we can safely say that it is meeting the food requirements without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their respective needs. This implies greater efficiency in production, with less inputs, especially non-renewable. Thus it is increasing the profitability and improve the chances of improved environmental quality and social responsibility for the benefit of people, planet and profit.
Impact on human health
Continued well-documented evidence shows that canthaxanthin has been approved and licensed in more than 70 countries in Europe, USA, Canada, Central and South America, Africa, Oceania and the major Asian countries like China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
European and Japanese authorities have reflected the safety of canthaxanthin with the establishment of an ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) for this carotenoid. Actually, canthaxanthin is the only source of carotenoid IDA activity. But safety is only one aspect of this equation. Canthaxanthin offers potential benefits to human health (Palozza, et al., 1998), as the possibility of serving as inhibiting the onset of some cancers (Grubbs, et al. 1991). Certainly, it is clear that much more is needed research to explore the possibilities of canthaxanthin in human health.
Another aspect linking canthaxanthin with humans is their fundamental role in increasing the attractiveness of highly nutritious foods like eggs, it makes more tempting inclusion in recipes or cooking processes. In this way, you can increase the consumption of eggs, allowing an improvement in the nutritional value of the human diet for a very economical way. This is especially true in children, because the eggs may replace other less flashy but equally nutritious foods.
Canthaxanthin and sustainability
How they are identical to the natural carotenoids as canthaxanthin, if compared with chemically carotenoids extracted from paprika (paprika) or Tagetes (marigold or marigold) in terms of their impact on our planet? Above all, they are safe for their intended in poultry feed supplementation (Weber et al. 2013) use. However, from a purely environmental point of view, there is a large-scale study conducted in Germany (Saling, 2008) where the cost of environmental identical to the natural production of synthetic carotenoids compared with the cost of molecules chemically extracted. All aspects of production and use were evaluated. The conclusion was that the production of synthetic carotenoids identical to the natural (canthaxanthin and apoéster) produces a lot of emissions of greenhouse gases, or CO2 equivalent to almost five times less than that of extraction of paprika or Tagetes molecules. Water consumption in the production of synthetic natural carotenoids identical is 35 times lower. The general conclusion was reached with this work is that using identical synthetic natural carotenoids is much more sustainable.
The other side of the coin, ie, the efficiency achieved through the use of canthaxanthin, also offers a positive vision. For example, tests with breeding hens diets containing canthaxanthin yielded an average of 3,718 newly hatched chicks per ton of feed (+2.7 percent) versus control batch without supplementation canthaxanthin (3,618 newborn chicks). Viewed another way, less food is needed to produce the same amount of chicks, which are thus reduces the overall carbon footprint of the poultry industry.
The high efficiency of canthaxanthin compared with paprika and tagetes compared apoéster can highlight considering kilos of product needed to color egg yolks. Considering 1 kg of pure microspheres canthaxanthin, it takes between 600 and 700 kg chemical paprika extract to obtain the same color of yolk. When considering apoéster they are necessary 180 to 210 kg of chemical tagetes extract for one color of yolk, from a hen supplemented with 1 kg of apoéster. If we take these comparisons to practical use, this means that 3.2 times more CO2 generated for each CO2 emission of 0.1 ton / month generated in delivering apoéster canthaxanthin and in the delivery of chemical extracts of paprika and tagetes; or the need to plant more trees per month in July (this calculation was made considering 1 million chickens fed 1.5 ppm to 3.5 ppm apoéster + canthaxanthin, 500 kg light vehicles and light trucks load of 3 tons of cargo, Delivery traveled a distance of 50 km).
Profitability of the use of canthaxanthin
Canthaxanthin is associated with the following benefits that drive profitability and overall sustainability of the farm:
Egg yolks richer and more uniform. Depending on the market, and as a fundamental part of the value-added programs eggs, canthaxanthin can get better pigmented eggs can mean a return of investment from 25 to 200: 1 to consider retail price vs. food investment.
Better quality eggs. With the use of canthaxanthin, increases the strength of the yolk sac (see photo). Canthaxanthin (along with apoéster) is the highest ranking of carotenoid deposition in the egg and high antioxidant capacity (see Figure 1). Thanks to this double advantage, has the ability to protect the yolk membrane protein through preserving the double bonds of sulfur and increase the strength of the yolk membrane. This is especially important to separate the yolks from whites in baking, for industrial purposes and in the gourmet kitchen.
More and better chicks. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, canthaxanthin produced four benefits when used in feed for breeding hens: better fertility, increased hatching eggs, chicks with higher birth faster and healthier growth (Araujo and Araujo, 2014; Rosa et al Surai 2012 and 2012). The reasons behind these benefits are related to the antioxidant properties and senior canthaxanthin deposition, as well as its activities in immunomodulation (Johnson, et al. 2011). The return on investment for breeding canthaxanthin is about 4: 1.
We begin this article with emphasis on how carotenoids in the form identical to natural, such as canthaxanthin synthesized products, sustainability can complement optimizing the efficiency and welfare of birds and the profitability of production. Canthaxanthin is also innocuous when used as a supplement in poultry feeds. In fact, today evidence that could have an important role in human health in some years are observed. Finally, the waste is one of the most important negative factors affecting sustainability formula in this sector. We must remember that supplementation with carotenoids in food for birds involves more than healthier tradable or from the same number of birds chicks eggs. It also means more colorful and attractive food on the table. It wastes less. The production efficiency increases even more.
Source : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/canthaxanthin-sustainability-profitability-better-egg-justin-huang
