From the editors of Feedstuffs
Mexico announced it would no longer plan to ban all genetically modified corn imports by 2024. Instead, it will continue to allow GMO corn for animal feed and manufactured products for the foreseeable future.
“The objective of this new decree is to specify the objective and scope of public policies, as well as to eliminate any possible imprecision of the predecessor text, which lent itself to different interpretations,” a statement from the Office of the Mexican Economy Secretary said. “This new version provides clarity in its objectives and regulatory certainty based on technical-scientific evidence.”
Under the terms of the new decree, GMO corn used for dough and tortillas will still be prohibited. Use of the commonly used pesticide glyphosate is also prohibited.
The Mexican Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks, commonly known as Cofepris, plans to conduct research with health agencies from other countries to study GMO corn health impacts. News of the new decree comes after Biden administration officials reportedly gave Mexico a Feb. 14 deadline to present a scientific explanation on why it was banning GMO corn. American officials have repeatedly called the decree a violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Read more
Nutreco, global leader in animal nutrition and aquafeed, has taken a minority stake in animal health’s most advanced microbiome biotech company, BiomEdit. The two companies recently entered into a ground-breaking, long-term strategic research and commercial partnership – the first since BiomEdit was founded – to bring livestock and aquaculture producers innovative and truly novel feed additives developed through microbiome technology. The announcement represents a further strengthening of this partnership.
“Through this investment, we are reinforcing the unique collaboration that brings together BiomEdit’s state-of-the-art microbiome discovery platform and Nutreco’s customer access and distribution capabilities,” said Fulco van Lede, chief executive officer of Nutreco. “We’re excited about its potential to help us super-charge our supply of proprietary ultra-specialty ingredients, speed up progress on our purpose of Feeding the Future and create a more sustainable future for our industry.”Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit, commented, “Nutreco's investment in BiomEdit underscores our strategic partnership and a shared mission to create novel animal health solutions through the untapped potential of the microbiome. We are pleased that Nutreco, a global leader in animal nutrition and aquafeed, is joining our roster of world-class Series A investors to help fuel innovation in feed additive products."
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The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) formally launched its Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol (CSAP) and Sustainable Corn Exports (SCE) web platform during the 20th International Marketing Conference and 63rd Annual Membership Meeting, held recently in Savannah, Ga. The CSAP is a way for U.S. corn producers to provide insights into their sustainable farming practices, continuing to strengthen global sales by highlighting their alignment with increasingly climate-focused markets.The CSAP is a farmer-led initiative to show the strong institutional sustainability foundations underpinning U.S. agriculture, as well as the traditional and innovative techniques that U.S. corn producers are adopting on a daily basis.Read more
Mazen Animal Health Inc., a pioneer animal health company developing novel maize-based vaccine, recently announced it has been issued a patent for its transformative technology to produce orally delivered animal vaccines.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. Patent US-11566255-B2, “Expression of PEDV Sequences in Plants and Plant Produced Vaccine for Same” on January 31, 2023. The patent covers foundational technology for the company’s first vaccine product, which is anticipated for launch in 2024.
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is a virus of widespread concern, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and severe dehydration. The disease has a death rate from 80-100% in infected piglets. PEDV prevention in neonatal pigs is challenging as the virus is highly infectious and able to survive in the environment even with strict sanitation practices.
Mazen’s first product will provide effective, lactogenic immunity to piglets through orally delivered maize[1]produced PEDV antigens dosed to the sows during gestation. “This initial patent marks a major milestone for the company, allowing us to protect our products as we move forward with our game-changing, unique approach to animal vaccines,” said Jennifer Filbey, PhD, chief executive officer of Mazen. “We anticipate this is the first in many patents to come.”Read more
This week during the 2023 Winter Policy Conference National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members supported creating new incentives to assist farmers in the development of response plans to prepare for and prevent animal disease outbreaks. The policy item passed by NASDA members states, "NASDA encourages USDA to develop incentives to help producers develop depopulation and disposal plans to prepare for animal disease emergencies."
NASDA CEO Ted McKinney remarked on the importance of supporting farmers and ranchers in their endeavors to protect our nation's livestock."As animal disease outbreaks have become more frequent in recent years, it has become even more critical for farmers to have preparedness and response plans in the event of an animal disease emergency," NASDA CEO Ted McKinney said. "Often in these scenarios, actions need to be taken quickly to prevent further disease spread, and without a plan in place, contamination risk can heighten. We want to ensure that farmers and ranchers who may not have developed a response plan have the resources, information and support to do so.The policy item passed also complements NASDA's efforts to bring together farmers, ranchers, industry and government to help strengthen animal health protection.
Researchers find new antioxidants in meats
Imidazole dipeptides, which are abundant in meat and fish, are substances produced in the bodies of various animals, including humans, and have been reported to be effective in relieving fatigue and preventing dementia. However, the physiological mechanism by which IDPs exhibit these activities had not been determined previously.
A research team, led by Professor Hideshi Ihara from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Science, was the first to discover 2-oxo-imidazole-containing dipeptides —which have one more oxygen atom than normal IDPs—and found that they are the most common variety of IDPs derivatives in the body. The researchers also found that they have remarkably high antioxidant activity.
In their study, the researchers established a method for selective and highly sensitive detection of five types of 2-oxo-IDPs using mass spectrometry, which enables quantitative detection of trace 2-oxo-IDPs in living organisms. Using this method, they revealed for the first time that beef, pork, chicken and other meats contain antioxidants, not only IDPs but a variety of different 2-oxo-IDPs. Their findings were published in Antioxidants."We hope that this research method, which enables advanced analysis of 2-oxo-IDPs, will be applied not only to basic biology but also to medicine, agriculture and pharmacy, where it will help improve peoples' health and prevent diseases," concluded Professor Ihara.Read more
Imagine your favorite cured meat like beef jerky, pepperoni or bacon without any added sodium nitrite from any source currently necessary for color and shelf life. Wes Osburn, Ph.D., is doing exactly that.Osburn, associate professor in meat science in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science, has set out to find an innovative method to generate the nitric oxide and residual nitrite needed to cure meat and poultry products, but without the addition of natural or synthetic nitrite sources.
