Cargill Invests Nearly $1M in Innovative Livestock Nutrition Studies
Posted January 22, 2003
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 22, 2003 2003-01-10-AG
Cargill Invests Nearly $1M in Innovative Livestock Nutrition Studies
SASKATOON, SK. Scientists from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and
the National Research Council's Plant Biotechnology Institute (NRC-PBI) have
been awarded nearly $1 million from Cargill, the global food and animal
nutrition company, for research aimed at improving livestock health and
finding alternatives to antibiotics.
The research team will use cutting-edge molecular technologies to study the
diverse species of organisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of
animals -- new knowledge that could improve livestock nutrition and pave the
way for effective alternatives to antibiotic use in agriculture.
Cargill Feed Applications, a supplier of innovative specialty feed
ingredient products and programs, will have the opportunity to commercialize
the research findings.
Antibiotics are added to animal feed for the treatment and prevention of
bacterial infections and to promote livestock productivity. But with growing
concern about antibiotic resistance, the animal nutrition industry is
seeking alternative ways to monitor and control the bacteria present in the
digestive tract of food animals.
Andrew Van Kessel, a U of S professor of animal and poultry science, will
work with NRC-PBI scientists Sean Hemmingsen and Janet Hill to improve a new
diagnostic tool developed by Hemmingsen and colleagues at University of
British Columbia. They will use the tool to identify and quantify bacteria
in the intestines of chickens. They've already had preliminary success in
using the tool for similar work in pigs.
"We are very pleased to be associated with the University of Saskatchewan
and NRC-PBI on this project," said Wade Robey, Director of Research and
Development for Cargill Feed Applications.
"The more we learn about factors which influence animal digestion and
gastric function, the more effective and consistent will be our programs for
controlling pathogens and optimizing animal performance. Our collaborators
have a demonstrated track record of scientific achievement in this area.
These capabilities coupled with Cargill's broad participation in animal
production and nutrition science should provide an excellent opportunity for
success."
"This funding will advance the search for ways to reduce reliance on
antibiotics and maintain both the health of Canadian livestock and viable
export markets," said Bryan Harvey, U of S Acting Vice-President of
Research. "The project also exemplifies the exciting collaboration taking
place between U of S and NRC-PBI researchers on our campus."
"The research tools that we are developing and using for this project can be
applied in many other fields in which microbial ecology plays critical
roles," said Hemmingsen, who is also a U of S adjunct professor. "These
include agriculture, food and water safety, environmental protection and
human health."
To find alternatives to antibiotics, scientists need to determine what kinds
and levels of intestinal bacteria are present, and how dietary and other
management changes affect their populations. That information has been
difficult to obtain with conventional bacterial culturing techniques.
"To date, only 60 per cent of the estimated 500 organisms in the small
intestine of animals have been cultured," said Van Kessel.
With the new tool, the DNA sequences of a portion of the chaperonin-60
(cpn60) gene, which is present in each bacterial organism, will be used as a
genetic "name tag" for each bacterial species found.
"We hope to gain new insight into intestinal bacterial communities that has
been previously unattainable with culture-based technologies," said Van
Kessel.
Cargill is an international marketer, processor and distributor of
agricultural, food, financial and industrial products, with 90,000 employees
in 59 countries. Cargill Feed Applications is focused on creating
innovative, value-based solutions for improved animal nutrition and
performance.
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For more information, contact:
Andrew Van Kessel, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Department of Animal and Poultry Science
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4136
andrew.vankessel@usask.ca
Sean Hemmingsen, Ph.D.
Senior Research Officer
(306) 975-5242
Sean.Hemmingsen@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications Officer
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
Lisa Jategaonkar
NRC-PBI Communications Officer
(306) 975-5571
Lisa.Jategaonkar@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
http://www.pbi.nrc.ca/en/pbi.htm
W. Wade Robey, Ph.D.
Director, Research and Development
Cargill Feed Applications
(952) 984-0332
wade_robey@cargill.com
http://www.feedapplications.com/
