Animal Feed Composition Using Multi-Rate Nutrient Digestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for formulating animal feed compositions do not effectively account for the digestion kinetics of nutrients, leading to suboptimal nutrient availability and animal performance.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a feed ingredient data storage and a nutrient regime data storage to formulate a feed composition by dividing nutrients into fractions with different digestion rates, allowing for precise control of nutrient delivery based on digestion kinetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If nutrients are provided as a single homogeneous mixture in feed, then the feed formulation is simple and easy to manufacture, but the biological availability and timing of nutrient delivery to different parts of the digestive tract is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The feed composition is segmented into distinct fractions based on digestion rate (first, second, and third fractions with progressively slower digestion rates). Each fraction is designed to deliver nutrients at different rates to different parts of the digestive tract, transforming a homogeneous mixture into a structured, multi-rate delivery system that optimizes nutrient availability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through defined compositional ranges.
2Productivity
If feed ingredients are selected based only on total nutrient composition without considering digestion kinetics, then the feed formulation process is simple and fast, but the animal performance and growth optimization is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The formulation approach transitions from considering only total nutrient composition to incorporating digestion rate as an additional critical parameter. By defining first, second, and third fractions with different digestion rates (where digestion rate of first fraction > second fraction > third fraction), the system enables precise control over nutrient delivery timing and location in the digestive tract, thereby optimizing animal performance while maintaining efficient formulation processes through standardized compositional guidelines.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for formulating a feed composition for an animal is described, comprising (i) a feed ingredient data storage, the feed ingredients comprising nutrients having first, second and third digestion rates different from each other, (ii) a nutrient regime data storage that has stored therein a nutrient regime for the animal in terms of a respective feeding amount of the nutrients, (iii) a feed composition processor communicatively connected to the feed ingredient data storage and to the nutrient regime data storage and configured to derive a feed composition.