July 13, 2011
Betagro explores enzyme production possibility
Betagro Science Center Co. has teamed up with Thailand''s Agricultural Research Development Agency and Kasetsart University to develop keratinase enzymes that use chicken feather waste to produce animal feed.
According to the Bangkok Post, the development will help the company, a unit of Betagro Group, utilise its large volume of feather waste effectively and reduce the import of keratinase enzymes, a high-protein supplement.
The group, one of Thailand''s largest chicken producers and exporters, produces about 1,200 tonnes of feather waste each year, said Rutjawate Taharnklaew, the general manager of Betagro Science Center Co.
Approximately 6,000 tonnes of feathers from processing up to 950 million birds are released from chicken slaughterhouses across Thailand every year.
The group had been spending about THB10 million (US$330,469) annually to import the enzyme, and demand is growing after the European Union banned the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter in animal feed.
A research team headed by Associate Professor Sunee Nithisinprasert of Kasetsart will carry out the project at a pilot plant with the capacity to produce 500 litres of enzymes.
The team, including Dr Rutjawate, will conduct a feasibility study for commercial production and the possibility of producing the enzymes in liquid or dried form to sustain the quality of the substance.
According to KU research, chicken producers can process feather waste for meal under a heating and steaming method with up to 80% of the protein of soy and fishmeal feed, two more expensive protein sources.
However, this process uses energy and reduces nutrition while producing indigestible feed. The keratinase enzyme helps make the feed more digestible while maintaining a high level of protein.