CERAGEL binds toxins and boosts performance
The innovative ingredient CERAGEL is extracted from brown algae. It binds toxins and supports the intestines of weaned piglets. It increases the performance and daily gains of the piglets.
Mycotoxins are a major challenge for pig farming. Even if the two most common mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA), are only present in small amounts in the feed, in the long term they can cause symptoms of chronic poisoning. This poisoning is usually not demonstrated by the symptoms typical for the respective toxin, but it does reduce the performance of the animals. Studies at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel (CAU) have shown that CERAGEL is able to effectively bind both DON and ZEA under conditions prevailing in the small intestine (see Fig. 1).
The basis for CERAGEL is brown algae, also called knotted wrack. The alga does not reveal its ingredients in its original form. Therefore, the brown algae are first macerated in a special process and then dried for use in mineral feed (see Fig. 2). In its macerated form - as CERAGEL - the various ingredients can then unfold their wide range of effects in animals (see Fig. 3).
CERAGEL enhances performance
The effect of CERAGEL on performance was tested at Gut Hülsenberg on a total of 200 weaned piglets. The 100 piglets that had been fed with CERAGEL showed consistently higher daily gains (see Fig. 4). The effect of CERAGEL on the stability of the piglets’ digestion in the first two weeks after weaning is particularly evident. In the group receiving CERAGEL, on average the piglets achieved almost 20g higher daily gains. The feed expenditure, as well, (kg feed/kg gains) was clearly less (see red box in Fig. 4). These two parameters show that these piglets coped significantly better the first two weeks after weaning.
