July 2019

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BioAnalyt’s roots are based in animal health and precision nutrition applications in livestock and farm animals. iChecks enable direct, on-the-farm measurement of nutrient levels in animal blood and tissue samples within minutes. This enables farmers to tailor animal feeds and supplementation schedules for optimized animal health, nutrition, fertility, disease resistance, and other outcomes of interest. Our animal health and livestock farming partners have used iChecks on dairy cattle, beef cattle, poultry, eggs, salmon, and pork. Check out the variety of our applications below!

In dairy cattle, iCheck Vitamin E and iCheck Carotene can be used to measure vitamin E and β-carotene levels in cattle blood. Maintaining high levels of blood β-carotene in the immediate pre-calving period can significantly improve fertility rates, while controlling blood levels of vitamin E can improve lactation and milk yield while reducing the risk of mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary glands and udder tissues. Read more about dairy cattle applications in our recent application paper here.

In beef cattle, close control of vitamin A and its precursor, β-carotene, using iCheck Fluoro and iCheck Carotene can help ensure optimized meat quality and thus profitability for beef producers, processors, retailers, and restaurateurs. In various stages of cattle development, certain levels of vitamin A can boost immunity, while other levels of vitamin A promote beef marbling. It’s a delicate balancing game for beef cattle farmers!

In the poultry and egg industries, carotenoids are often added to poultry feed to control the coloration of egg yolk, which is used as a consumer determinant of quality. Similarly, vitamin E is supplemented or added to feeds to boost immune function, reduce mortality, and support optimal growth rates. Controlling the levels of these nutrients with iCheck Carotene and iCheck Vitamin E can ensure poultry farm productivity and consumer preferences.

Similar to their effect on egg yolk coloration, carotenoids are also added to the feed of farmed salmon to change the color of their normally grey flesh to pink, which mimics the flesh color found in wild salmon. In salmon, carotenoids are added to their feed in the form of astaxanthin and their levels can be measured in salmon flesh with iCheck Carotene.

Lastly, in the pet food industry, controlling vitamin A levels in pet food ingredients, such as pork livers, helps to ensure regulatory compliance. For different types of pets, there is a narrow range of vitamin A levels which are safe for them to consume. They need enough to promote good health, but too much can be toxic. iCheck Fluoro can help pet food manufacturers measure vitamin A levels across many ingredients they use, which contribute to vitamin A content in the food.

For all of these applications, iChecks are rapid, on-the-farm or at-the-factory tests which can easily ensure the right levels of nutrients are reaching animals at the right life stages. Learn more with our new Application paper here. 

As always, the BioAnalyt team is on stand-by to answer your technical questions, provide product support, or assist you with ordering iChecks and test kits. Contact us today!

 

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