A successful 2021 edition!
The theme of feed additives and functional ingredients attracted a great deal of interest: the 2021 edition brought together over 115 participants and 63 companies, an increase on the 2018 edition despite the difficult health context with Covid.
The scientific committee has organized the conferences so that the subject has been approached from complementary perspectives.
After an introduction from Feed and Additives GmbH on regulatory aspects, recalling the obligations for marketing a feed additive or an ingredient and for displaying a claim, Alice Monier presented an overview of the equine market for these products. This highlighted the contrast between users’ lack of knowledge about feed additives, and high expectations for these products.
Thomas Delompré then spoke about the taste of feed additives, which can modulate eating behavior, and presented strategies for improving the acceptance of aversive compounds such as certain bitter minerals or vitamins. David van Doorn illustrated the importance of minerals structure on their bioavailability.
The next three conferences focused on the benefits of additives and functional ingredients for the large intestine microbiota and health. Véronique Julliand reviewed knowledge about the impact of these products in preserving the large intestine ecosystem in horses, Pierre Lapaquette discussed the modulation of immunity, and Daria Guseva the impact on behavior via the gut-brain axis.
Finally, the conference session ended with Samy Julliand presenting the current state of knowledge on the impact of feed additives and functional ingredients on physical performance in horses.
Workshops were then organized on the second day to illustrate the R&D methods specializing in horse nutrition. Lab To Field opened the doors of its research center, as did the university groups involved. This enabled participants to discover the equipment and approaches used to develop and test next-generation solutions.
As in 2018, the 2021 edition provided an opportunity for a great deal of discussion. We hope it will help speed up the development of additives and functional ingredients that are increasingly adapted to horses.
See you in 2024 for the next Congress LTF!
