A natural alternative to antibiotics in animal feed

Molecules from seaweed extracts and natural clays help adsorbing the harmful toxins which are found in animal feed. The resulting new product has a huge potential market worldwide as a completely natural alternative to the formerly-used antibiotics, which are now prohibited from this use in the European Union.

Core Facts

Mycotoxins have, over the years, become one of the major concerns of animal feed producers, especially in Asia and South America. A European innovation can now help to solve this problem.
For many years, a range of antibiotics have been applied in low doses to animal feed, to control the production of mycotoxins and to act as growth promoters. But as part of its policy to reduce the threat of developing microbial resistance to antibiotics, the use of antibiotics in animal feed was banned in the EU from 1 January 2006
As well as applications in the field of animal feed, the clay-algal extract combination has potential uses in the purification of water from waste effluents, heavy metals or radioactive pollution.
Use of the algae for this purpose has the secondary benefit that it is so plentiful in some regions that it is considered an environmental pollutant.
Developing the new activated clay product Amadeite® was only possible through the support of EUREKA, which helped to locate and bring together partner organisations with the right expertise and facilities.