GB2118420A - Fodder additive for the keeping of small animals and a process for the improvement of the meat quality - Google Patents

Abstract

A fodder additive consists of at least two different vegetable aromatic substances, optionally compounds contained in other vegetable aromatic substances and/or the components thereof, and optionally taste improvers. This fodder additive is administered to small animals, especially poultry and rabbits, in such a quantity that the animals take up the additive in a quantity of 10-400 mg per kg of body weight. Thus the stale flavour typical for poultry bred in intensive keeping and a possible unpleasant after-taste are eliminated. The meat tastes similarly to that of poultry kept 'free range' i.e., in yards and gardens.

Description

SPECIFICATION Fodder additive for the keeping of small animals and a process for the improvement of the meat quality The invention relates to a fodder additive for the keeping of small animals, especiallyforthe keeping of poultry and rabbits, furthermore a process for the improvement of the meat quality, especially of the flavour of poultry meat.

It is known that the meat of small animals fed mainly or exclusively with artificially prepared fodder mixtures has an unspecific, slightly stale flavour and often even an unpleasant after-taste. Broiler-size chicken fed with much fish-meal taste e.g. of fish.

This is specially valid for animals bred in intensive keeping.

The poultry kept under "free-range" conditions, in the yard and the garden meets its food requirements from very different natural sources and the fodder delivered additionally is very diversified: grain corns, maize, potatoes, kitchen refuse, leavings and so on. This is supplemented by different plant parts like grass, weeds, leaves and corns; worms, insects and small vermins complete the broad scale of food sources which give the meat of the poultry kept in the yard and the garden its characteristic flavour.

The meat of animals bred in intensive rearing on a large scale and fed with artificially prepared concentrate mixtures has as it is generally known, a poorer consistency, a stale flavour and often an unpleasant after-taste. This fact is attributed first of all to the mentioned fodder mixtures being prepared on a large scale, amongst other things to their composition (e.g. fish-meal), to the biological and chemical changes (e.g. becoming rancid, becoming covered with mould, decomposition of albumen) occurring in the fodder mixtures, and to the medical preparations, chemicals and agents promoting the increase in weight. On feeding animals, medical agents and biologically effective substances are often used without taking into account the extend to which these agents influence the flavour of the meat.

For increasing the meat yield and for improving the consistency of the meat, numerous additive and supplementary materials are known, but there is no agent obtainable in the trade with the help of which the flavour of meat could be advantagously influenced.

For some problems, e.g. for the elimination of the unpleasant after-taste of broiler size chicken fed with fodder mixtures prepared on a large scale in intensive rearing, partial solutions have been elaborated which, however, for one reason or another have not been introduced in practice. Thus, e.g. it was found that the fish-like after-taste of chickens fed with fish-meal for 7 weeks can be eliminated if 80 IE Tokoferol (Vitamin E) are added to thefodder mixture. This additive, however, is too expensive for poultry keeping on a large scale. In the U.S. literature sulphur-containing compounds are mentioned for changing the flavour of the meat.It has also been attempted to administer to the animals, besides the artificially prepared fodder mixtures, natural substances necessary for attaining a natural meat flavour but these attempts have had a negative result, too.

The reason for this result is that poultry in intensive keeping (battery farming) can be converted to the consumption of other nutrients only with difficulty and at the expense of an increase in weight.

Therefore the aim of the invention is to find a fodder additive which improves the flavour of the meat of small animals, especially of poultry, and furthermore to elaborate a process with the held of which this fodder additive can be administered to the animals in intensive breeding in a readily acceptable as well as utilizable form.

It has been found that certain flavouring and aromatic substances of vegetable origin, and compounds contained in vegetable aromatic substances and/or the components thereof advantageously influence the flavour of intensively bred animals, like fowl, geese, turkeys, rabbits.

Accordingly the invention relates to a fodder additive which is utilized in the organism of the animal, which advantageously influences the flavour of the meat and which consists of at least two different vegetable aromatic substances optionally compounds to be found in other vegetable aromatic substances and/or the components thereof, and optionally, taste improvers.

The subject matter of the invention is furthermore a process for the improvement of the quality, especially of the flavour of poultry meat.

To the fodder of animals kept in intensive keeping, in the case of multiphase breeding only to the final fodder in the last phase, a fodder additive in a quantity of 10-400 mg per kg of body weight is admixed which is utilized in the animal organism, advantageously influences the flavour of the meat and which consists of at least two different vegetable aromatic materials, furthermore optionally of compounds contained in other vegetable aromatic materials and/or the components thereof and optionally of taste improvers.

As flavours and aromatic substances of vegetable origin the following substances can be used: cinnamon, lemon, orange, aniseed, caraway, onion, garlic, eucalyptus, coriander, celery, thyme, ginger, parsely, parsnip, geranium and ilang-ilang oils as well as the mixture of these oils. The fodder additive of the invention can contain furthermore compounds which are contained in vegetable aromatic materials or the components thereof but which can be prepared synthetically,too. Such compounds are e.g. d-limonene, anisaldehyde, diacetyl, carvone, protocatechual dehydr-methyleneether, ethyl butyrate, geranylacetate, selinene, vanilline, cymene, 3,4-menthane, n-decylaldehyde, terpinolene, terpinene, carvomenthol, terpineol, eucalyptol, eugenol, d-camphene, cinnamic aldehyde.

The fodder or feed additives of the invention preferably contain taste improvers or flavourings which increase the effect of the aromatic materials in a synergistic way. As taste improvers, e.g. lovage oil (lovage = Levisticum officinale) and glutamates are suitable. The taste improvers are added preferably in a quantity of about 2%, by weight of the total composition.

The composition of the fodder additive is to be chosen depending on the effect to be exerted. As additive for rabbit feed a particular composition is more suited than for geese or turkeys. Also for the same kind of poultry different compositions may be more suitable; for the breeding of roasting geese a certain composition is more suitable than a composition for the fattened geese, the main value of which is the enlarged liver.

The additives according to the invention contain at least two different aromatic materials of vegetable origin. If only one aromatic material or only synthetic components are used the result is less satisfactory.

The fodder or feed additives of the invention may advantageously influence the fodder utilization, they can promote feedstuffs or fodder take-up, and in some cases inferior fodder orfodderwhich is in itself unsuitable for consumption can be made usable.

These effects are, however, secondary and they are not in every case aspired to. The primary effect of the additives of the invention causes that the meat of the animals has a pleasant, characteristic flavour which is similar to the flavour of animals bred exclusively with varied natural food. In order to attain this effect 10-400 mg of the fodder additive of the invention are admixed to the fodder mixture prepared on a large scale, this quantity being calculated per kg of the body weight.

The administration of the fodder additive ned not necessarily be carried out over the whole breeding period. The intensive keeping e.g. of hens is carried out in three phases: a) In the first phase, until the age of 3-4 weeks, a so-called "rearing fodder" is administered which contains generally a higher amount of albumen (23% b.w.) and substances enhancing the fodder utilization and the increase in weight, e.g. Zn-barithracin, coccidiostatica (Flacomycin) and 3000-3200 kcal of metabolizable energy. Furthermore the rearing fodder contains by weight 1% of calcium, 8% of phosphorus as well as vitamins A, D, E and K the quantity of which is reduced in the later phases.

b) The fodder administered in the second phase, from the 3rd to 4th week contains less albumen (20% b.w.) and the calcium and phosphorus contents, too, are lower (0.9% and 0.6-0.7%, by weight respectively). The quantity of the fat-soluble vitamins is less, that of vitamin B remains unchanged which causes an unpleasant odour and flavour. The premix contains selenium and biotine, too.

c) In the 6th, 7th and 8th week the so-called "final fodder" is administered which contains 16.5-17% b.w. of albumen. The fat-soluble vitamins are administered only to a minimum. The premix does not contain any selenium, the contents of vitamin E remains unchanged.

Examinations proved that it is sufficient to use the fodder additive of the invention only in the third phase, i.e. to admix it with the final fodder. The meat of the chicken is similar in taste to that of chicken kept under generally natural conditions.

The fodder additives of the invention can be successfully used in the intensive keeping for the prodution of broiler size chicken, meat geese, goose liver, turkeys and rabbits.

The invention is further illustrated with the aid of the following non-limiting examples.

Example I In the three-phase breeding of broiler size chicken in the first two phases raising fodder and the fodder usual in the second phase, respectively, are administered. In the third phase to 1 kg of final fodder 28 mg of aromatic substances in the form of a solution prepared with 280 ml of alcohol are fed and homogeneously admixed with the fodder. Every chicken gets altogether 1.5 kg of this fodder for 7 days.

The aromatic additive has the followinvg composition by weight: 60% of "barbecue" (which contains mainly onion oil and the components thereof, respectively) or onion oil, 20% of caraway oil, 10% of parsley oil, 8% of diallylsulfide, 2% of lovage oil.

The components are dissolved in 90 percent alcohol and admixed to the fodder in this form.

In order to evaluate the effect the meat of the broiler size chickens is examined organoleptically. A group of animals fed without aromatic substances serves as control and the meat of chickens kept under extensive conditions serves as standard. The tasting carried out after kitchen-technical preparation proved that the meat of the animals fed with the aromatized fodder is similar in taste to the standard.

Example 2 Meat geese are fed in the second (and thus the last) phase of the rearing with a fodder which contains the following aromatic additives by weight: 50% of "barbecue", 20% of ginger oil, 10% of celery oil, 10% of allylpropylsulfide, 8% of cinnamic aldehyde, 2% of glutamate.

The additive of the above composition is added to the fodder in such an amount that the geese take 25 mg of additive per kg of body weight until becoming fit for slaughter.

Example 3 In order to obtain geese with a liver as big as possible and a savoury liver the geese are fed as in Example 2 but with the difference that the additive has the following composition by weight: 40% of barbecue, 30% of aniseed and coriander extracts, 25% of cod-liver oil and soya oil, 3% of geronylacetate, 2% of lovage oil.

The quantity of the additive is measured in such a way that the animals take up 30 mg of additive per kg of body weight.

Example 4 When raising turkeys one proceeds as in Example 2 with the difference that the animals take up 20 mg of an additive of the following composition per kg of body weight: 50% of barbecue, 40% of walnut oil, 10% of arachis oil.

Example 5 Rabbits are fed in the whole period of intensive keeping with a fodder containing as additive a composition with the following components by weight: 10% of parsnip oil, 20% of parsley oil, 10% of coriander oil, 30% of caraway oil, 25% of walnut oil, 5% of geronylacetate, 2% of lovage oil.

The additive is used in such a quantity that the animals take up 30 mg of additive per kg of body weight.

Claims (8)

1. A fodder additive for keeping small animals, especially for the intensive keeping of poultry and rabbits, characterized in that it is utilized in the animal organism, advantageously influences the flavour of the meat and consists of at least two different vegetable aromatic substances, optionally compounds contained in other vegetable aromatic substances and/or the components thereof, and optionally taste improvers.

2. Afodder additive as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it contains cinnamon, lemon, orange, celery, caraway, aniseed, onion, coriander, ginger, parsely, parsnip, geranium, ilang-ilang, eucalyptus or thyme oil or any mixture of these oils as vegetable aromatic substances.

3. A fodder additive as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it contains cinnamic aldehyde, anisaldehyde, geronylacetate, selinene, terpineol, eugenol, allylpropylsulfide, allyldisulfide, dlimonene, diacetyl, carvon, protocatechu-aldehydemethyleneether, ethylbutyrate, benzylbutyrate, vanilline, cymene, 3,4-menthene, d-camphene, ndiethylaldehyde, terpinolene, terpinene, carvomenthol, eucalpytol or any mixture thereof as vegetable aromatic substances or compounds containing the components thereof.

4. A fodder additive as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it contains lovage oil and/or glutamate at taste improver.

5. Aprocessforthe improvementofthe meat quality of small animals, especially for the improvement of the flavour of poultry meat, characterized in that to the fodder of the animals kept in intensive breeding, in the case of multiphase breeding preferably only to the final fodder fed in the last phase, d fodder additive is added in a quantity of 10-400 mg per kg of body weight which is utilized in the animal organism, which advantageously influences the flavour of the meat and which consists of at least two different vegetable aromatic substances, furthermore optionally of compounds contained in other vegetable aromatic materials and/or the components thereof and optionally of taste improvers.

6. A fodder additive as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein before described in any one of the Examples.

7. A process as claimed in claim 7, substantially as hereinbefore described in any one of the Examples.

8. A meat when produced by a process as claimed in claim 5 or claim 7.