Milk Replacers & Fat Processing
While we were touring the Denkavit plant in Auburn, NY last month, we learned a lot. One thing that stood out to us was the fact that they dry all of their own fat on site.
That's nice, right, but what does that mean and why does it matter? We learned there is a lot more to drying fat than just “drying fat”.
Fat can be incorporated into milk replacer in different ways, one of them is by using protein encapsulated fat (PEF). As fat cannot dissolve in water, creating a shell of protein around the fat globules helps with the solubility and stability of the fat in the milk replacer.
Vegetable proteins are a buzz word in regard to the calf’s ability to utilize certain proteins, but that’s not the case when it comes to vegetable fats/oils. It is common to have both animal and vegetable fats in milk replacer. Coconut oil is a vegetable fat and is 95% digestible to the young calf while lard and tallow (animal fats) are 91% digestible. Palm oil is another example of a vegetable fat that is 91% digestible. Coconut oil isn’t just a fat source either, it comes with many other benefits that we will chat about later.
Now, on to processing. There are two differentiating parts of the drying process at Denkavit that are key factors in preventing damage to the protein encapsulated fat (PEF).
One problem with PEF is that it can be damaged by scorching, and once it’s burnt, it’s never the same quality or digestibility as it was before. Scorched fat not only affects the digestibility, but it also changes the taste, which can cause palatability issues with calves. That would be like feeding you premium espresso one day, and burnt drip coffee the next, you would not be very happy!
The fat is dried in a spray tower, a standard process in the industry, but often that tower exposes the fat into direct contact with a flame, which increases the chances of heat related damage and contaminants entering the product. The drying tower at Denkavit is double walled with the heating element in one chamber and the fat in a separate chamber, so the fat is never coming in direct contact with a heat source.
The other thing that’s important to know about processing PEF is that every time it’s heated, even if it gets done right, it loses a little bit of digestibility. The fat in Denkavit is only heated one time, meaning it has the highest quality possible.
Lastly, we can’t go without talking about the homogenizer. This is something that ONLY Denkavit has. It was a large investment, but let me tell you why it was worth every penny. Calves need many different types of fat in their diet to balance the fatty acid profile.
The homogenizer produces uniform, small particles of fat that allow the calf to better digest and absorb that fat due to an increased surface area.
The smaller the particle size, the easier they are for the calf to digest. So, that calf is still getting everything she needs in terms of a balanced fatty acid profile, but it’s getting delivered in a more accessible way.
A good way to imagine it is if you had no teeth but wanted to get all the nutrients from a steak. As you can imagine, you aren’t going to do very well with a steak if you can’t chew it. But, if you were to blend it up it would be the same nutrients, and WAY more available to your body, the same concept applies with the homogenizer. Calves aren’t great at digesting long-chain fats, especially for the first two weeks when their pancreas isn’t functioning fully, similar to having no teeth.
As you can see, again, a lot of details go into making a top of the line milk replacer. This is just another thing that shows how Denkavit goes the extra mile to get you the best milk replacer for an affordable price.
If you’re interested in seeing the difference Denkavit can make for your calves, we can help you get started. We’re pretty sure you won’t be switching back once you try it, but we would love to help you set up a trial on your farm.