Poet recognises antibiotic issue in DDGS

The company said that it had spent several years developing an ethanol production process that didn’t require antibiotics.

 

Poet, who produces more than 1.7 billion gallons (6.44 billion litres) of ethanol at 27 ethanol plants, sells more than 4 million tons of trademarked Dakota Gold DDGS to a variety of animal feed markets.

 

“Since it was introduced more than 15 years ago, Dakota Gold has built a reputation for consistency and quality,” said Mark Giesemann, director of technical services at Poet Nutrition.

 

“We had to ensure that any adjustments in our process didn’t compromise that reputation. After a few years of testing and development, we’ve found that the DDGS from the antibiotic-free process are of the highest quality.”

 

Antimicrobial agents are used when the chemistry of fermentation is disrupted causing a contamination, something Poet said was a rare occurrence.

 

DDGS needs to be antibiotic free when fed to farm animals such as laying hens. Poet tested its new process with egg-farming customers with support from the United Egg Producers.

 

“Poet partnered with UEP in a recently completed study showing that adding DDGS to layer diets can dramatically reduce ammonia emissions from the farm,” said Chad Gregory, senior vice president at UEP.

 

Poet said that only customers that specifically request certification will receive a certified antibiotic-free product.