NOVUS expands soybean meal assessment service across MEA

MEA – NOVUS has expanded its Ingredient Assessment Service (NIAS) to selected poultry and swine producers and feed manufacturers across the Middle East and Africa, providing estimates of trypsin inhibitor levels in soybean meal to support feed formulation and ingredient quality assessment.

The service uses Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIR) to estimate trypsin inhibitor levels in soybean meal. 

Trypsin inhibitors are anti-nutritional factors that can interfere with protein digestion and reduce amino acid availability, making soybean meal quality an important consideration in feed formulation.

NIAS is designed to provide timely and standardised information on soybean meal variability before the ingredient is incorporated into poultry and swine diets. 

NOVUS said operating models can be adapted to individual markets, including through external laboratories or customers’ own in-house laboratories.

Alongside the predicted trypsin inhibitor value, NOVUS Technical Services experts provide interpretation of what the result could mean for amino acid digestibility and offer recommendations to help manage potential nutritional challenges.

Results are compared with NOVUS’ global trypsin inhibitor database, which contains data from more than 3,000 soybean samples collected over more than a decade. 

The company said this database provides additional context for monitoring soybean meal variability and evaluating consistency between suppliers.

“Ingredient variability is a reality for nutritionists and feed manufacturers. Knowing more about the soybean meal they are working with can support more informed decisions,” said Silvia Peris, NOVUS executive regional technical services manager for EMEA.

Managing soybean meal variability

Soybean meal is a major protein source in poultry and swine diets, but its nutritional value can vary depending on factors including processing and the level of anti-nutritional compounds. 

NOVUS has conducted research on trypsin inhibitors for more than a decade, including work examining their effects on protein utilisation and feed efficiency.

The company said its NIR models were developed using wet-chemistry data and are designed to estimate trypsin inhibitor levels in grains, seeds, meals and beans.

The service is intended to help nutritionists and feed manufacturers make more informed decisions around ingredient sourcing, feed production and the use of feed additives.

The relevance extends beyond laboratory analysis. 

NOVUS research has shown that elevated trypsin inhibitor levels can affect protein utilisation and feed conversion in poultry, while the company has also investigated protease supplementation as a strategy to mitigate their effects.

“With NIAS, our customers gain timely information about trypsin inhibitor levels along with technical interpretation from our team,” Peris said.

NOVUS said availability will initially remain limited to selected customers, with plans to expand the service to additional regions. 

Poultry and swine customers in Asia and EMEA can contact their local NOVUS sales or technical services representatives for more information.

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