Breaking the cycle: Reinventing feed additives with purpose and AI
Animal nutrition expert Dr Casey Bradley noticed something remarkable while filling out a market research survey recently: “We are still swimming in a sea of “me too” products in the feed additive space. Slightly better, marginally cheaper, or with a new spin on the same old mechanisms. Have we plateaued? Or are we simply asking the wrong questions?” In this Expert Opinion, she explores the answers.
Not so long ago, I had the opportunity to work on Balancius, a novel product from Novonesis (formerly part of DSM). It was my first true departure from the “me too” treadmill. What made it different was not just the science, but the mindset behind it – aiming not to iterate, but to innovate.
Too often we treat innovation as a buzzword, not a blueprint
Excitement of testing new technologies
Back in my days as Research Farm Manager at the University of Arkansas, I remember the excitement of testing brand-new technologies, being part of that frontline where questions outpaced answers. Today, as I work across sectors, I will admit I have grown a bit skeptical. Too often we treat innovation as a buzzword, not a blueprint. But recently, I have rediscovered hope.
I am now partnering with a startup (name confidential for now), and we are tackling feed additive innovation from a different angle. Instead of chasing incremental improvements, we began with a fundamental problem. Then we used AI to explore how it could be solved, not how it has been.
That flipped the process on its head – and opened up entirely new possibilities.
Pig behaviour and welfare enhancers
Imagine new feed additive categories focused squarely on animal welfare, for example. Think about Phytozen by Probiotech for stress mitigation or FerAppease by Fera Diagnostics, which uses pheromone-based tech to reduce fear responses. These are not just performance boosters – they are behaviour and welfare enhancers. It is time we stop labelling welfare solutions as fringe science and integrate them into our core strategies.
The real game-changer, though, is AI. I use it daily – not just for efficiency, but for inspiration. Platforms like Biofractal are unlocking ways to model biological systems with a precision we never had before. AI lets us simulate, predict, and create faster than the industry can adapt. And that is the key: we do not need more of the same. We need better questions and new ways to answer them.
An era with feed additives beyond gut health
So, what is next? We could enter an era where feed additives move beyond gut health and growth performance. Could we modulate cognition or behaviour? Influence epigenetics through nutrition? Personalise feeding at the microbiome level using real-time biomarkers? The next innovation won’t be a better version of what we have done.
It will be something we have not dared to dream… yet.
