Granular feed supplement

Abstract

A ruminant feed composition, having a granulated core having at least one active substance and at least one layer of a coating material surrounding the core, the coating material comprising one or more linear, saturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acids in an amount of at least 60 wt % of the total weight of the coating material.

1 . A ruminant feed composition, comprising:
 a granulated core comprising methionine; and   a coating surrounding the core, the coating comprising;
 a hydrogenated vegetable oil, stearic acid, and palmitic acid, 
 wherein the total amount of stearic and palmitic acids is at least 90 wt % of the total weight of the coating, and 
 wherein the methionine exhibits a rumen bypass rate greater than 75%, and an intestinal digestibility rate greater than 70%. 
   
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the vegetable oil is selected from the group consisting of palm oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, and castor oil. 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the granulated core has a granular size of about 0.3 mm to about 3.0 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the weight % ratio of granulated core to coating is from 50:50 to 70:30. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the coating has a melting temperature in the range of from about 50° C. to about 80° C. 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more of oleic acid, lecithin, and palm oil. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of stearic acid to palmitic acid is from 20:1 to 3:1. 
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 2 , wherein the vegetable oil is soybean oil, and the rumen bypass rate is greater than about 85%, and the intestinal digestibility rate is greater than about 85% 
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 8 , further comprising oleic acid. 
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 6 , wherein the granulated core has a granular size of about 0.8 mm, and the weight % ratio of granulated core to coating is about 55:45. 
     
     
         11 . A ruminant feed composition, comprising:
 a granulated core material comprising methionine, and   at least two layers of a coating material surrounding the core, the coating material comprising;
 a hydrogenated vegetable oil, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, wherein the total amount of palmitic and stearic acids is at least 90 wt % of the total weight of the coating material, wherein the methionine exhibits a rumen bypass rate greater than 75%, and an intestinal digestibility rate greater than 70%, and wherein the weight % ratio of core material to coating material is from 50:50 to 60:40. 
   
     
     
         12 . The ruminant feed composition of  claim 11 , wherein the vegetable oil is soybean oil. 
     
     
         13 . The ruminant feed composition of  claim 12 , wherein the weight % ratio of core material to coating material is about 55:45. 
     
     
         14 . The ruminant feed composition of  claim 13 , wherein the rumen bypass rate is greater than about 85%, and the intestinal digestibility rate is greater than about 85%. 
     
     
         15 . A method of supplementing the diet of a ruminant with methionine, comprising:
 providing the ruminant with a ruminant feed composition comprising;
 a granulated core comprising methionine, and 
 at least two layers of a coating surrounding the core, the coating comprising;
 a hydrogenated vegetable oil, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, wherein vegetable oil is selected from soybean oil and rapeseed oil, the total amount of palmitic and stearic acids is at least 90 wt % of the total weight of the coating, and wherein the methionine exhibits a rumen bypass rate greater than 75%, and an intestinal digestibility rate greater than 70%. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the hydrogenated vegetable oil is soybean oil. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the rumen bypass rate is greater than about 85%, and the intestinal digestibility rate is greater than about 85%. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making a ruminant feed composition, comprising:
 coating a core material with a continuous layer of a liquid coating material and   allowing the coating material to solidify to obtain a coated core, wherein the core material comprises methionine, the liquid coating material comprises, a hydrogenated vegetable oil, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, and the total amount of palmitic and stearic acids is at least 90 wt % of the total weight of the coating material.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , comprising:
 surrounding the coated core with one or more additional layers of coating material, wherein each layer of coating material is allowed to solidify before adding a next layer of coating material.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the core is coated in a batch process or in a continuous process. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein: the hydrogenated vegetable oil is soybean oil.