I believe we have hit the jackpot!
It has been less than 4 years since the launch of the Benchmark’s steam extruded range of feeds and the results for our customers’ horses have exceeded even our expectations. It is becoming very apparent that we are on to a winner.
In this Benchmark Newsbyte I will explain how our steam extruded feeds are quite different to others on the market and why they are so effective.
FIRSTLY, LET US HAVE A LOOK AT THE STEAM EXTRUSION PROCESS.
Cereal grains (oats and corn) have been fed to horses for centuries to provide energy for work, sport, and to carry men to war - and for as long, horsemen have been grinding, cooking, steam flaking, pelleting, and more recently steam extruding and micronising in an effort to increase the digestibility of the grains. Remember horses are primarily fibre fermenters so feeding copious amounts of raw grain is an impost on their digestive system and can result in serious health issues.
The digestibility of raw grains can be as low as 29% in a horse’s small intestine but steam extrusion and micronisation can improve this to over 90%, so the potential benefits are significant.
What is the process?
In simple terms, the steam extrusion process uses pressure and super-heated steam to alter the grain, creating thousands of tiny pin holes in the starch molecule, and thereby increasing the molecule’s surface area. This increase in surface area provides much better access for digestive enzymes to do their work, drastically improving grain digestibility in the small intestine and reducing the amount of undigested grain entering the large intestine (caecum).
This image is of a corn starch molecule showing it pre extrusion on the left and post extrusion on the right. The pin holes in the molecule are clear to see.
The benefits of steam extrusion extend beyond improved starch digestion. Extruded feeds preserve their nutrient value for longer, can be fed at lower rates, are palatable, and if molasses free, less susceptible to infestation.
The downside is that usually, steam extruded feeds are extremely high in starch and sugar.
It is much easier to manufacture extruded feeds that contain high levels of grain starch so most steam extruded feeds made in Australia contain mainly grains or grain by-products such as mill run. They can consist of 70-80% starchy material and generally they have a starch level of well over 20%, with some products containing wheat and corn exceeding 30% and most likely nearer 35-40%.
Unfortunately, some Australian feed manufacturers do not provide starch and sugar levels on all their feeds. A careful review of ingredients and their order of listing is necessary to try and estimate starch and sugar levels (ingredients should be listed from highest to lowest addition rate).
Some feed companies claim that their high starch feeds are “cool” or “calm” because the grains are steam extruded. It is correct in that the process reduces the amount of grain passing undigested into the hind gut, but don’t be fooled by the marketing spin.
Feeds high in starch, regardless of how they are processed, means that high levels of sugars are produced and subsequently absorbed into the horse’s blood stream and stored as glycogen in muscles. This quick burn, sugar based energy can be detrimental to health and cause behavioural changes in some horses.
GETTING TO THE POINT.
Our goal at Benchmark from day one was to reduce the dependence on grain starch in our extruded feeds by using energy produced by the fermentation of dietary super fibres.
Our manufacturing partners have refined the extrusion process to make a clean extruded nugget with only 25% starchy material. Importantly this allows space in the formulation for large amounts of dietary super fibres, (in our case soy and lupin hulls) producing a lovely, extruded nugget with much lower levels of starch and sugar.
Why our extruded feeds work so well.
Dietary super fibres such as the soy and lupin hulls used in our extruded feeds, provide as much energy as grain starch – but critically they do this by the production of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) and not glycogen (sugars).
While the process of producing VFAs is slower than producing glycogen, this a much more natural process, having negligible effect on blood sugar levels, and the fat based energy lasts longer.
This makes it an incredibly valuable energy source for equestrian sport horses or harness horses, who need to perform over time and distance. In contrast a thoroughbred racing over 1200mtrs will use mainly glycogen to fuel its fast twitch muscle fibres, so a higher level of carbohydrates is required for peak performance.
Lowering the starch intake of young growing horses.
VFAs are a horse’s natural, fat based, low starch and sugar energy supply. This is a much more natural and healthy option, particularly when horses are reactive to grains and especially when you are feeding youngsters.
Remember sugars can have an inflammatory effect on joints in growing horses. Care should be taken if a high starch feed is used for a lactating mare, that her foal doesn’t get access to the feed. Feeding sugar to a baby is never a good idea.
Thoroughbred studs who were early adopters of our breeding feed Benchmark Invest® are now seeing the results in their yearlings as they are prepared for sale. As well as a reduction in veterinary costs, producing yearlings with clean x-rays has a direct effect on sale price, so in this situation the financial returns are measurable.
For sport horse breeders, the benefits may not reveal themselves until a 2 or 3 year old is vetted for sale, or as physical demand increases when a ridden horse is in training for its chosen career. It can be devastating when the stunning youngster that shows so much promise and carries your hopes and dreams is limited in performance and market value by less than perfect x-rays.
When it comes to producing well grown, healthy horses with good clean bone we do not claim to have all the answers, but we do have some - and they can be gamechangers.
Best wishes,
CP