Zixin Group has obtained a patented chicken feed formulation that utilizes sweet potato agricultural waste.
The Singapore-based biotech company, which focuses on research and development (R&D), cultivation, production, supply, and sale of sweet potato products, obtained the formulation from the Institute of Resource Environment and Soil Fertilisation at the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China. It is one of the R&D collaborations between the two entities that aims to address sweet potato agricultural waste.
Zixin Group anticipates production and sale of its probiotic-infused fermented sweet potato feedstock to animal feed manufacturers in the January 2025.
The feedstock uses the sweet potato agricultural waste generated by Zixin Group’s business activities. Zixin Group generated 748.8 metric tons (mt) of sweet potato peels for its snack food processing business activity in fiscal 2024, an increase of 11.2% from 673.1 mt in fiscal 2023. Previously, the group had to pay to dispose of the sweet potato peels, which are part of the sweet potato agricultural waste, to the local refuse collection points and animal farms in Liancheng County, China.
The R&D process for the feed formulation involves enhancing the efficacy of probiotic-infused sweet potato feedstock, evaluating the nutritional content of poultry feed, and conducting feed trials on chickens to compare the effects of various diets on their growth and health, as well as assessing the animal-derived food’s nutritional value and safety for human consumption.
“As we pave the way in building our sweet potato ecosystem, we have been constantly exploring solutions to address conventional concerns in the agriculture industry, lowering operational risks, and improving financial performance for everyone across the industrial value chain,” said Liang Chengwang, executive chairman and CEO of Zixin Group.
Chengwang said that, during the harvest season, Zixin Group produced and sold small quantities of its probiotic-infused fermented sweet potato feedstock to selected feed producers and poultry farms to conduct feeding trials, with positive results.
“While sweet potato agricultural waste has been a traditional feedstock for poultry and farm animals, this poultry feed has the potential to increase the survival rate of chickens, eliminate residues of veterinary antibacterial drugs, and ultimately make the chicken meat safe for human consumption. We are currently waiting for the analysis report on this patented chicken poultry feed formulation, which was developed based on the recent feeding trials,” Chengwang said. “We are confident that our efforts to resolve our agricultural waste will also assist other sweet potato farmers in resolving similar issues. Additionally, feed manufacturers will have the opportunity to incorporate our patented chicken poultry feed formulation into their product offerings, which we believe will be beneficial to a variety of parties, including farm owners.”
Zixin Group outsources the collection of its agricultural waste to a designated agricultural waste collector, who also assists fellow sweet potato producers and food processing factories in Liancheng County in the collection and disposal of agricultural waste. Zixin Group will be able to procure a consistent supply of sweet potato agricultural waste in Liancheng County through this third-party waste collector when production of the probiotic-infused sweet potato feedstock commences.
