Pending 2021 release, new Adifo feed software will optimize sustainability as well as cost
To address rising customer interest in sustainability, nutrition software developer Adifo has joined forces with BASF to create a new platform capable of balancing the environmental impact of animal feed with the cost and nutritional content.
Set for a commercial release in early 2021, the new version of Adifo’s BESTMIX will include environmental capabilities based on analysis from BASF’s Ag Balance Livestock project.
“With this strategic partnership with BASF, we want to continue our path of innovation in BESTMIX software by allowing our customers to include sustainability as a parameter into their formulations and rations,” Adifo CEO Gerard Marneth said in a statement. “Extending insights and minimizing environmental impact by using the enhanced BESTMIX will allow the industry to grow jointly towards a more sustainable future.”
While the software’s final functionality and features are still being worked out in customer pilot projects, the new version of BESTMIX will enable users to compare feed formulations on the basis of nutritional content, cost and environmental impact. Specific details about the product’s functionality will be made available in early 2021, according to BASF spokesperson Joachim Hueter.
“Until now, the focus has been on the desired nutrient content at the lowest cost,” Hueter said. “In the future, it will be possible to use sustainability as an additional criterion, so to speak, as a third pillar, in order to obtain the feed mixture that is associated with the lowest environmental impact. … While cost is still relevant, sustainability has become an important driver for the animal protein sector.”
In many cases, Hueter said, trials of the software suggest that mixing feed for the lowest environmental footprint does not necessarily result in increased cost — some case studies have enjoyed a smaller environmental footprint and reduced cost. The new software will also increase transparency, simplify environmental reporting, and offers new opportunities for innovation, Hueter said.
The partnership has also envisioned the possibility of an interconnected data insights system, Hueter said, resulting in a collaborative ecosystem that will lead the feed and animal protein industries to a more sustainable, transparent future in line with rising consumer expectations.
