Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Co-Product Antibiotic Levels Nearly Nil

National Hog Farmer
Lora Berg
Mar. 14, 2012 5:38pm

Livestock producers and their nutritionists have been wondering whether antibiotic residues from the ethanol fermentation process might linger in the distiller's co-products used in livestock diets.

A recent University of Minne­sota study indicates distillers’ grains with soluble (DGS) do not contain significant antibiotic residues to be of concern to livestock producers.

Antibiotics are added during ethanol fermentation to control bacterial contamination. Bacteria compete with yeast during the ethanol fermentation process, which can lead to a reduction in ethanol yields and reduced-quality DGS. Virginiamycin and penicillin are designated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in ethanol and DGS production, though they are not the only antibiotics being used.

Livestock producers and their nutritionists have been wondering whether antibiotic residues might linger in the distiller’s co-products used in livestock diets and if they have any biological activity.

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