Date: 08/04/2025

Animal nutrition plays a crucial role in global agribusiness, being fundamental to animal health and productivity. In 2024, the global animal nutrition market was valued at US$ 57.2 million, with growth projections expected to reach more than US$ 58 million in 2025 alone, according to estimates in the Global Growth Insights report.

At the same time, the brazilian pet market has shown significant growth, with the pet food segment being the best seller in the market and accounting for 55% of sales, according to data from the Pet Brasil Institute in partnership with Abinpet. As a result, companies are increasingly focused on the growing importance of quality pet food.

In this scenario of expansion and innovation, the search for ingredients that combine digestibility, food safety and functionality has intensified. For this reason, hydrolyzed proteins and bioactive peptides represent strategic solutions, promoting better protein utilization, immune support and efficiency in feed conversion.

The BioActio line was developed to meet these demands, offering high-performance functional ingredients for various species. With advanced enzymatic hydrolysis processes, it combines technology and science to optimize animal feed, promoting production efficiency and nutritional quality.

In this article, we will discuss the benefits of BioActio products, analyzing how each solution impacts zootechnical performance and the formulation of balanced rations.

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What is the BioActio portfolio and what is its impact on animal nutrition?

Animal nutrition has evolved far beyond the simple supply of nutrients, requiring ingredients that maximize production efficiency and meet the sector's challenges. BRF Ingredients, through its BioActio line, has developed a portfolio of hydrolyzed proteins aimed at different species, guaranteeing nutritional solutions aligned with performance, food safety and sustainability.

Our production process takes advantage of co-products from BRF's production chain, such as poultry offal and other protein sources of high biological value, guaranteeing a circular economy model that reduces waste and optimizes the use of resources.

Agro-industrial co-products represent a nutritional and economic alternative for providing biological input to feed, as they have a large production volume, few possibilities for use and, above all, high biological quality (Mullen et al., 2017).

In this way, the use of these ingredients in animal nutrition makes it possible to formulate more sustainable diets without compromising nutritional quality.

To guarantee a high standard of quality and bioavailability of nutrients, the BioActio line goes through the process of enzymatic hydrolysis, a method that fragments protein chains into smaller structures, resulting in easily absorbed peptides and amino acids.

This process takes place in an aqueous medium and uses specific enzymes to break the peptide bonds, making the nutrients more accessible to the animal metabolism and optimizing their assimilation (Bhaskar et al., 2007).

How bioactive peptides influence animal health

In addition to the nutritional advantages of enzymatic hydrolysis, the process generates bioactive peptides, low molecular weight protein fragments that can be absorbed directly by the body, without the need for further enzymatic breakdown in the digestive tract, providing rapid bioavailability of essential amino acids.

Studies indicate that these peptides can increase the utilization of amino acids, reducing gluconeogenesis and promoting greater nutritional use of hydrolysates (Li et al., 2009; Wei et al., 2016).

The improved digestibility of bioactive peptides favors better nutritional utilization, optimizing feed conversion and reducing the excretion of nitrogenous waste, which is a particularly relevant factor for production chains seeking greater efficiency in nutrition and less environmental impact.

In structure, the compounds have specific bioactive functions, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. With these benefits, the bioactive peptides present in the BioActio line add nutritional and functional value to the properties of the feed, making a difference in the composition of animal welfare diets.

Efficient nutrition for high performance and health with BioActio Health & Performance

BioActio Health & Performance is the Chicken Hydrolyzed Protein developed to meet the development and immune resistance needs of animals. Through the enzymatic hydrolysis process of proteins from viscera, offal and chicken meat, it ensures better nutritional use and food safety.

Due to its functional characteristics, BioActio Health & Performance is suitable for dogs and cats, tilapia, shrimp, trout and pigs. Its main differentials include its ability to minimize adverse reactions as it is a hypoallergenic ingredient, its ability to modulate the immune system and strengthen the intestinal barrier, which reduces vulnerability to pathogens and improves production performance.

Studies carried out in partnership with academic institutions such as Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) and Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) demonstrate the benefits of including BioActio Health & Performance in animal feed. In the case of the experiments with tilapia, conducted by the Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), a 10.82% improvement in palatability was seen with the inclusion of 5% of the product compared to the control group. In addition, a 39.1% reduction in feed conversion was recorded with the inclusion of 2%.

In studies aimed at pets, the benefits of including BioActio Health & Performance in the diet were evident. In tests conducted with adult dogs, the inclusion of 4% of the ingredient in the feed formulation resulted in a 12% reduction in the volume of feces compared to the control group, showing greater digestibility of the food.

As a highly hydrolyzed ingredient, BioActio Health & Performance showed less allergenic potential, making it a viable option for formulations for animals with food sensitivities.

For cats, inclusion ranged from 5% to 20%, resulting in a 6% reduction in stool volume, as well as positive impacts on nutrient absorption and metabolic balance. Another benefit observed was the antihypertensive action in cats, promoted by the modulation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which helps control blood pressure.

Maximum feed conversion and improved digestibility with BioActio Efficiency

Feed conversion is one of the main challenges in animal nutrition, directly impacting production efficiency and the sustainability of the production chain. BioActio Efficiency was developed to optimize this process, promoting greater digestibility and nutrient utilization.

Produced from the enzymatic hydrolysis of chicken feathers, this functional ingredient combines bioactive peptides that favor nutrient absorption and improve protein utilization.

Tests conducted with tilapia at different stages of development showed that the inclusion of 1% and 2% of BioActio Efficiency in the feed promoted a 31% reduction in the feed conversion rate in post-larvae and 18% in fingerling. The apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of crude protein reached 89%, reinforcing the efficiency of the ingredient in the formulation of fish farm feed.

In pig feed, a study with 1,350 weaned piglets evaluated the inclusion of 20% BioActio Efficiency, resulting in 87% preference in the feed compared to the control, a factor associated with the ingredient's high sensory acceptance and balanced nutritional composition.

For shrimp of the Litopenaeus vannamei species in the fattening phase, the use of 3%, 4.5% and 6% of the ingredient in the diet was evaluated for survival and productivity, the inclusion of BioActio Efficiency promoted a 16% increase in survival rate and a 23% increase in productivity (kg/m³) compared to the control.

Optimized palatability and diet acceptance with BioActio Health & Palatability

Creating nutritionally balanced diets for dogs and cats needs to be analyzed in detail when choosing nutrients. In this case, the palatability of a food is directly related to the animals' sensory response to the taste and smell of the feed, impacting consumption and potentially becoming a determining factor in the formulation of diets (Glencroos et al., 2007; Oliveira et al., 2022).

This aspect influences both the choice of ingredients and their proportions, since acceptance of the diet directly affects production performance and the final cost of the feed.

With the importance of food acceptance in mind, BioActio Health & Palatability was developed to raise the standard of palatability and digestibility of pet formulations. Produced from the enzymatic hydrolysis of chicken liver, the functional ingredient stands out for its low molecular mass protein profile, with 80% of the fractions below 3,500 Da, which facilitates absorption and makes the feed more attractive.

Unlike other options on the market, it is formulated exclusively with chicken liver, without the addition of co-products, ensuring consistent nutritional quality and an improved sensory profile. Thus, its composition favors acceptance of the diet, and it is widely used in dry and wet rations and functional snacks.

Why use hydrolyzed proteins in feed formulations?

As we have seen, hydrolyzed proteins stand out because they undergo an enzymatic process that fragments the protein chains into peptides with a lower molecular mass, making them more bioavailable and easily assimilated by the body.

With high digestibility, the balanced composition of these proteins offers an essential amino acid profile adjusted to the nutritional preferences of different species, making it relevant in diets aimed at growing animals or those with higher metabolic demands, guaranteeing adequate support for muscle development, intestinal health and immune reinforcement.

Other points to consider are the food safety and digestive tolerance offered by hydrolysates. Because they are highly purified and undergo rigorous control processes, they have less allergenic potential and are widely used in diets for animals with food sensitivities.

This expands the possibility of applying hydrolyzed proteins in feed formulations for various species, from pets to fish and pigs, meeting the market's requirements for functional, high-performance ingredients.

In addition to the physiological benefits, the use of this type of protein in animal nutrition also favors more sustainable production practices. By taking advantage of by-products with high nutritional value from the food industry, hydrolysates help reduce waste in the production chain and promote a circular economy model, aligning zootechnical efficiency with environmental responsibility.

Final considerations

In the face of advances in animal nutrition, the importance of enhancing ingredients such as hydrolyzed proteins with a high index of bioactive peptides is clear.

The BioActio line reinforces this commitment, offering innovative solutions that meet the specific needs of different species, promoting greater bioavailability of nutrients and supporting the metabolic health of animals. By using advanced biotechnological processes, the line's products raise the standard of animal feed, contributing to more efficient and sustainable production systems.

As an essential pillar of BRFi, our search for high added value and sustainable solutions remains a priority. That's why we continue to invest in research and development to offer high-performance ingredients.

Keep up to date with innovations in animal nutrition and learn more about our solutions by visiting our blog and following our social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.