Dongdong Forum / Researcher Hu Youjun: Recent Developments in the Efficient Use of Acidifiers under Big Data Conditions

From the high terrace, one gazes afar at the vast, clear expanse; as purple qi comes from the east, livestock thrive. On November 28, 2024, the Sixth Dongdong Forum was grandly held in Shanghai. This year’s forum brought together leading experts and industry leaders, including scholars from China Agricultural University, Renmin University of China, and Guangxi University, as well as executives and technical directors from renowned domestic companies such as Hefeng Food, Guangming Animal Husbandry, Tianpu Sunshine, Anchi Group, Xinzhengyang Feed, and delegations from the Shandong and Guangdong feed industries, to jointly explore how enterprises can achieve development through innovation and build a future grounded in science and technology.

As a global provider of acidifiers, Guangdong nuacid Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was specially invited by the Guangdong Feed Industry Association to co-organize this forum. At the event, Researcher Hu Youjun, Chief Scientist of nuacid NIC, delivered a presentation titled “Recent Advances in the R&D of Efficient Acidifier Utilization under Big Data Conditions,” sharing how, in today’s digital age, nuacid is leveraging digital innovation to shape the future of acidification and support precision nutrition applications in animal husbandry.

As is well known, acids suffer from several pain points: a wide variety of types and classifications, and the fact that a single acid cannot fully maximize performance. There are many blind spots in the precise application of acids. So how can we help our customers use acids effectively and achieve optimal results? There is no doubt that it is about shaping the acid world through digitalization. Teacher Hu explained that, after years of dedicated research and technological accumulation in the field of acidifiers, nuacid Company has amassed extensive data on the use of digestive acids—including how different types and levels of digestive acids affect feed acidity, harmful microorganisms, beneficial microorganisms, weanling piglet ADG, weanling piglet diarrhea rates, weanling piglet CP digestibility, gastric pH in piglets, pepsin activity in piglets, trypsin activity in piglets, and intestinal microbiota. Based on this, the company established the first acid database platform, built a leading ABC database for feed ingredients, and, in collaboration with renowned animal nutrition research institutions both domestically and internationally, launched the innovative “Weanling Piglet Digestive Acid Selection Model Nutri-Acid® APP 1.0” in 2024. This initiative aims to provide personalized digestive health management solutions for weanling piglets, marking a revolutionary first step toward the digitalization of acid application.

Teacher Hu pointed out in the report that Nutri-Acid ^® It is an innovative digital application tool based on scientific research and practical data. Leveraging advanced big-data algorithms, it provides users with personalized acidifier usage plans—including diet acid-binding capacity calculation, digestive acid selection modeling, evaluation of commercial feed acids, and customized compound acid formulations—and offers advantages such as rapid calculation of feed acid-binding capacity, prediction of production performance, prediction of diarrhea incidence, prediction of nutrient digestibility, and prediction of intestinal microbiota balance (beneficial vs. harmful bacteria). Specifically, the app helps users select appropriate digestive acids and precisely adjust feed acid-binding capacity to meet the needs of piglets at different growth stages, thereby improving feed digestibility and reducing feeding costs. Moreover, this model is particularly well-suited for designing diets low in corn and soybean meal, providing valuable guidance for replacing traditional corn–soybean meal-based diets.

Big data is the primary productive force of the future, Nutri-Acid ^® The successful launch and application of APP 1.0 have laid a solid foundation for NIC to develop and introduce the Ideal Digestive Acid Pattern (IDAP) in the future, and to advance animal nutrition research toward an ideal amino acid pattern (IAAP) on a scientific level. This will help precisely enhance gastric digestion and protein conversion, contribute significantly to fostering new-quality productivity in the agriculture and livestock sectors, and enable more efficient provision of high-quality protein for humanity.

Based on Lewis acid–base electronic theory, NIC conducted molecular dynamics simulations and found that only molecular benzoic acid exhibits antibacterial activity. Specifically, undissociated benzoic acid molecules freely diffuse across the bacterial cell membrane and, under the weakly alkaline conditions inside the bacterium, rapidly dissociate into benzoate anions and protons, disrupting normal metabolism and reproduction and thereby exerting an antibacterial effect. Furthermore, bacterial cells activate proton‑transport pumps to expel excess protons, a process that consumes energy and ultimately leads to energy depletion and cell death. Under intestinal pH conditions, the retention rate of undissociated benzoic acid is extremely low, at only 1.44%, completely losing its antibacterial effect; therefore, large amounts must be added in practical feed production. Leveraging its extensive acid database, nuacid Company has pioneered process innovations. By employing a cold-spray coating technology to formulate benzoic acid (coated benzoic acid), it ensures safe passage through the stomach and increases the likelihood of the compound existing in molecular form within the intestinal microenvironment, enabling sustained, slow-release antibacterial action. This approach significantly reduces the amount of conventional benzoic acid required, thereby markedly lowering formulation costs.

To verify the efficacy of coated benzoic acid, nuacid Company conducted in vitro qualitative assays, simulated artificial gastric and intestinal fluid tests, isotope tracing, gastrointestinal fistula sampling, and segmented feeding and slaughter trials in animals. Additionally, through collaborative research with universities, trials at the company’s animal research facility, field experiments, and real-world validation by large agricultural and livestock groups—supported by comprehensive big-data experimental statistical analyses—the company demonstrated that coated benzoic acid (Aisuanling) offers higher application efficiency and lower usage costs compared to conventional benzoic acid.

Written by: Emperor Cheng

Review: Hu Youjun