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person with hat and two gloved hands holds a scoop of feed supplement over a large amount of the same feed supplement

Grant Supports Production of Sustainable, Cost-Effective Feed Supplements

Generating Advanced Animal Systems Solutions

Program Contact

Nikki Dutta
ndutta@foundationfar.org

Year Awarded   2021

FFAR award amount   $653,035

Total award amount   $1,410,000

Location   St. Paul, MN

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Launch Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, private equity financing and Sasya, Inc.

  • Advanced Animal Systems

As consumer demand for animal protein increases, meat producers are under tremendous pressure to increase productivity, while maintaining profitability. As a result, many producers rely on feed supplements to encourage faster growth, reduce disease and improve feed efficiency. This Seeding Solutions grant awarded to Sasya, Inc. supports the development of sustainable, cost-effective, multi-species feed supplements that are safe for livestock, the environment and human consumption.

Responding to consumer demands for transparency in the supply chain, producers are looking for sustainability but are not willing to pay a green premium. We are keen to prove that sustainability doesn’t have to cost more. Our processes can meet the increasingly stringent sustainability metrics while allowing profitability across the supply chain. Dr. Goutham Vemuri
Sasya, Inc Chief Executive Officer and Founder

Why this research is important

Metabolites, such as amino acids and their derivatives, naturally occur in human and animal bodies. When used as dietary supplements, evidence suggests they can enhance performance and health in both humans and animals. While metabolites are commercially available, many are produced from harmful chemicals that require extensive purification and energy-intensive processes. As a result, despite their documented benefit, metabolite supplements remain prohibitively expensive to the feed industry.

Sasya is developing a novel sustainable process to mass produce high-performance supplements at a cost that can break their price-barrier for the animal feed supplement industry. This research will primarily focus on swine. The use of many current feed supplements within the swine industry prohibits the export of U.S. pork to important global markets. Replacing these supplements with sustainably-produced, affordable metabolite ones will help U.S. swine producers overcome price and regulatory barriers and position them to compete favorably in a global market. Demonstrated success in the swine market will pave the way for easier adoption in other animal species such as poultry, beef and dairy cows.

We understand the need for sustainably-produced supplements as alternatives to antibiotics and other environmentally unsafe animal feed supplements. Now is the time to invest in pioneering research that will allow the development of high-performance supplements to be economically available to producers and foster antibiotic stewardship, animal welfare, environmental sustainability and farmer profitability. Saharah Moon Chapotin, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Details About this Research

How This Research Contributes to Our Mission

Sasya’s research furthers FFAR’s Advanced Animal Systems  Challenge Area. The work in this Challenge Area supports sustainable animal systems through innovative technologies, environmentally sound production practices and advancements in animal health and welfare.

Matching Funders

Launch Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, private equity financing and Sasya, Inc.

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