Oxilem: Natural Antioxidant Feed Solution

Gut Health · Antioxidants

Antioxidant defense, sourced from nature’s best

The Oxilem range supplies polyphenols from hydrolyzed lignocellulose to support the antioxidant status of animals in periods of high metabolic demand.

Species

Oxilem: poultry, swine, ruminants. Oxilem Blue: aquaculture (shrimp, fish)

Application

Compound feed and aquafeed, 0.5 to 2.0 kg/t

Technology

Polyphenols from hydrolyzed lignocellulose; lignin content above 40%

Gut Health

Where oxidative load builds up

Oxidative stress develops when reactive oxygen species (ROS) outpace the antioxidant capacity of the animal. It is most pronounced when metabolic demand peaks: around calving, in late gestation and lactation, and under intensive production conditions. Oxilem is a feed material made from hydrolyzed lignocellulose, a source of lignin-derived polyphenols. In company trials, dairy cows and sows fed Oxilem showed lower blood levels of oxidant markers than unsupplemented controls, and an independent university study measured less lipid oxidation in stored meat from broilers fed Oxilem.

Oxidative load is not constant across the production cycle. It concentrates in a few windows, and those are where an antioxidant feed material is most relevant.

How lignin polyphenols work

Lignin is the structural polymer that protects woody plants against pests, pathogens, and oxidative damage. Hydrolysis breaks it into smaller units that the animal can use: monolignols (p-coumaryl, coniferyl, and sinapyl alcohol), lignans, and short lignin oligomers.

Radical scavenging. Phenolic groups donate hydrogen atoms to free radicals and form stable, resonance-stabilized radicals, which interrupts oxidative chain reactions.
Metal chelation. Polyphenols bind transition metals such as iron and copper that catalyze the formation of new radicals.
Measurable status. The effect is tracked with standard blood markers: the d-ROMs test for total oxidant capacity (in Carratelli units, CARR U) and the BAP test for biological antioxidant potential.

*All products, services, and recommendations are country-dependent and may differ based on local compliance.

Gut Health

Products in the range

Oxilem

Antioxidant support for terrestrial livestock

A brown powder of natural polyphenols extracted from hydrolyzed lignocellulose, mixed into compound feed. Used in poultry, swine, and ruminant diets, either continuously or in high-demand phases such as the weeks around farrowing and calving.

Form

Brown powder

Target species

Poultry, swine, ruminants

Active principle

Lignocellulose, hydrolyzed (polyphenols; lignin above 40%)

Application

Compound feed, 0.5 to 2.0 kg/t

Packaging

20 kg bag

Shelf life

24 months

Availability

Varies (check with your local representative)

Oxilem Blue

The aquafeed format

Oxilem Blue has the same composition and specification as Oxilem and is supplied for aquafeeds. Trials in white shrimp and rainbow trout measured feed conversion, survival, and carotenoid deposition.

Form

Brown powder

Target species

Aquaculture

Active principle

Lignocellulose, hydrolyzed (polyphenols; lignin above 40%)

Application

Aquafeed, 0.5 to 2.0 kg/t

Packaging

20 kg bag

Shelf life

24 months

Availability

Varies (check with your local representative)

Gut Health

Technical notes

Legal status

feed material under Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 (Catalogue of feed materials).

GMO status

contains no genetically modified organisms within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003.

Quality

GMP+ FSA assured.

Storage

at ambient temperature, frost-free, dry, and out of direct sunlight; use promptly once opened.

Gut Health

What the trials show

Oxidative markers in dairy cows around calving

Oxilem

In a trial near Padua, Italy, with 2 groups of 10 Holstein cows, Oxilem was fed at 70 g/cow/day from 21 days before to 10 days after expected calving. The trial report describes lower blood d-ROMs values throughout the trial and higher BAP values over the whole study period in the Oxilem group (TRS359).

Oxidative markers in sows

Oxilem

In 2 groups of 90 sows, Oxilem was fed at 15 g/sow/day from 20 days before expected farrowing. d-ROMs values were lower in the Oxilem group at every sampling point from day 13 before to day 10 after farrowing (TRS361).

Pre-weaning losses and weaning weight

Oxilem

In 95 sows (Large White x Duroc) in 3 groups, Oxilem was fed at 2 or 3 kg/t of sow feed for 3 weeks from 5 days before farrowing. Pre-weaning mortality, calculated from piglets born and weaned, was 15.0% in the control, 7.8% at 2 kg/t, and 9.2% at 3 kg/t. Weaning weight at 28 days was 7.5 kg in both Oxilem groups vs. 7.3 kg in the control (TRS365).

Meat lipid oxidation, independent study

Oxilem

At the University of Florence, 105 Ross 308 broilers were fed 0 or 2 g Oxilem/kg diet dry matter for 42 days. Breast burgers stored 7 days at 4 °C contained less total volatile aldehydes (1.04 vs. 2.08 mg/kg), less hexanal (0.26 vs. 0.93 mg/kg), and fewer cholesterol oxidation products (5.31 vs. 15.43 mg/kg) than control burgers. Red and yellow color indexes of Oxilem burgers did not change significantly during storage; those of control burgers did. TBARS did not differ (Serra et al., 2024, Poultry Science 103:103421, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.103421).

White shrimp growth, feed conversion, and survival

Oxilem Blue

At Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Penaeus vannamei were fed 0, 1, or 2 kg Oxilem Blue/t for 8 weeks (27 aquaria, 9 per diet). At week 8, FCR was 1.35, 1.22, and 1.17 (p = 0.005) and survival 76.11%, 81.67%, and 82.22% (p = 0.027). Body weight was higher at 2 kg/t at weeks 2, 4, and 6 (p < 0.05); at week 8 the difference (10.14 vs. 9.50 g) was not significant (p = 0.143) (TRS392).

Shrimp carotenoids and post-harvest quality

Oxilem Blue

At 2 kg/t, total carotenoids were 0.29 vs. 0.12 mg/g (p < 0.001) and the cooked SalmoFan color score 23.10 vs. 20.20 (p = 0.020). After 3 days at 4 °C, melanosis scored 2 in both Oxilem Blue groups vs. 3 in the control on a 1 to 4 scale (not statistically tested). Drip loss did not differ (p = 0.839) (TRS392).

Shrimp gut microflora

Oxilem Blue

After 8 weeks at 2 kg/t, intestinal Vibrio counts were 1.79 vs. 4.10 log CFU and lactic acid bacteria 5.02 vs. 4.06 log CFU (both p < 0.001). Under normal culture conditions, the antioxidant enzymes SOD and glutathione did not differ between groups at week 4 or week 8 (p > 0.05) (TRS392).

Shrimp under experimental challenge

Oxilem Blue

After 15 days of immersion challenge with V. parahaemolyticus (AHPND strain), survival was 73.33% at 2 kg/t and 66.67% at 1 kg/t vs. 40.00% in the control (p = 0.001), and SOD activity was 2.84 vs. 0.42 U/mL (p < 0.001). After WSSV injection, survival did not differ significantly (p > 0.05), while viral load was 9.54 vs. 54.41 x 10⁶ copies/µL at 2 kg/t (p < 0.001) (TRS392).

Rainbow trout growth and astaxanthin retention

Oxilem Blue

At Fondazione Edmund Mach, Italy, trout of 250 to 256 g were fed a standard pigmented diet with or without Oxilem Blue for 67 of 94 trial days (3 tanks per group). Compared with the control, Oxilem Blue gave 365.5 vs. 337.4 g weight gain, biological FCR of 1.04 vs. 1.09, and SGR of 0.95 vs. 0.91 %/day. Net apparent astaxanthin retention in the fillet was 22.1% vs. 18.3%, with 40 vs. 42 mg/kg astaxanthin in the diet (TRS393).

Gut Health

Where it fits

Oxilem goes into compound feed, either continuously or in the phases where oxidative load peaks. The trials above fed sows from 20 days before farrowing and dairy cows from 21 days before to 10 days after calving. Oxilem Blue goes into aquafeed through grow-out; in the shrimp trial, the 2 kg/t dose gave the larger effects on carotenoid deposition and gut microflora.

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Plan the right antioxidant program for your operation

Species, production phase, and existing antioxidant supply determine dose and timing. Talk to a local specialist.