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BR-102024018192-A2 - Slow-release urea protected with vegetable fat, low in trans fat.

BR102024018192A2BR 102024018192 A2BR102024018192 A2BR 102024018192A2BR-102024018192-A2

Abstract

The present invention encompasses the production of microencapsulated systems through the microencapsulation of urea using hydrogenated vegetable fat with low trans fat content as encapsulating material, by the Melt technique, enabling the application of the developed microspheres in the diet of ruminants. This technology overcomes the limitations of the direct use of urea and allows its programmed release, providing protection against the rumen environment and controlled availability at the site of interest. This results in a reduction of the risks of urea intoxication and improves nitrogen utilization by the rumen microbiota, optimizing the use of urea as a source of non-protein nitrogen (NPN). Hydrogenated vegetable fat constitutes an efficient alternative for microencapsulating urea due to its hydrophobic characteristics and thermal stability, in addition to being an accessible product with low degradability. The developed formulations improve the integrity of urea during storage and facilitate homogenization with other dietary ingredients, enabling the application of microparticles in the diet of sheep and other ruminants. Furthermore, this technique results in less nitrogen excretion into the environment, contributing to the environmental sustainability of animal production. Urea microparticles encapsulated with hydrogenated vegetable fat allow for a gradual release of urea in the rumen, increasing the efficiency of microbial protein production and improving the nitrogen balance of animals, without compromising the quality of meat products.

Inventors

  • LEILSON ROCHA BEZERRA
  • PEDRO HENRIQUE SOARES MAZZA
  • KEVILY HENRIQUE DE OLIVEIRA SOARES DE LUCENA
  • JOSÉ MORAIS PEREIRA FILHO
  • RONALDO LOPES OLIVEIRA
  • ANALIVIA MARTINS BARBOSA

Assignees

  • Universidade Federal De Campina Grande - Pb

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20240904

Claims (8)

  1. 1. SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH LOW-TRANS VEGETABLE FAT, characterized by comprising the following components and steps: a. Weighing the respective masses of low-trans vegetable fat, urea, and lecithin; b. Heating the low-trans vegetable fat in a water bath at 60 °C with 1% soy lecithin; c. Solubilizing the urea in water in a 50:50 ratio and heating in a water bath at 60 °C; d. Incorporating and homogenizing the aqueous solution of urea, lecithin, and low-trans vegetable fat at 60 °C; e. Continuous stirring of the resulting emulsion for 20 minutes; f. After removing from the water bath, allowing the material to cool to room temperature; g. Drying in a forced-air oven for 24 hours at 55 °C; h. Homogenize the paste after dehydration and store it under refrigeration at 2°C.
  2. 2. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH LOW-TRANS VEGETABLE FAT, characterized by preferably comprising low-trans vegetable fat as the encapsulating lipid.
  3. 3. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH VEGETABLE FAT WITH LOW TRANS CONTENT, characterized by comprising a urea percentage preferably of 40% in relation to the total mass and diluted in water in a 50:50 ratio.
  4. 4. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH LOW-TRANS VEGETABLE FAT, characterized by comprising soy lecithin as an emulsifying agent, preferably at a concentration of 1% in relation to the total mass of low-trans vegetable fat.
  5. 5. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH LOW-TRANS VEGETABLE FAT, characterized by comprising a temperature that keeps all materials molten, preferably 60 °C.
  6. 6. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH LOW-TRANS VEGETABLE FAT, characterized by comprising constant mechanical agitation for 20 min.
  7. 7. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH VEGETABLE FAT WITH LOW TRANS CONTENT, characterized by comprising the removal of excess water, preferably by drying in an oven at 55 °C for 24h.
  8. 8. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SLOW-RELEASE UREA PROTECTED WITH LOW-TRANS VEGETABLE FAT, characterized by comprising the homogenization of microencapsulated systems to obtain a homogeneous paste, followed by storage under low-temperature cooling, preferably at 2°C.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [001] The present invention consists of obtaining urea encapsulated in a vegetable fat lipid matrix with a low trans fatty acid content, with the aim of developing controlled-release systems for ruminant feed. This technology aims to overcome the challenges related to the direct application of urea in the diet of these animals. The product developed through the microencapsulation of urea with vegetable fat allows its effective incorporation into the ruminant diet. This improves the stability of urea during storage and facilitates its homogeneous distribution with other dietary ingredients and in the rumen environment. In addition to enabling the use of higher concentrations of urea in the ruminant diet, this technology makes it possible to obtain controlled-release nitrogen systems. These systems are designed to resist degradative conditions in the rumen environment, ensuring a gradual and efficient availability of nitrogen at the absorption site, thus promoting more effective nutritional utilization. Additionally, this technology contributes to a more efficient use of urea by ruminants, reducing nitrogen excretion into the environment and improving the feed efficiency of the animals. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [002] With the constant advances in animal production, there is currently a search for the inclusion of alternative food sources in the diet, with the aim of providing better economics in diets and consequently a better added value to production animals, generating a better final product, with lipid sources associated with urea protection being an interesting option. [003] For this reason, there is increasing economic value placed on products that can replace soybean meal as a protein source, promoting greater cost-effectiveness in diets formulated for ruminants. [004] Vegetable fat, specifically low-trans fatty acid vegetable fat, represents an innovative solution for the protection and controlled release of urea in the rumen. Due to its chemical hydrogenation process, low-trans fatty acid vegetable fat has a high melting point, giving it a semi-solid texture at room temperature, as evidenced by Mazza et al. (2024). This characteristic is fundamental for the effective coating and encapsulation of compounds such as urea. [005] Vegetable fat with low trans fatty acid content offers significant advantages over other coating materials due to its physicochemical structure. Its semi-solid texture provides a controlled and gradual release of urea in the rumen, which is crucial to avoid excessive ammonia-nitrogen spikes and improve nitrogen balance in animals, as demonstrated in the work of Lucena et al. (2024), when testing different proportions of urea and vegetable fat in urea encapsulation. Furthermore, by using vegetable fat with low trans fatty acid content, it is possible to improve animal performance and reduce ammonia emissions into the environment (Lucena et al., 2024). [006] The use of low trans fatty acid vegetable fat as a coating for urea represents a promising approach to improve nutritional efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in ruminant feed, taking advantage of its physicochemical properties for superior and sustainable performance. [007] Using non-protein nitrogen (NPN) sources, such as urea, in ruminant diets can partially replace true protein sources when used at appropriate levels. However, when supplied in high quantities, NPN, such as urea, can cause intoxication. Therefore, to reduce risks and optimize urea utilization, researchers have explored methods to coat it. This allows for an increase in daily dosage and, consequently, gradual utilization by rumen microorganisms (Geron et al., 2016; Carvalho et al., 2019; de Medeiros et al., 2019; Melo et al., 2021), since these have the ability to transform NPN sources into microbial protein. As microbial protein represents an important source of amino acids for ruminants, maximizing the efficiency of its production can, consequently, improve productivity (NRC, 2007). [008] To produce high-quality slow-release urea (SRU), the coating agent needs to be rumen-inert, water-insoluble, and hydrophobic. These properties ensure the coating's ability to prevent rapid core release, avoiding excess NH3-N in the rumen. de Medeiros et al. (2019) and Netto et al. (2021) tested carnauba wax as a coating matrix, while Carvalho et al. (2019) tested beeswax. They demonstrated the feasibility of coating urea with a lipid matrix of waxes rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA). This allows the urea to be released gradually in the rumen, reducing the risks of toxicity and increasing the availability of NH3-N for bacteria to produce microbial protein more efficiently. These advances have the potential to improve nitrogen balance and animal performance. OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION [009] The objective of the invention is to obtain microencapsulated urea in a lipid matrix of hydrogenated vegetable fat using the melt technique, enabling t