# US 11,076,616 B2 · L-amino acid-containing feedstuff additive

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,076,616 B2
- Document ID: US11076616B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/031,260
- Filed: 2014-10-06
- Published: 2016-09-08
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2013-10-24
- Assignees: Evonik Operations GmbH
- Applicants: Evonik Operations GmbH
- Inventors: Ansgar Oelmann; Hans Christian Alt; Franz Ulrich Becker; Wilfried Blümke; Wilfried Claes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11076616B2

## CPC

- A23K 20/142: Amino acids; Derivatives thereof
- A23K 10/12: by fermentation of natural products, e.g. of vegetable material, animal waste material or biomass
- A23K 20/158: Fatty acids; Fats; Products containing oils or fats
- A23K 20/20: Inorganic substances, e.g. oligoelements
- A23K 40/10: by agglomeration; by granulation, e.g. making powders
- A23K 40/30: by encapsulating; by coating
- C12P 13/08: Lysine; Diaminopimelic acid; Threonine; Valine
- C12P 13/12: Methionine; Cysteine; Cystine
- C12P 13/22: Tryptophan; Tyrosine; Phenylalanine; 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine
- A23K: FODDER
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}

## Abstract

By substituting biomass with a surface-active substance in a fermentation broth containing amino acid before spray-drying, granulated animal feed additives with improved product specifications were obtained.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for preparing a feed additive, comprising the following steps:
a) obtaining a low biomass content fermentation broth by:
i) fermenting an L-amino acid-producing microorganism in an aqueous culture medium to produce a fermentation broth;
ii) after the fermenting of step i) is complete:
aa) removing biomass from the fermentation broth to reduce the biomass content to, at most, 4% by weight;
bb) adding surface-active substance to the fermentation broth to a final concentration of 0.025 to 20% by weight; and
b) drying the low biomass content fermentation broth obtained in step a) in order to convert it into said feed additive;
wherein the concentrations of biomass and surface-active substance in the low biomass content fermentation broth are such that the feed additive of step b) is a particulate composition with a particle density of at least 1.20 g/cm3.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the concentrations of biomass and surface-active substance in the low biomass content fermentation broth are such that the feed additive of step b) is a particulate composition with a particle density of 1.20-1.30 g/cm3.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising completely or partially coating the particulate composition with an edible oil.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the L-amino acid is L-lysine, L-methionine, L-threonine, L-valine or L-tryptophan.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amino acid is L-lysine and wherein, in a step after completion of fermentation and before the start of drying, ammonium sulphate and/or sulphuric acid is added to the fermentation broth in order to establish a sulphate/L-amino acid ratio of 0.85 to 1.2.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least 30% by weight of the biomass is removed from the fermentation broth before drying.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the surface-active substance is selected from the group consisting of: corn steep liquor; lipids; antifoaming agents; surfactants; and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the surface-active substance is an antifoaming agent selected from the group consisting of: polysiloxanes; mono- and polyglycols; phospholipids; and fatty acid glycerides.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fermentation broth used in the drying comprises:
a) an L-amino acid content, as amino acid base, of 12 to 48% by weight;
b) a solids content, including biomass, of 20 to 60% by weight;
c) a surface-active substance content of 0.025 to 20% by weight;
d) a sulphate to L-amino acid ratio of 0.8 to 1.2; and
e) a pH of 3.5 to 7.0.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein drying is conducted by spray-drying.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fermentation broth used in the drying step comprises:
a) a biomass content of at most 1% by weight;
b) an L-lysine content, as amino acid base, of 12 to 48% by weight;
c) a solids content, including biomass, of 30 to 50% by weight;
d) a surface-active substance content of 0.3 to 10% by weight;
e) a sulphate to L-lysine ratio of 0.8 to 1.2; and
f) a pH of 4.0 to 5.0.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
a) at least 50% by weight of the biomass is removed from the fermentation broth before drying;
b) the surface-active substance is present in the fermentation broth before drying in an amount of 0.3 to 10% by weight;
c) drying is conducted by spray granulation using a fluidized bed reactor;
d) the L-amino acid is L-lysine.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising completely or partially coating the particulate composition with an edible oil.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein, in a method step after completion of the fermentation and before the start of the drying, ammonium sulphate and/or sulphuric acid is added to the fermentation broth in order to establish a sulphate/L-amino acid ratio of 0.85 to 1.2.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein at least 70% by weight of the biomass is removed from the fermentation broth before drying and wherein said feed additive is a particulate composition with a particle density of 1.20-1.30 g/cm3.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein at least 90% by weight of the biomass is removed from the fermentation broth before drying.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fermentation broth is converted directly into a granulate in one process step, and wherein the granulate comprises: 40-60% L-lysine; a mean particle diameter of 60-1500 μm; a biomass content of 0.1-2% by weight; a surface-active substance content of 0.5 to 15% by weight; and a water content of at most 3.5% by weight.

### Claim 18

A method for preparing a feed additive, comprising the following steps:
a) fermenting an L-amino acid acid-producing microorganism in an aqueous culture medium to produce a fermentation broth;
b) after the fermenting of step a) is complete, converting the fermentation broth into a low biomass content fermentation broth by:
i) removing biomass from the fermentation broth to reduce the biomass content to, at most, 4% by weight, wherein at least 50% by weight of the biomass is removed from the fermentation broth before drying;
ii) adding a surface-active substance to the fermentation broth, wherein said surface-active substance is added to a final concentration of 0.025 to 20% by weight; and
c) drying the low biomass content fermentation broth obtained in step b) to convert it into a said feed additive;
wherein the concentrations of biomass and surface-active substance in the low biomass content fermentation broth are such that the feed additive of step c) is a particulate composition with a particle density of 1.20-1.30 g/cm3.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein, in a step after completion of fermentation and before the start of drying, ammonium sulphate and/or sulphuric acid is added to the fermentation broth in order to establish a sulphate/L-amino acid ratio of 0.85 to 1.2.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein, said L-amino acid is L-lysine and said surface-active substance is selected from the group consisting of: corn steep liquor; lipids; antifoaming agents; surfactants; and mixtures thereof.