As reported on BusinessWire June 22, 2022

PHOENIX, JUNE 22, 2022 – PanTheryx, an integrative digestive and immune health company, today announced its poster presentation at the American Dairy Science Association meeting on June 21, 2022 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Missouri. Presented by Dr. Drew Vermeire, founder of Nouriche Nutrition LLC and scientific advisor to APS La Belle, and co-authored by Dave DeKlyen, technical director at APS La Belle, the poster explores accuracy of BRIX refractometer in estimating immunoglobulin content in cow colostrum.

The poster titled “BRIX does not accurately estimate immunoglobulin content in colostrum” reports on the analysis of 997 colostrum samples through digital BRIX refractometer or Fourrier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (fTIR). The study found that BRIX underestimated IgG level in samples with IgG >40 g/L, which is the most critical range for colostrum. BRIX was highly correlated (0.74) to solids content and to IgG content on an as is basis (0.70), but poorly correlated to actual IgG content on dry matter basis (0.40).

“With new guidelines established for the transfer of passive immunity in cows, it is critical to have an accurate measurement to identify IgG levels in colostrum,” said Drew Vermeire, Ph.D., founder of Nouriche Nutrition LLC and scientific advisor to APS LaBelle (wholly owned subsidiary of PanTheryx). “On-farm methods used to estimate immunoglobulin content of colostrum include colostrometer, which relates specific gravity to an estimated Ig content, and BRIX refractometer which measures refraction of light. The findings of this study suggest that current on-farm methods for IgG estimation are likely inaccurate.”

Accurate estimation of maternal colostrum IgG within the first 24 hours after the calf’s birth is critical to ensure proper passive transfer of IgG to the calf. Recent studies have indicated a high incidence of inadequate colostrum management practices on dairy farms leading to poor passive transfer rates in calves.

“Understanding the challenges of providing adequate passive transfer to calves at the farm level is integral to our strategy for supporting the farmer,” said Mike Weiser, Ph.D., senior director of innovation and R&D at PanTheryx. “Providing high-quality colostrum replacers standardized to IgG content can help alleviate these pain-points for the farmer, improving health outcomes for the calves and ultimately increasing profitability of the farms.”

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