Patent Application
20060115558
The present invention relates to a method of production and control of animal derived food products and derivatives thereof, whereby to commercialize such food products in a controlled environment. The present invention concerns the production of omega-3 milk, but should not be limited thereto as it applies to many other animal derived food products.
In an attempt to provide food products such as milk or eggs rich in omega-3 isomers. Certain milk producers have concocted a cocktail to commercialize a milk product comprised of regular milk, linseed oil and other supplements. When regular milk is mixed with linseed oil, it produces an odor not conducive to milk, and in order to eliminate this odor additives are added. This milk is modified to the point that it can no longer be identified as milk, but as a milk drink. Usually, such drink would utilize a trademark giving the impression that the drink is milk, when in fact it is not milk produced directly from cows. There is a need to provide such products, but derived directly from animals. This requires constant control of the feed and monitoring of the food product.
With milk products and derivatives, such as butter, ice cream, etc., there is provided fats and fatty acids which are important to our well-being, and particularly polyunsaturated fats containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Linolenic acid (omega-6) and alphalinolenic acid (omega-3) are two fatty acids of the polyunsaturated fats. They are said to be essential, as they cannot be synthesized by the organs, and must therefore be consumed in foodstuff. These are so essential that the proper function of the brain, the hormone system and the immune system, as well as the cardiovascular system, depends upon these acids. They are major constituents of the human body.
There are principally two sources of omega-3 fatty acids, namely, vegetables and fish. Sources of alphalino-lenic acids can be found in linseeds and linseed oils, soya and canola oil. It has been found that, by feeding cows a special diet of a mixture of linseeds and other feed products, cows (depending on their genetics) can produce milk that is rich in omega-3. Recent studies have shown that the human body requires approximately 1.6 g per day of omega-3 fatty acids for men, and 1.1 g per day for women. The ratio of omega-6/omega-3 is too high in North America, and the share of linolenic acid can be augmented by consuming linseed oil, soya and canola. The omega-3 acids are not only insufficient in the foodstuff, but the excess of omega-6 would affect its utilization. Contrary to omega-3 fatty acids, the omega-6 acids are pro-inflammatory, pro-aggregate and vasoconstrictors. An ideal diet must include omega-3 from vegetables and seafood. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is still unknown, and certain research entities favor a ratio of 1:2 (omega-6/omega-3). Others believe that a ratio of 4:1 is more realistic.
It has been found that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats prevent cardiovascular diseases, and that it favors a lower blood pressure. It also has beneficial effects on diabetics, as well as certain cancers such as colon and breast cancer. Among the fatty acids, omega-3 acids are those that have a greater influence on the immune system. Numerous research has been done on animals and humans that shows clearly the anti-inflammatory effects of fatty acids and, therefore, such is prescribed to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory diseases of the intestine.
Studies have also shown that, by introducing linseed grains in the diet of animals, this augmented the quantity of omega-3 fatty acids in the animals' milk, and consequently transmitted to the human body when consumed. Certain studies have also shown that the quantities of omega-3 fatty acids has doubled in animals without changing the feed habits of the animals that were studied. This drastic change in omega-3 fatty acids was obtained without noticing any negative or adverse effects on the animals, and the lipidic balance of the animals seems to have improved. By feeding cows a special diet with feedstock that favors the production of omega-3 in milk, an excellent source of foodstuff can be made available to provide omega-3 acids to the population.
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide a method of production and control of animal derived food products of superior quality and derivatives thereof, whereby to produce such products of superior quality and make it available to the public on a large scale.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a method of production and control of animal derived food products whereby producers of such products can derive financial benefits from the production thereof and wherein the animals are fed a special diet and which has side effects that are more beneficial to the animal by increasing its health and lifespan and increasing production, as well as reproduction, of such animal.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a method of production and control of animal derived food products and derivatives thereof, and wherein the producers are provided access to the analysis of its product, and are integrated in a computerized system controlled by a principal entity and which favors the maintenance of a quality product, as well as the well-being of its animals.
According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a method of production and control of animal derived food products by a principal commercial entity. The method comprises providing one or more producers of such food products with a feed formula to feed animals under set control parameters to produce from at least some of the animals a food product having a beneficial quality to consumers. The producers are provided a computer network access code whereby to access a central computer of a principal commercial entity, which has stored information memory banks associated with each of the access codes of producers. Feed is provided to the producers that is commensurate with a predetermined feed formula, and data is stored in the information memory banks representative of the feed formula and quantities delivered to the particular ones of the producers. The food product delivered to the commercial entity by the producers, and resulting quality food data of such food is stored in the information memory banks associated with the producers. The quality food data of each bank is accessible only to the access code associated with the bank of a particular producer and the principal commercial entity. A monetary value of the quality food delivered by the producers to the principal entity is inputted into their information memory bank, and this monetary value is dependent on the resulting quality food data.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention relates to a method of production and control of animal derived food products and derivatives thereof having a particular beneficial nutritious value to the consumer. Examples of such food products include milk, butter, cheese, eggs, chicken, beef, pork, rabbit and many other animal derived food products. The description that follows illustrates an application for the production of milk rich in omega-3 isomers. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
A typical example of a stored information memory bank 16 is illustrated in
It has been found that in a herd of milk-producing cows, all of which are fed a specific diet, some cows will produce better omega-3 milk than others. In fact, it has been observed that some cows with the same diet do not produce milk that is rich in omega-3 isomers (fatty acids), and this is most likely due to the genetics of the cow. After the herd has been analyzed, the producer can then separate the cows that produce the desired omega-3 milk from those that do not, and eventually milk collected from the herd of omega-3 cows will be delivered in batch form to the principal commercial entity, and this will appear on the information memory bank 16 under a column identified as “Omega-3.” Accordingly, this stored information memory bank contains a classification of each cow of the herd of the producer, and such classification can be modified or analyzed from time to time by providing samples of the milk produced by such herd to the principal commercial entity. This data also provides to the milk producer an identity of those cows in its herd that are best producers of milk rich in omega-3 isomers, and these can be bred to produce offsprings that may also be high producers of milk rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and the object of the producer is to increase the quality of the omega-3 milk displayed in column 21 of his information memory bank, whereby to obtain a better price for that milk.
Referring to table 1, there is shown the results of analysis of two different milk samples from cows of different herds fed two different feed formulas. It demonstrates over that it is possible to control the quantity of omega-3 isomers (fatty acids) in milk. The ideal quantity of omega-3 isomers is a percentage between about 0.10 to 0.20/250 ml. The feed formula is based on a mixture of various ingredients including soya and linseed. The formula also needs to be controlled and varied dependent on the seasons. For example, when cows grase outside during summer months, the grass is very nutritious, but not so when fed inside during winter months. Accordingly, it is important to monitor the milk periodically and to adjust the supply of feed to the producers to try to maintain a substantially constant milk supply which contains omega-3 isomers within a desirable range. This feed control diet also increases the ALC % in the milk.
Table 2 shows a further experimental analysis of milk from three different farms where the cows were subjected to a special feed diet. The experiments were conducted from Dec. 10, 2003 to April and May of 2004. Experiments show, particularly with Farm 2, that the omega-3 isomers were increased from 0.54 to 1.28 grams/100 grams.
In order for a herd of cows to produce omega-3 milk, it is essential that the herd be fed feed that is rich in linseeds, and this feed is commensurate with a specific formula. The feed must also be gradually added to the herd in predetermined amounts before the herd can start producing omega-3 milk. The amount of feed delivered to a milk producer is commensurate with the size of its herd and the production thereof, and this data is stored in the information memory bank such that the producer is aware of the quantities of feed delivered to him at various intervals, whereby to analyze the consumption thereof by its herd. Accordingly, a feed supplier 22 is designated to supply the milk producers 13. The feed supplier 22 inputs the delivered information into the central computer memory bank through the computer link 28. The central computer provides information to a control link 23, which feeds data through link 24 to the feed supply transformer 22, and also to a bulk feed supplier 25. The bulk feed supplier supplies seeds to the transformer, which integrates it into a mixture with other feedstock rich in linseed, soya and many other products, such as canola, etc. The importance of the feed supplier transformer feeding information into the central computer, is that this information is used to regulate the producers.
Each of the milk producers 13 who has qualified as an omega-3 milk supplier to the principal commercial entity is then certified by an independent agency 26, who may be provided a report by the principal commercial entity. Regular inspection of the milk producer by the agency 26 assures its certification. Accordingly, the milk producers also form part of an accredited association, certifying them as omega-3 milk producers. Similarly, the feed supply transformer, as well as the bulk feed supplier, have an accreditation by the independent association 26, whereby their feed can be labeled with a logo identifying their membership in the association and the quality of the feedstock for omega-3 milk-producing cows.
The principal commercial entity 11 also utilizes the milk produced by its milk producers 13 for the production of byproducts 30. These byproducts may include milk, aromatic milk, cheeses, cream, ice cream, yogurts, etc. These byproducts fetch a higher price on the market and, accordingly, the producers 13 are paid a higher price for the transformation of their omega-3 milk for use in these products, and this is also inputted into the stored information memory banks 16, as shown at 29 in
Of course, it would not be practical for a principal commercial entity to cover a very large territory due to the fact that milk has to be transported to dairies. However, the byproducts 30 have a much longer lifespan than milk for drinking, and the commercial territory of the principal commercial entities may be expanded for byproducts. It is, therefore, necessary in the method of production to establish sub-commercial entities 35 in non-conflicting territories where it is commercially impractical to deliver milk due to large distances. Accordingly, a sub-commercial entity is set up in a network, as shown in
It is pointed out that, for a milk producer to be certified as an omega-3 milk producer, there are various parameters that have to be met, and each of these producers is provided with a manual establishing certain criteria such as farm cleanliness, respect for the animals, the supply and administration of the feedstock, etc. Accordingly, the well-being of the animal will improve in this system.
As previously described, it is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present invention is applicable to the production of many other animal derived food products and should not be restricted to a preferred embodiment described herein.
