Dr. Mark Lyons grew up in the Alltech business, having traveled with his father and Alltech’s founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons, from a young age to visit customers. With experience working in all regions and nearly all departments — before even officially joining Alltech — he has a deep and uniquely personal knowledge of the company. Based on Alltech’s belief that agriculture has the greatest potential to positively shape our world’s future, he launched the Planet of Plenty™ vision in 2019. He has called for collaboration to provide nutrition for all, revitalize local economies and replenish the planet’s natural resources.

Dr. Lyons began his career at Alltech focused on the development of the company’s core nutritional technologies. He spearheaded many critical projects, including simultaneously managing the establishment of a plant in Serbia and the creation of Alltech’s flagship yeast production facility in São Pedro, Brazil. He also spent nearly four years in Mexico rebuilding the company’s solid state fermentation plant in Serdán, which is one of the largest of its kind in the world. 

Under his leadership as director of North America from 2009 to 2011, Alltech expanded its presence with the opening of new offices and a growing involvement in all agricultural sectors. In 2012, Dr. Lyons relocated to China, the world’s largest feed market, as part of Alltech’s focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Living in Beijing and traveling throughout the country, he led the Alltech China office and focused on building bridges between China and the wider industry through research, education and strategic initiatives.

Today, Dr. Lyons is based at Alltech’s headquarters in Kentucky, USA. He is active in many industry groups. He has published papers and patents in areas ranging from enzyme production to global economics and is interested in the assurance of food safety and quality throughout the entire food chain. 

Dr. Lyons received his bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental science in 1999 from the University of Chicago. He received his master’s degree in brewing and distilling in 2001, followed by a Ph.D. in the area of solid state fermentation, at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in 2008. Dr. Lyons is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, French and German, and he has a working knowledge of Mandarin.

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As chief operations and financial officer, E. Michael Castle brings integration to Alltech’s operational, finance and support teams globally, ensuring that they work in alignment and collaboration toward the company’s ambitious goals for growth and Planet of Plenty™ purpose. 

Most recently, Michael served as chief operating officer at Alltech. During his time at Alltech, he has also served as executive vice president and CEO of the Alltech Feed Division, which comprises several recently acquired companies that specialize in premixes, complete feeds, nutrition blocks, specialty products and technologies. He was responsible for the division’s focus on delivering greater efficiency, productivity and sustainability to the farm and ranch, and improving companion animal nutrition. Michael also assumed leadership of Alltech’s North American commercial efforts in 2018.

Prior to that appointment, Michael held a variety of roles such as chief administrative and legal officer, and chief legal officer. He has lived and worked for Alltech in England as head of the legal department for Asia-Pacific and Europe. He then returned to Alltech’s corporate headquarters in Kentucky to establish a legal and regulatory presence for Alltech globally as chief legal officer.

Michael received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a minor in mathematics from the University of Kentucky and a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis.

As vice chairman of Alltech, Alric Blake chairs the executive committee. Prior to his current role, he served as chief operating officer and also spent four years as CEO, appointed by Alltech’s founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons. In this capacity, he was the highest-ranking officer outside of the Lyons family.

Upon joining Alltech in 1996, Blake had direct responsibility for the launch of the global ERP system as the associate director of finance. In 2003, he was promoted to director of finance for Europe and Asia, and, in 2007, he became responsible for the development of group financial and strategic planning. In 2011, Blake became vice president and CFO, with direct responsibility for Alltech’s global finance activities as well as managing directorship of the Alltech U.K. office. He was responsible for mergers and acquisitions globally until 2018.

Blake received a degree in business and finance from Peterborough College, and he completed his MBA studies in business and finance at Leicester University in the U.K.

Dr. Aoife Louise Lyons was known for her generous spirit and her continual drive to help others. As Alltech’s director of educational initiatives and engagement, she was instrumental in fostering educational opportunities both within Alltech and in local communities around the world, including the prestigious Alltech Young Scientist competition, the world’s largest agriscience competition for university students. She created the company’s Career Development Program, a highly selective global recruitment and training initiative, and was beloved by these new Alltech team members as their mentor, “Dr. Aoife.”

Deirdre Lyons was born in Dublin, Ireland, graduating from University College Dublin in 1970. In 1977, Deirdre moved to Kentucky with her husband, Dr. Pearse Lyons, and their two small children, Aoife and Mark. Aoife held a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and worked at Alltech’s European Headquarters in Dunboyne, Ireland. Mark has a Ph.D. in solid state fermentation and is president and CEO of Alltech, having served as executive vice president and head of Greater China since 2011. 

Deirdre co-founded Alltech with her husband, Pearse, in 1980 to help farmers feed the world, raise healthy animals and protect the environment through natural, nutritional innovation. Today, Alltech is a $2 billion company with more than 5,000 employees supporting its business presence in over 120 countries. Deirdre is Alltech’s director of corporate image and design, which involves carefully architecting, designing and outfitting Alltech’s facilities in nearly 100 countries to ensure a consistent brand image.

She has achieved national and international accolades on behalf of Kentucky through her work on the historic Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010; various art initiatives, including the annual Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition and Alltech Celebration of Song; humanitarian endeavors as far away as Haiti and as close as local primary schools’ science laboratories; and numerous leadership boards in Kentucky, including the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, the Kentucky Equine Humane Center, the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and the Lexington Convention Center.

Everything in moderation is healthy. Although this is often used in the context of human nutrition, I think it may be relevant for pets as we see novel ingredients and new superfoods coming into the food chain.

There is so much information out there about the next best food for you and/or for your pet — what you should add — or not — to your pet’s food and even how to make your own pet food. With Google at hand, you can become an instant nutrition expert.

For those adventurous enough to make their own pet food, you must consider that the food needs to be in complete balance, or sola dosis facit venenum — the dose makes the poison. The complete balance of nutrients is important, as is the total amount. An excessive nutrient can cause toxicity, or its deficiency can cause serious health issues.

Take zinc, for example. Zinc deficiency results in what is known as zinc responsive dermatosis, which causes symptoms such as hair loss and scaling and crusting of the skin around the face, head and legs. On the other hand, over-supplementation of zinc can result in interference of absorption of other nutrients and minerals like calcium, copper and iron.

What are superfoods, and what makes them so special?

They are typically of plant origin but can include some fish and dairy. They are called “superfoods” because they are thought to be packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, etc.

Some of these superfoods have found their way into pet foods, like blueberries, turmeric and coconut oil, to mention a few. Their inclusion rate is low and in moderation, and they are listed by the The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO, the pet food regulatory body). Other superfoods, like acai berry or garcinia cambogia, will not be seen in pet foods yet, because we do not know how they would affect your pet and, therefore, are not approved ingredients to be used in pet food.

As I work with pet food companies from all over the world, one thing I notice is the use of food to support well-being. It is a trend that just keeps growing and growing. Pet food companies know that the best way to keep our best friends happy and healthy is through using quality ingredients, the proper balance of nutrients, adequate amounts of vitamins, the proper ratio of fatty acids, the use of proteinated minerals, and sources of probiotics and prebiotics for digestive health.

Proteinated minerals have proven to provide shinier hair coats, and prebiotics and probiotics help to keep the bad bacteria out of the body. The result is a healthy digestive tract that is able to absorb all the nutrients that come flying past the intestinal villi, and take them right up into the body where they are needed.

Trends come and go, but choosing a pet food based on pet health rather than cost is something that will never go out of style. If only there was a magic ingredient, like the spring water in “Tuck Everlasting,” then I could dream about walking my dog down to his favorite spot by the river for the next 150 years…

Dr. Pearse Lyons, the Irish entrepreneur whose vision for improving global agriculture built a multibillion-dollar international business, died March 8, 2018.

Modern agriculture is facing two daunting challenges: doubling year-on-year production to feed a longer-living population estimated to hit 9.3 billion by 2050, and in doing so, using fewer resources and chemical inputs. Crop nutritional management will be a key aspect of the second Green Revolution, which is looking to technology and sustainable practices to help make crop production more efficient — to get more out of less.

Throughout the world, the potato represents a major food source, with annual global production estimated at approximately 325 million tons and consumption at approximately 33 kilograms per head per year (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2012). Nutritional interventions have been shown to play a considerable role in crop productivity by helping to alleviate the common biotic and abiotic challenges encountered in-field, challenges which frequently result in reduced harvest yields.

The response of two key potato cultivars grown in commercial settings — Rooster (floury-textured, all-purpose potato) and Maris Piper (high dry matter potato, ideal for chipping) — to an Alltech Crop Science (ACS)-recommended program was investigated. Tuber yield and uniformity was assessed for plots treated with Soil-Set® (2 liters/hectare) at planting and Impro-Set® (1 liter/hectare) at early and late tuber fill. The trial was carried out in replicate 38-square-meter plots, each with approximately 140 plants per plot, in a commercial farm on the eastern coast of Ireland during the 2016 growing season.

The combined data for both potato varieties revealed notable improvements in overall yield and relative size distribution with the ACS-recommended program (see graph below). On average, treatment resulted in a 5.9 percent increase in total yield, which equated to approximately 2.7 tons/hectare under these conditions.

Perhaps more interestingly, the relative size distribution of tubers was significantly improved in the desired marketable category (p≤0.05). Reductions of small and oversized tubers in response to treatment coincided with a relative 8.2 percent increase in these 45- to 70-millimeter tubers, equating to an additional 5.9 tons/hectare for this category.

As demonstrated in this study, improved yields and more consistent tuber uniformity across two potato varieties demonstrate the potential benefits of incorporating the ACS program into a commercial potato growing system.

Average relative size distribution and total yield for two different potato varieties

To find out how to incorporate the ACS-recommended program into your crops, contact your local Alltech Crop Science representative or cropscience@alltech.com today.

Seafood is rich in many of the essential nutrients that we must consume regularly to maintain a healthy life. In order for fish and shrimp to reach their full genetic and nutritional potential, it is important that they receive the right minerals. Organic trace minerals can not only positively impact animal health and performance, but producer profitability, the environment and the food on our dinner tables.

Health and performance

Organic trace minerals are more bioavailable than inorganic trace minerals, meaning that they are better absorbed, stored and utilized by the animal. A fish that is healthy and performing optimally leads to a stronger and more robust animal that is less vulnerable to stress throughout the entire production cycle.

The modern management of mineral nutrition can be accomplished with organic trace minerals at significantly lower levels than inorganic trace minerals while still improving fish performance and reducing mineral excretion into the environment. We call this innovation Total Replacement Technology™. Our highly bioavailable trace minerals Bioplex® and Sel-Plex® (zinc, manganese, copper, iron and cobalt*) play vital roles in supporting fish immunity, encouraging growth and supporting reproduction.

In research conducted with Trakia University and the fish farm Nomicom in Bulgaria, it was observed that Bioplex® provided a considerable increase in weight gain and a decrease in feed conversion ratio. These results indicate that the use of Bioplex minerals in fish feed formulations have a positive impact on feed efficiency, which results in higher profitability for the farmer.

Water quality

The importance of bioavailable minerals extends beyond animal health and performance and into the environment. If minerals are not properly utilized within the animal, they will be lost to the environment, negatively impacting the water quality on the farm. Recent trials have focused on the use of Alltech’s Aquate® premix, which contains Bioplex trace minerals, in fish feed diets. These minerals are chelated to organic molecules, which have been shown to interact less with each other in the digestive tract and are also less sensitive to the inhibitory action of other compounds because of their reduced solubility in water, therefore improving digestion. Because these minerals dissolve less in water than other types of minerals, it is easy to filter them out, keeping water fresh.

Tastier, more sustainable fish

Understanding how a fish responds to nutrition on the genetic level can increase animal health and welfare while also helping the animal to meet its full genetic potential. This results in more efficient production through nutritional programming for tastier, more nutritious fish. By producers bringing improved nutrition to the table, consumers reap the benefits of a functional food that bridges the gap between what is on their plate and their health.

Additionally, the Alltech® Mineral Management program and our Total Replacement Technology ensure that the mineral needs of all cultured aqua species are met in the most efficient manner. By utilizing precision nutrition to minimize waste, we can support producers in the challenge of feeding a growing world while preserving our resources for the next generation.

I want to learn more about aquaculture nutrition.

What does it mean that my pet’s food is “complete and balanced?”

Most commercial pet foods are formulated to be “complete and balanced," “100% complete” or “scientifically balanced.” All these phrases mean the same thing: the pet food has been formulated to meet a recognized standard of minimum and maximum nutrients that a pet requires at the claimed “life stage” on the pet food package.

The official standard for dog and cat foods in the U.S. is established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through expert committees composed of veterinarians, companion animal nutritionists from academia, members of the animal food industry and the FDA. The basis for the committees is to review all current and pending nutritional information for specific companion animals. The committees recommend minimum and maximum nutrient levels that should be formulated to ensure a safe and correct diet for each stage of life.

Essential nutrients versus non-essential nutrients in pet foods

There are both essential and non-essential nutrients that animal scientists have identified for the dog and cat, and these vary from 42 to 48 essential nutrients depending on whether we are looking at a kitten or puppy versus a senior cat or dog. Non-essential nutrients are those that the pet can produce within its body from the foods it eats and are not needed on a daily basis.

Essential nutrients are those that the pet needs daily to maintain a healthy life, and these nutrients are specified in the AAFCO Dog and Cat Nutrient Profiles. The sources of these required nutrients come from the ingredients and supplements (vitamins and minerals) that make up the recipe of the selected pet food. These ingredients are required to be listed in a descending order of inclusion amount under a section titled “ingredient listing,” which is usually found on the back or side panel of the pet food package. The names of the ingredients listed follow terms used by the FDA and AAFCO in their regulatory rules and guidelines.

Balanced food depends on age and type of pet

To ensure that a pet food is complete and balanced, it must meet the minimum nutrient levels for the claimed life stage of the pet at the time of feeding. There are several stages of life, each with small changes or additional nutrients that are part of the requirements. For example, since a puppy requires a higher level of protein and energy, fat levels are listed in the label guarantee because fat is an excellent source of energy needed for ensuring proper growth.

Some minerals might be shown in the guarantee because they are important. Calcium and phosphorus are needed for the building of strong bones, but in large breed puppies, excess levels could cause structural problems. Likewise, kittens have a higher protein requirement than puppies and need different levels of vitamins and minerals for their growth compared to an adult cat.

Complete and balanced pet food also means that proper levels of “crude protein” (an animal feed term) are available for the pet, with higher levels required for reproduction, lactation and growth. Protein is made up of many amino acids, which are components of tissues, hormones and other metabolic functions of the body, so AAFCO lists amounts for essential amino acids that must be supplied on a daily basis. Fat is another essential nutrient that is listed as “crude fat”; however, like crude protein, fat has components of essential fatty acids that are required on a daily basis, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Vitamins and minerals can be found in the individual ingredients. However, due to processing, such as grinding, cooking, drying and storage, some of these vitamins and minerals can change or lose their bioavailability, so fortification of the diet for essential vitamins and some minerals is required. Premium pet foods typically include proteinated trace minerals due to their higher bioavailability.

Like human food, pets need some fiber and carbohydrates in their diets. Even dogs have shown that they need some carbohydrates on a routine basis, and as evolution of the dog has occurred, they have developed genes that allow them to digest carbohydrates. Cats have the ability to handle a moderate level of carbohydrates in their diet quite well.

Fiber plays a significant role in helping pets control the passage rate of their food in their digestive tract. With cats, it helps limit hairball formations. You will see in the AAFCO requirements that crude fiber must be listed on the label in the section titled “Guaranteed Analysis,” which shows the amount of fiber and other carbohydrate fractions found in the diet. Even though AAFCO has not set any minimum or maximum levels on crude fiber in the nutrient profiles, this nutrient, which has many components, such as sugars, ligands and starches, helps maintains the balance of a complete diet.

Next time you are in the pet food aisle, check those labels to ensure your pet’s food is truly complete and balanced.