The FDA’s Food Modernization Safety Act (FMSA) has been creating some confusion among ethanol plant operators who produce the co-product distiller’s grains (DDGS) for livestock feed, due to the use of antimicrobials in the production process.

“Interestingly enough, the actual Food Safety Modernization Act document in the federal register does not mention the words antimicrobial or antibiotic once,” says Phibro Ethanol Performance Group vice president Scott Gemmell. “The only reference it makes in this area is that bacterial problems can occur in fermentation and plants should take action to try and control that.”

That is the ultimate purpose of the Phibro product Lactrol, which not only meets FMSA requirements, it also helps an ethanol plant’s bottom line. Gemmell says products like Lactrol have been used in ethanol production for decades and are considered “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) by the FDA with no concerns about possible residues being passed on in animal feed. “In terms of Lactrol specifically, we’ve been studying residues since our GRAS confirmation in June 2010,” he said. “We’ve embarked on our own sampling program with customer concerns in the area and since this time we’ve analyzed well over 800 samples of various co-products. And since June of 2010, we have yet to find any residues.”

So the bottom line is that ethanol plants using a product such as Lactrol to control bacterial contamination during ethanol fermentation and increase efficiency should have no concerns as it relates to FMSA and improve their bottom line. Learn more about Lactrol and FMSA in this interview. Interview with Scott Gemmell, Phibro Ethanol Group