From plant science to global performance

ADM Technical Team

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From plant science to global performance – How ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum supports energy conversion into milk momentum

As dairy systems around the world push for higher productivity with fewer resources, the industry is increasingly focused on how efficiently cows use energy, not simply how much feed they consume. This shift has placed metabolic efficiency—and the smart use of functional feed ingredients—at the center of modern dairy nutrition strategies.

Among these innovations, ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum has emerged as a powerful tool. Backed by global research and commercial validation, rumen-protected capsicum represents ADM’s application of this science—designed to deliver consistent, repeatable milk performance across production systems.

Why energy efficiency is the new performance metric

Milk yield is ultimately driven by energy availability. As lactose synthesis depends directly on glucose, the cow’s ability to generate and direct glucose toward the mammary gland plays a defining role in production potential.

In ruminants, dietary glucose contributes to less than 10% of the total requirements. Instead, hepatic gluconeogenesis supplies the majority of glucose, using non-carbohydrate precursors such as amino acids and glycerol (Young, 1977; Donkin and Armentano, 1995). Insulin is the key regulator of this process: while it promotes glucose uptake in peripheral tissues, it can inhibit gluconeogenesis when circulating levels are elevated.

Modern nutrition strategies increasingly focus on supporting glucose-sparing mechanisms, allowing more energy to be allocated to milk synthesis rather than diverted to competing metabolic pathways. This is where rumen-protected capsicum plays a critical role.

Rumen protected capsicum: A mode of action that matters

Capsicum contains bioactive compounds capable of interacting with TRPV1 receptors in the lower gut. When protected from ruminal degradation, these compounds influence metabolic signaling that help regulate insulin secretion and support gluconeogenesis.

Research summarized in ADM’s publications shows that rumen-protected capsicum can:

✅ Reduce circulating insulin without lowering blood glucose
✅ Support greater glucose availability for mammary uptake
✅ Improve overall energy utilization efficiency
✅ Reduce reliance on body fat mobilization to sustain milk output

The result is more milk produced from the same nutritional investment, alongside improved metabolic balance.

Rumen-protected capsicum: Turning proven biology into a commercial solution

ADM’s -based feed additive, engineered to deliver this metabolic response consistently and predictably, independent of diet type.

Unlike unprotected plant extracts, rumen-protected capsicum formulation ensures targeted concentration and delivery beyond the rumen, enabling a reliable physiological effect in both TMR and pasture-based systems. This makes ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum a practical, scalable solution for commercial dairies seeking performance gains without ration disruption.

Across global research and field trials, rumen-protected capsicum supplementation has been associated with:

✅ Higher daily milk output, often in the range of 2.5 to 4 kg per cow (on average for the first 100 DIM)
✅ Improved feed efficiency, with no increase in dry matter intake
✅ Maintenance of milk fat and protein levels

These outcomes mirror the broader body of research on rumen-protected capsaicin while providing the commercial consistency required for real world adoption.

Performance proven across feeding systems

One of the most commercially relevant findings from the ADM’s research is that the response to rumen-protected capsicum is not diet dependent. Trials have demonstrated positive results in:

✅ Pasture based herds in New Zealand, where milk component yields increased and subclinical metabolic challenges were reduced.
✅ High producing TMR systems in North America, where milk yield and energy corrected milk improved without changes in dry matter intake.
✅ Mixed and PMR systems across Latin America and Europe, reinforcing adaptability.

This aligns with ADM’s own global data, showing that geography, climate and ration structure do not limit performance response—a critical factor for a globally commercialized ingredient.

The power of global collaboration

ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum performance story is grounded in global collaboration: coordinated research across universities, innovation centers and commercial dairies. This approach ensures that results are not isolated to experimental settings but validated under conditions that reflect everyday farming reality.

ADM teams work across continents, integrating insights from animal scientists, nutritionists and producers to refine use recommendations and performance expectations. Each region adds confidence that ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum delivers not just statistically significant results, but also economically meaningful ones.

Efficiency that supports future dairy systems

As global dairy demand continues to rise, improving output efficiency will be essential to meeting sustainability and profitability goals simultaneously. Enhancing glucose utilization and feed efficiency helps dairies produce more milk with fewer inputs—reducing financial pressure and supporting responsible resource use.

By improving the way cows metabolically use nutrients already in the ration, ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum contributes to:

✅ Better production efficiency
✅ More predictable performance across the herd
✅ Stronger income over feed cost (IOFC) returns

These benefits position this ADM’s rumen protected capsicum not simply as a feed additive, but as a strategic performance tool for progressive dairy operations.

A commercial advantage backed by global science

Rumen-protected capsicum stands at the intersection of plant science, metabolic research, and real-world world dairy production. Its value lies not only in how it works, but in how reliably it works—across systems, regions and management styles.

For producers, nutritionists, and advisors, this means confidence. Confidence that science is solid. Confidence that the results are repeatable. And confidence that global research has already answered the question every dairy asks:

Will it work on my farm? With ADM’s rumen-protected capsicum, the answer is yes.

Young, J.W. (1977) Gluconeogenesis in Cattle: Significance and Methodology. Journal of Dairy Science, 60, 1-15.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(77)83821-6

S. S. Donkin, L. E. Armentano, Insulin and glucagon regulation of gluconeogenesis in preruminating and ruminating bovine, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 73, Issue 2, February 1995, Pages 546–551, https://doi.org/10.2527/1995.732546x

ADM IS YOUR GLOBAL LEADER IN ANIMAL NUTRITION. We are dedicated to enabling sustainable growth that benefits our customers, the world’s population and this planet. We are One ADM Team, working with partners across the value chain to connect farmers, technology providers, technical experts to the end customer, and collaborating to address protein production efficiency, animal robustness and environmental impact.

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