The broiler microbiome intelligence solution Galleon™, developed by Cargill, has received a top global accolade by winning a Gold in the Food and Agriculture Advancements category in this year’s Edison Awards.

The Edison Awards, named after the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison, recognise some of the most innovative products and business leaders in the world.

From thousands of nominations from around the globe, 153 were selected as finalists for awards, which were presented on April 19 to 21, 2023, in Florida, USA.

Galleon is designed to help improve poultry producers’ ability to navigate animal health challenges by providing more in-depth and precise details on the flock’s specific gut microbiome.

The non-invasive procedure involves taking cloacal swabs from a few birds on the broiler unit for analysis. Results are then compared with the company's poultry microbiome database of more than 36,000 samples to make recommendations on steps to improve performance.

The analysis and interpretation combine powerful statistical designs with advanced artificial intelligence models to extract information regarding key bacterial relationships within the gut of the bird. These are interpreted for practical application by a team of skilled Cargill specialists.

The information, which is specific to each flock, can be used to assess the microbiome health status, resilience to disease, livability, and overall performance. The data can also be used help understand the effect on the microbiome of changes in diet or management.

“Gut microbiome is an important driver in determining the health and performance of the host; in this case the broiler, and it plays a crucial role in determining the birds’ performance,” says Cargill’s UK commercial poultry manager David McBride.

“The more detail we know about a flock’s gut microbiome, the better we can manage the birds, and the more precisely we can formulate diets to support improved performance or help overcome a limitation. Galleon is ground-breaking technology that enables us to do this better. It is already bringing practical and tangible benefits to UK flocks.”