Kenon: Advancing in Lockstep with the New National Standard for Feed Grade Bile Acids

The new national standard for feed additive bile acids is formulated in accordance with China’s feed safety administration regulations and the practical development needs of the feed industry. Its enactment aims to standardize the production and quality management of bile acid products, unify official detection and evaluation protocols, safeguard feed safety and the stability of livestock and aquaculture production, and guide the entire industry toward standardized, high-quality development. Officially implemented on July 1, 2026, the standard has raised the industry access threshold and established a unified normative benchmark for the market.

As a professional enterprise specializing in the R&D and production of feed-grade bile acids, Kenon has always strictly complied with national laws, regulations and industrial specifications, followed national standards and regulatory guidance, and aligned its production, quality control and operation management systems with national regulatory requirements. We took an active part in the formulation of the national standard, completed process upgrading and compliance verification ahead of its implementation, and have continued to optimize our management system in line with the new requirements, fully demonstrating our commitment to abiding by national directives and advancing industry progress.

The following Q&A elaborates on Kenon’s specific practices in responding to and implementing the new national standard:

Question 1

Since the official implementation of the new national standard for feed additive bile acids on July 1, 2026, how has Kenon ensured strict compliance with the national standard requirements for its bile acid products?

Answer 1

Prior to the official enforcement of the new bile acid national standard, Kenon had already completed product process upgrades in line with relevant requirements, and successfully obtained production licenses for both feed-grade and premix-grade bile acids that fully conform to the national standard.

Following the implementation of the new standard, we will continue to strictly follow the national standard process specifications. We use porcine bile paste (post bilirubin extraction only) as the raw material, and produce high-purity bile acids through a series of processes including saponification, decolorization, acidification, purification and drying, which are then diluted and compounded into the final products.

From raw material warehousing to finished product release, all batches are tested via high performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detection (HPLC-RID). This method features simple sample pretreatment, excellent reproducibility and stability, and strong anti-interference capability (insensitive to common impurities in feed), guaranteeing that every product batch meets the national standard requirements.

Question 2

As the new national standard was established from scratch, what specific work did Kenon participate in during the formulation process of the bile acid national standard?

Answer 2

In the core domain of detection methods for the national standard, we serve as both a pioneer and a key promoter.

At an early stage, we drew upon bile acid detection practices from the pharmaceutical industry, took the lead in establishing the HPLC-RID method, and accumulated extensive first-hand data and application experience.

Building on this foundation, we delivered tangible contributions in two key areas:

First, we collaborated with third-party testing institutions to refine and improve the bile acid detection methodology;

Second, we supported multiple corporate group customers in developing their own acceptance specifications for bile acid products, and provided training to enable their testing personnel to master this method proficiently.

During the national standard formulation phase, we participated in multiple expert review meetings and formally submitted the rigorously validated RID method to the national standard development panel.

Ultimately, following rigorous expert evaluation, the RID method — characterized by simplicity, high efficiency, accuracy and ease of operation — was officially incorporated into the national standard alongside the high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) method.

Question 3

After the official implementation of the new national standard, what additional work has Kenon carried out to respond to and implement the new requirements?

Answer 3

We initiated preparatory work well before the national standard came into effect, with efforts focused on two core dimensions.

First, compliance-first implementation. We updated our enterprise standards, completed public notification and product filing procedures, and rolled out updated labeling for all products. This ensures full compliance with the new national standard across every stage of the product delivered to customers.

Second, continuous R&D advancement. We have partnered with leading academic and research institutions — including the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Hunan Agricultural University and Tianjin Agricultural University — to conduct applied research on monomeric bile acids and feed-grade bile acid products across multiple animal species, with preliminary achievements already secured. Going forward, we will disseminate these research findings and leverage scientific data to help customers apply our products more effectively and with full transparency.

The national standard defines the baseline threshold for the industry, and we are committed to pushing beyond this baseline. Moving forward, we will continue to focus on product R&D, maintain production standards that exceed national requirements, prioritize product quality above all, deliver higher-value products, and drive tangible cost reduction and efficiency gains for our customers.