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Views: 12 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2019-09-06 Origin: Site
Vitamin feed additives are essential nutrients that help animals maintain normal physiological functions, promote growth and development, enhance reproductive performance, and improve immunity. In modern intensive animal husbandry, vitamin feed additives can effectively prevent vitamin deficiencies and avoid the decline in economic benefits caused by malnutrition, playing a vital role in healthy animal husbandry.
Polifar analyzes the effects of vitamins as feed additives on animals from the perspectives of feed additive suppliers, feed producers, and farms , providing a simple overview for the public.
Vitamin feed additives are used to prevent a decline in animal production performance caused by nutritional imbalances in the animal's diet. Vitamins typically do not provide energy directly, but rather participate in metabolic regulation, enzyme system function, cell protection, bone development, blood formation, and other important physiological activities.
It is important to note that vitamins, as feed additives, are primarily used to supplement animal nutrition and cannot treat diseases.
The vitamin content of animal feed varies depending on the batch, origin, and processing conditions. Some vitamins may be lost when conditions such as light, oxygen, temperature, and humidity change. Vitamins provided solely by natural feed ingredients are insufficient to meet all of an animal's vitamin requirements.
Broilers and fattening pigs need to be marketed quickly, requiring sufficient energy and nutrients to be supplied within a short growth cycle. Laying hens, on the other hand, need to maintain their egg production capacity over a long period, while dairy cows need to maintain their lactation capacity and maintain a stable milk yield.
The vitamin requirements of the same animal vary at different growth stages. Young animals need to prioritize tissue development and the immune system, while animals in the breeding period need to consider embryonic nutrition and maternal nutrition during pregnancy.
When animals experience high temperatures, transportation, changes in feed, or mixed-species rearing, their appetite may decrease, leading to stress responses that negatively impact their metabolism and vitamin utilization. In such cases, supplementing the animals with appropriate vitamin additives can help reduce stress.
Feed manufacturers need to provide farms with nutritionally balanced feed, which may contain a variety of nutrients, amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, phosphates, probiotics, enzymes, etc., to promote the healthy and rapid growth of animals.
Vitamins are generally classified into fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins typically include vitamins A, D, E, and K. Water-soluble vitamins include B vitamins and vitamin C.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins :
| Vitamins | Alias | Core physiological functions |
| Vitamin A | Retinol and related active forms | Vision, epithelial tissue health, growth and reproduction |
| Vitamin D | Vitamin D₂Vitamin D₃wait | Calcium and phosphorus metabolism, bone mineralization |
| Vitamin E | Tocopherol, etc. | Antioxidant protection, cell membrane stabilization |
| Vitamin K | Related forms of vitamin K | Normal blood clotting and some bone metabolism processes |
Fat-soluble vitamins are insoluble in water and require dietary fat for digestion and absorption. They are generally taken with or after meals. They can be stored in the body for a long time; insufficient intake can lead to nutritional imbalance, while excessive intake may cause poisoning.
Water-Soluble Vitamins:
| Vitamins | Alias | Core physiological functions |
| Vitamin B1 | Thiamine | Carbohydrate metabolism, nerve function |
| Vitamin B2 | Riboflavin | Energy metabolism, redox reactions |
| Vitamin B3 | Niacin or Nicotinamide | Energy metabolism, coenzyme synthesis |
| Vitamin B5 | Pantothenic Acid | Coenzyme A synthesis, fatty acid metabolism |
| Vitamin B6 | Pyridoxine | Amino acid metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis |
| Vitamin B7 | Biotin | Carboxylation reaction, fatty acid metabolism |
| Vitamin B9 | Folic Acid | One-carbon metabolism, nucleic acid synthesis, cell division |
| Vitamin B12 | Cobalamin | Erythrocyte formation, nerve function and related metabolism |
| Vitamin C | Ascorbic Acid | Antioxidant, collagen formation and other physiological processes |
Water-soluble vitamins dissolve directly in water and are absorbed by the intestines. They are not typically stored in the body and are excreted in urine when the intake exceeds the body's needs. While the risk of overdose is low, extremely high doses can still place an extra burden on the body.
Different animals have varying abilities to absorb and utilize vitamins, and their capacity to synthesize water-soluble vitamins also differs. Ruminants can synthesize some B vitamins using rumen microorganisms , while fish and crustaceans have specific requirements for the vitamin C content in their diets. Therefore, different standards are needed for different animals.
To help users understand, Polifa's columnist has created a table that visually illustrates the harm that a lack of different vitamins can cause to animals.
| Vitamins | The main problems that may result from lack | Key animals or scenes to focus on |
| Vitamin A | Growth retardation, visual abnormalities, epithelial tissue abnormalities, reproductive problems | Poultry, pigs, cattle, sheep, etc. |
| Vitamin D₃ | Abnormal bone mineralization, rickets, and decreased eggshell quality | Young animals, laying hens, etc. |
| Vitamin E | Oxidative damage, muscle abnormalities, partial reproductive or health problems | Poultry, pigs and other animals |
| Vitamin K | Coagulation abnormalities and increased risk of bleeding | Special attention needs to be paid to poultry |
| Vitamin B1 | Decreased appetite, weakness, and abnormal neurological function | Pigs, poultry and certain aquatic animals |
| Vitamin B2 | Growth retardation, skin or nerve-related abnormalities | Poultry, pigs |
| Vitamin B3 | Skin and digestive tract abnormalities, growth retardation | Poultry and other animals |
| Vitamin B5 | Decreased growth, abnormal skin and feathers | Poultry, pigs, etc. |
| Vitamin B6 | Growth retardation, anemia-related problems, neurological abnormalities | Poultry and other animals |
| Vitamin B7 | Skin, pads, or keratin abnormalities | Poultry, pigs, etc. |
| Vitamin B9 | Anemia-related problems, growth and embryonic developmental abnormalities | Poultry, breeding animals |
| Vitamin B12 | Growth retardation, hematopoietic and neurological problems | Specific situations involving pigs, poultry, and ruminants |
| Vitamin C | Certain species may exhibit abnormal connective tissue development, growth, or health problems | Aquatic species that depend on food supply, etc. |
Vitamin deficiencies typically cause various problems, but the appearance of a particular problem in an animal does not necessarily indicate a vitamin deficiency alone. Slow growth in an animal may be related to deficiencies in energy, protein, amino acids, or trace elements, and may also be affected by parasites, diseases, environmental stress, or insufficient food intake. To find the root cause, a veterinarian needs to make a diagnosis based on clinical manifestations.
Even if feed formulations have added the correct amount of vitamins according to the animal's own needs, the reality is far more complex than the ideal solution. The actual effective ingredients are also affected by raw materials, processing, storage, and the animal's own health condition.
If some vitamin raw materials are not stored properly, their activity will decrease when exposed to light, oxygen, and moisture. If they are not stored according to the specified humidity and temperature conditions in the later stages of production, it will affect the effective components of vitamins and other nutrients such as amino acids in the final feed product.
High temperatures are unavoidable during feed processing. High temperatures can reduce the bioavailability of some vitamins. Current market research indicates that using product forms such as microencapsulation can improve the stability of vitamin processing.
Animal feed premixes include vitamin premixes, mineral premixes, and multi-type mixed premixes. Some premixes contain multiple vitamins, minerals, choline, and other nutrients. Some minerals and other components can affect the stability of vitamins. Therefore, necessary coating or other stabilization techniques must be used during the production of premixes to ensure their effectiveness.
Vitamins typically constitute a small proportion of a complete animal feed formulation. Improper feeding or mixing can lead to uneven distribution of vitamins in the feed, affecting the animal's final absorption. It is recommended to follow standardized production processes from professional feed formulation plants.
Animal feed ingredients are diverse, and each ingredient may contain some vitamins, other amino acids, minerals, etc. The actual effective amount of vitamins, amino acids, trace elements, and other nutrients needs to be calculated based on the animal's daily energy intake, rather than simply relying on the feed's ingredient list. Furthermore, high temperatures in summer or changes in the production environment can cause stress responses in animals, which can also affect vitamin absorption.
Different animals and different growth stages have different vitamin requirements. Premixes for pigs, broilers, laying hens, ruminants, and aquatic animals cannot use the same premix formula. Young animals need to meet the needs of tissue development and rapid growth; fattening animals need to maintain normal growth and metabolism; laying animals need to maintain long-term egg production, eggshell hardness, and bone health; reproductive animals need to meet the needs of pregnancy, lactation, or other physiological stages; and aquatic animals require formulas tailored to their species and growth stage.
In actual feed formulation, vitamin addition amount, effective vitamin content, and vitamin concentration in the finished feed are three different concepts. Polifar does not currently provide precise calculation formulas, but can offer a basic approach. Required vitamin addition amount = Target dietary vitamin concentration − Available vitamin supply in the basal diet, then converted by considering the effective content of the product and related losses. This approach is for reference only and is not equivalent to a direct universal formula for all vitamins.
Polifar recommends considering unit conversions, vitamin activity, raw material bioavailability, processing losses, and regulatory restrictions. For products such as vitamins A, D₃, and E that use international units or different active forms, special attention should be paid to unit and activity conversions.
Procurement experts who have long been sourcing feed-grade or food-grade vitamins for companies will focus on reviewing the supplier's qualifications, assessing the vitamin's effective content, stability, soluble components, impurities and contaminants, and ensuring consistency between product batches. They will also review the supplier's packaging, shelf life, specifications, inspection reports, and compliance documents.
In the field of feed additives, Polifar is a professional. With years of experience in the industry, Polifar has established a comprehensive supply chain system that helps customers complete the one-stop procurement process quickly and efficiently. This ensures not only the high quality of raw materials but also superior after-sales service. Entrust your procurement to Polifar for peace of mind!
Q1: Is Choline Chloride A Vitamin?
A1: Choline chloride is usually classified as a macrovitamin. It is a phospholipid component responsible for transporting fat, which can help prevent fatty liver. It can also provide methyl donors and promote nerve development. However, it should be noted that choline is highly alkaline and can destroy other vitamins . It generally needs to be added alone and should not be mixed with multivitamin premixes .
Q2: Which Vitamin is more Likely to Cause Poisoning?
A2: Excessive vitamin A and vitamin D can lead to poisoning, while deficiency can affect vision and bone health.
The core value of vitamin feed additives is not simply about increasing animal vitamin intake. It's about ensuring that different animals at different growth stages, under varying production conditions and rearing environments, still receive appropriate, stable, and safe vitamin nutrition. As a feed additive supplier, Polifar aims to provide safe, effective, and compliant products to users worldwide, contributing to the healthy development of the global livestock industry!
