Feed additives, as the name implies, are substances that can be added to feed and have certain functional effects on animal growth and health, are highly safe, and are beneficial to production. There are many types of additives commonly used in breeding production, such as vitamins, minerals trace elements, microecological, functional, etc.
Vitamins are a class of small molecules that can promote the body's metabolism. They mainly participate in the body's biochemical reactions as coenzymes of various biochemical reaction enzymes. There are many types of vitamins, which can be roughly divided into two categories: water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are mainly B group vitamins, commonly used vitamins include vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, niacinamide, etc. In addition, vitamin C has a high water solubility. Fat-soluble vitamins are mainly vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E. Clinical studies have shown that vitamins can significantly improve the body's metabolic level and anti-stress ability, and also have a significant promoting effect on the growth and development of livestock and poultry. The use of vitamins before immunization can significantly improve the antibody level. After using them in laying hens, they have a good auxiliary effect on increasing eggshell thickness, improving egg quality, and maintaining a high egg production rate.
The types of trace elements required for the growth and development of livestock and poultry include iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, cobalt, iodine, selenium, etc. These elements mainly exist in the form of salts, such as ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, cobalt chloride, etc. Although trace elements are used in small amounts, they are the guarantee for the normal growth, development and life maintenance of livestock and poultry. Some of them participate in the catalytic reaction of the body in the form of coenzymes, some form unstable complexes with hormone precursors, which are conducive to the production of hormones and prolong the effect of hormones, and some play the role of enzyme reaction activation factors. According to statistics, the sum of all trace elements only accounts for about 0.05% of body weight, but different trace elements cooperate with each other to coordinate the normal function of the body. The lack or deficiency of any trace element will cause systemic dysfunction. For example, when copper is deficient, animals show anemia and poor bone growth. Young animals will also have movement disorders, slow growth, discolored or rough fur, gastrointestinal disorders, and some livestock have symptoms of heart failure. When zinc is deficient, animals also have stunted growth, and wounds, ulcers, and fractures are not easy to heal and repair. The lack of certain trace salt elements can also affect the production of sperm in breeding animals, such as reduced vitality. When poultry is deficient, it is easy to develop dermatitis, less hair, and poor eggshell quality.
The main ingredients of microecological feed additives are probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics refer to microorganisms that are helpful for animal growth and development, disease prevention and control, and health maintenance. There are dozens of types of probiotics allowed for use in my country's feed additive catalog, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Clostridium butyricum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus buchneri, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus coagulans, Enterococcus faecium, etc. Some of the above probiotics have colonization functions, while others are eventually excreted with feces after being eaten by humans and are called "passing bacteria". Some have enzyme-producing properties that can help decompose and digest feed, while others can secrete lysozyme, antimicrobial peptides and other substances, which have inhibitory and killing functions on harmful bacteria and can be used clinically for the prevention of daily diseases. In addition to probiotics, microecological feed additives also contain some organic substances that are not digested and absorbed by the host but can selectively promote the metabolism and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the body, thereby improving the health of the host. These substances are called prebiotics, and common ones include oligofructose, oligogalactose, oligoxylose, oligomaltolide, soy oligosaccharide, inulin, etc. It is important for maintaining the digestive function of animals.
Functional feed additives refer to additives with certain specific functions, including growth-promoting feed additives, antimicrobial feed additives, anthelmintic feed additives, etc. Growth-promoting feed additives include enzyme preparations, urease inhibitors (ruminants), dihydropyridines and other ingredient categories. The main component of enzyme preparations is enzymes, and enzymes are biocatalytic proteins that promote the conversion of macromolecules into more easily absorbed small molecules. For example, amylase can catalyze starch into glucose, protease can catalyze protein degradation into peptides, amino acids, etc., and lipase can promote the decomposition of fat into glycerol and fatty acids, thereby facilitating absorption. Antimicrobial feed additives are products obtained by culturing microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, or are the same or similar substances made by chemical semi-synthesis. They have strong antibacterial effects and can prevent and control diseases.