What are feed additives? What are their functions?
Feed additives are small or trace substances added during the production, processing, and use of feed. Although the amount of feed used is small, the effects are significant. They are essential raw materials in modern feed industry, which have obvious effects on enhancing the nutritional value of basic feed, improving animal production performance, ensuring animal health, saving feed costs, and improving the quality of animal products.
With the development of multiple disciplines such as animal nutrition, physiology, and microbiology, feed additives now integrate various disciplines and new technologies. Therefore, the development and production of feed additives will propose the following directions in the present and for some time to come.
1. Technological Advancement. With the continuous advancement of the technological process in the feed additive industry, there will be a rise in feed additive varieties with high technological content, driving the feed industry towards a more technological direction, leading to higher levels of development in both the feed industry and animal husbandry.
2. Specialization. Currently, the feed additive industry is affiliated with related industries such as the feed industry and pharmaceutical industry, and the level of specialization is not high. As the scale of the breeding industry expands, the demand for compound feed will increase significantly, and quality requirements will also rise, thereby strongly promoting the specialization process of the feed additive industry.
Functions of Feed Additives
1. Inhibit the proliferation of harmful bacteria, maintaining a normal intestinal flora.
Inhibit and prevent the occurrence of harmful bacteria in the intestine, increase beneficial bacteria, and restore a healthy intestinal flora. Mainly inhibits the proliferation of pathogenic E. coli, clostridia, salmonella, and hemolytic bacteria.
2. Produce digestive enzymes and synthesize vitamins. Can produce digestive enzymes such as amylase and protease, as well as vitamin B group, in addition, the synthesis of vitamin A has also been confirmed.
3. Enhance immune function.
Stimulate intestinal immune system cells, increase local antibody formation, and enhance macrophage activity. Microbial feed additives can accumulate a large amount of vitamin A that enhances immune function in the liver.
4. Generate hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide has a damaging effect on several potential pathogenic microorganisms, which are formed by some special substances in certain matrices.
5. Optimize the ecological environment.
Probiotics and enzyme agents decompose coarse proteins, phytic acid enzymes, and anti-nutritional factors that are not easily absorbed by animals during the metabolic process in the animal intestine, significantly preventing the reproduction of fly larvae, effectively blocking the sources of ammonia and odors, reducing the concentration of harmful gases in animal manure, improving the breeding environment, reducing the harm of ammonia to humans, and preventing respiratory and intestinal diseases in livestock and poultry.
6. Improve feed utilization.
Due to the lack of some trace nutrients in the feed, especially under intensive production conditions, livestock and poultry are prone to nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disorders, affecting growth and development, leading to economic losses. The use of feed additives can enhance the nutritional value and utilization rate of feed, fully unleash the production potential of livestock and poultry, and improve productivity.
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