Feed additives

Feed additives are products used in animal nutrition for purposes of improving the quality of feed and the quality of food from animal origin, or to improve the animals performance and health, e.g. providing enhanced digestibility of the feed materials. Feed additives may not be put on the market unless authorisation has been given following a scientific evaluation demonstrating that the additive has no harmful effects, on human and animal health and on the environment.
A feed additive is a vitamin for farm animals that can't get enough nutrients from regular meals that the farmers provide. [1] In some cases if an animal does not have some type of feed in its diet it may not grow properly. Nutritional content of an animal feed is influenced not only by nutrient content but also by many other aspects such as, feed presentation, hygiene, digestibility, and effect on intestinal health to name a few. Even with all of the benefits of feed most of a farm animals diet still consist of maize, wheat and soybean meal because of the cost of quality feed

.Types of feed additives

A sensory additive is an additive that stimulates the appetite, improving the voluntary intake of a diet. A nutritional additive provides specific nutrients for an animal for optimal growth. A zootechnical additive improves the nutritional value of a diet. It doesn't give nutrients directly to the animal, but through its diet. A coccidiostats and histomonostats controls the health of poultry through direct effects.

Technological additives. This classification refers to a group of additives which

influences the technological aspects of the feed. This does not directly influence the nutritional value of the feed but may do indirectly by improving its handling or hygiene characteristics, for example. An example of such an additive would be an organic acid for preservation of feed. Sensory additives. This refers to a group of additives which improve the palatability (i.e. voluntary intake) of a diet by stimulating appetite, usually through the effect these products have on the flavour or colour of the diet. For example, a vanilla extract may well encourage piglets to eat a ration. Nutritional additives. Such additives supply specific nutrient(s) required by the animal for optimal growth. An example would be a vitamin, amino acid or trace mineral. In most cases, such additives are simply concentrated forms of nutrients supplied in natural ingredients in the diet. Zootechnical additives. These additives improve the nutrient status of the animal, not by providing specific nutrients, but by enabling more efficient use of the nutrients present in the diet. An example of such an additive would be an enzyme or direct fed microbial product, both of which enhance the conditions of the intestinal tract, thus enabling more effective nutrient extraction from the diet. In this respect they are often referred to as pronutrients, ie products which improve the nutritional value of a diet without necessarily providing nutrients directly. Other additives are used for environmental benefits that they provide to animal husbandry and others are targeted for specific physiological functions. Coccidiostats and Histomonostats. These products are used to control intestinal health of poultry through direct effects on the parasitic organism concerned. They are not classified as antibiotics.

Classification of feed additives 1 nutritives 2 non-nutrutivespple Nutritives

1. Mineral supplements 2. Vitamin supplements 3. Amino acids

Non-nutrutives
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Antibiotics Hormones Probiotics Acidifiers Medicaments