Betaine, a feed additive for aquaculture without antibiotics

Betaine, also known as glycine trimethyl internal salt, is a non-toxic and harmless natural compound, quaternary amine alkaloid. It is white prismatic or leaf like crystal with molecular formula C5H12NO2, molecular weight of 118 and melting point of 293 ℃. It tastes sweet and is a new non anti breeding feed additive.

It was found that betaine could increase the number and litter weight of 21 day old weaned piglets, shorten the estrous interval within 7 days after weaning and improve the reproductive performance; It can also promote sow ovulation and oocyte maturation; As a methyl donor, betaine can promote protein synthesis and reduce the level of homocysteine in sow serum, so as to promote embryo growth and development and improve sow reproductive performance.

The dual effects of betaine can improve the production performance of animals in all stages of pregnancy, pregnancy, lactation and fattening. During weaning, dehydration of piglets caused by physiological stress is an important challenge for pig producers. As an osmotic regulator, natural betaine can enhance water retention and absorption and reduce energy consumption by maintaining the balance of water and ions in cells. Hot summer will lead to a decline in the reproductive capacity of sows. As an osmotic regulator, betaine can particularly effectively increase the energy supply of sows and improve the reproductive capacity of sows. Adding natural betaine to feed can improve the intestinal tension of animals, while adverse factors such as heat stress will lead to poor intestinal elasticity. When the ambient temperature rises, the blood will preferentially flow to the skin for heat dissipation. This results in reduced blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn affects digestion and reduces the digestibility of nutrients.

The contribution of betaine to methylation can significantly improve animal output value. Supplementation of betaine in sow feed can reduce pregnancy loss, improve sow reproductive performance and increase litter size of subsequent parity. Betaine can also save energy for pigs of all ages, so that more metabolic energy can be used to increase carcass lean meat and improve animal vitality. This effect is crucial during weaning in piglets that need more energy to maintain.