Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide with many industrial uses, including as a common food additive. It is an effective thickening agent and stabilizer that prevents ingredients from separating. It can be produced from simple sugars by fermentation and derives its name from the species of bacteria used, Xanthomonas campestris.
Astaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid within a group of chemical compounds known as terpenes. Astaxanthin is a metabolite of zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin, containing both hydroxyl and ketone functional groups. It is a lipid-soluble pigment with red coloring properties, which result from the extended chain of conjugated double bonds at the center of the compound. The presence of the hydroxyl functional groups and the hydrophobic hydrocarbons render the molecule amphiphilic.
Canthaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid pigment widely distributed in nature. Carotenoids belong to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenoids. The chemical formula of canthaxanthin is C40H52O2. It was first isolated in edible mushrooms. It has also been found in green algae, bacteria, crustaceans, and bioaccumulates in fish such as carp, golden grey mullet, seabream and trush wrasse.
Glucomannan is a water-soluble polysaccharide that is considered a dietary fiber. It is a hemicellulose component in the cell walls of some plant species. Glucomannan is a food additive used as an emulsifier and thickener. It is a major source of mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) found in nature, the other being galactomannan, which is insoluble.
Menadione is a natural organic compound with the formula C6H4(CO)2C2H(CH3). It is an analog of 1,4-naphthoquinone with a methyl group in the 2-position. It is sometimes called vitamin K3. Use is allowed as a nutritional supplement in animal feed because of its vitamin K activity.
In the experimental (non-clinical) research arena, good laboratory practice or GLP is a quality system of management controls for research laboratories and organizations to ensure the uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and integrity of products in development for human or animal health through non-clinical safety tests; from physio-chemical properties through acute to chronic toxicity tests.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002, is based in Parma, Italy, and for 2021 it has a budget of €118.6 million, and a total staff of 542.
Ethoxyquin (EMQ) is a quinoline-based antioxidant used as a food preservative in certain countries and originally to control scald on pears after harvest. It is used as a preservative in some pet foods to slow the development of rancidity of fats. Ethoxyquin is also used in some spices to prevent color loss due to oxidation of the natural carotenoid pigments.
Natural growth promoters (NGPs) are feed additives for farm animals.
Phytogenics are a group of natural growth promoters or non-antibiotic growth promoters used as feed additives, derived from herbs, spices or other plants. The term phytogenic feed additives was coined by an Austrian multinational feed additives company named Delacon, and was first introduced to the market in the 1980s.
The production of foie gras involves the controversial force-feeding of birds with more food than they would eat in the wild, and more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. The feed, usually corn boiled with fat, deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the fatty consistency sought by some gastronomes.
Ractopamine is an animal feed additive used to promote leanness and increase food conversion efficiency in farmed animals in several countries, but banned in others. Pharmacologically, it is a phenol-based TAAR1 agonist and β adrenoreceptor agonist that stimulates β1 and β2 adrenergic receptors. It is most commonly administered to animals for meat production as ractopamine hydrochloride. It is the active ingredient in products marketed in the US as Paylean for swine, Optaflexx for cattle, and Topmax for turkeys. It was developed by Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company.
Animal Research Institute is a research institute in Greece. It is part of the National Agricultural Research Foundation.
Novus International, Inc. is an American animal health and nutrition company headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri. Novus is privately owned by Mitsui & Co. and Nippon Soda Co., Ltd. and operates in over 90 countries. Novus' products include amino acids, organic trace minerals, feed preservatives, and various health and nutrition products. Its customers include animal nutritionists, veterinarians, and individual animal owners.
A feed additive is an additive of extra nutrient or drug for livestock. Such additives include vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, pharmaceutical, fungal products and steroidal compounds. The additives might impact feed presentation, hygiene, digestibility, or effect on intestinal health.
Selenium yeast is a feed additive for livestock, used to increase the selenium content in their fodder. It is a form of selenium currently approved for human consumption in the EU and Britain. Inorganic forms of selenium are used in feeds. Since these products can be patented, producers can demand premium prices. It is produced by fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a selenium-rich media.
Genetic engineering in the European Union has varying degrees of regulation.
Biosprint is a microbiological feed additive produced and worldwide distributed by the Italian biotech company prosol S.p.A. This zoo-technical additive contains cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae selected under the unique code MUCL™ 39885 and deposited in the Belgian collections of micro-organisms/Mycothèque de l’Université Catholique de Louvain Biosprint has gained the EU authorization as feed additive for beef cattle, piglets, sows, dairy cows and horses. According to several tests, the influence of Biosprint on the diet consists of the improvement of the digestive efficiency and of the better assimilation of nutrients.
Biomin is an animal health and nutrition company headquartered in Inzersdorf-Getzersdorf, Austria that develops and produces feed additives and premixes for livestock animals including swine, poultry, dairy and beef cattle as well as aquaculture.
Insects as feed are insect species used as animal feed, either for livestock, including aquaculture, or as pet food.
