Composition of vitamin supplements in Spanish poultry diets

Abstract

1. The composition of 106 vitamin supplements used in about 85% of the Spanish poultry production diets were studied. Vitamin supplements were grouped by production classes and, for broilers and pullets, also by feeding periods. 2. Four vitamins (niacin, alpha-tocopherol, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin) comprised over 87% of the vitamin supplements by weight (choline excluded), whereas alpha-tocopherol and retinol represented from 51% to 60% of the total vitamin cost. 3. The highest and lowest vitamin supplementation rates were for broilers in the starter and withdrawal periods (106 and 44 mg/kg, respectively) and the mean values for breeders, pullets and layers were 104, 58, and 48 mg/kg, respectively. 4. Supplements with higher vitamin contents showed less variability in their composition. Retinol, cholecalciferol, riboflavin and pantothenic acid showed the lowest variability within supplements (6% to 36% CV), whereas alpha-tocopherol, menadione, thiamin and biotin showed the highest (40% to 224% CV). 5. Vitamin supplementation rates were compared with requirements, taking into account the dietary contribution. In general, vitamin fortification exceeded the NRC recommendations, using a high safety margin for some vitamins such as vitamin A (from 2.6 to 7.8) and for some poultry classes such as breeders (3.2).

The State of Play of Copper, Mineral Oil, External Nutrient Input, Anthelmintics, Antibiotics and Vitamin Usage and Available Reduction Strategies in Organic Farming across Europe

“…The British and French producers we contacted also indicated that they follow the FEFANA guidelines. A 20-year-old Spanish survey on vitamins in chicken feed [94] showed measured vitamin concentrations, which match well with current FEFANA regulations regarding B-Vitamins, but are clearly lower regarding vitamin E. The latter shows that, due to increasing performance and thus metabolic rates of animals, the feed producers currently add high safety margins. As long as no specific data and recommendations for vitamin supplements to organic livestock exist, there is no reason to use different supplementation levels for the organic sector.…”

“…Proportion of allowed amount used by organic farms (%) 94 As for estimating the copper use in different crop categories in the 12 countries, the report concluded that olive and grape production accounts for the majority (69%) of the total copper use. Figure 1 summarizes the total estimated copper use/year in the 12 countries in different crop categories.…”

Intestinal nutrition: role of vitamins and biofactors and gaps of knowledge

“…These studies are often conducted under highly controlled, low-stress conditions, using purified or semi-purified diets that are not reflective of commercial conditions. A survey of 25 commercial Spanish vitamin premix manufacturers showed that safety margins (relative to NRC, 1994 ) for supplemental vitamins in broiler diets ranged from 2.1- to 13.7-fold for fat-soluble vitamins, and 0.5- to 2.1-fold for water-soluble vitamins excluding choline ( Villamide and Fraga, 1999 ). The supplementation rates below the NRC (1994) requirement for some vitamins represent the vitamin contributions provided by the other dietary ingredients such as cereal grains and oilseed meals.…”