Vitamin, Mineral and Amino Acid Supplements
Vitamins
Vitamins are a group of unrelated organic compounds that are essential for normal metabolism, and their lack in the diet causes deficiency diseases (1). Vitamins can be classified and fat-soluble or water-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K, and the water-soluble vitamins are the B’s and C. Ingredient lists on bags of feed may include the letter designation or chemical name of a vitamin.
Vitamin stability and the pelleting/extrusion process
Vitamin supplements in feed formulations present a challenge in the production process; how to minimize loss during feed processing and storage while maximizing bioavailability and mixing characteristics, in a cost-effective manner (1). During the feed production process there is exposure to heat, moisture, air exposure, shear forces and reactive minerals in mixture that can degrade the stability of vitamins (1). Vitamin manufacturers can improve the stability of vitamins in several ways (1):
Chemically modify the vitamin, which is often done with Vitamins A, D and E
Encapsulate vitamin in a starch, which is often done with Vitamins A and C
Granulated crystal with maltodextrin and gelatin, which is done with Vitamins B2, B7 and B9
(1) Ward, N.E. Stability of vitamins in pelleting. Feed Pellet Reference Guide. Kansas State University and NC State University, wattAGnet.com
Common Vitamin Ingredients
Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C)
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Vitamin C)
Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A precursor)
Betaine (supplements Choline)
Biotin Supplement (B7)
Calcium L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C)
Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5)
Choline Bitartrate (Choline)
Choline Chloride (Choline)
D-Activated Animal Sterol (Vitamin D)
D-Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E)
DL-Alphatocopherol (Vitamin E)
DL-Alphatocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E)
Ester of L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)
Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (Vitamin K3)
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K3)
Menadione Bisulfite (Vitamin K3)
Niacin Supplement (Vitamin B3)
Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3)
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2)
Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1)
Vitamin A Acetate
Vitamin A Supplement
Vitamin B12 Supplement
Vitamin D Supplement
Vitamin D3 Supplement
Vitamin D3 Supplement – Cholecalciferol Precursor of Vitamin D
Minerals
There are seventeen elements that are critical for the health of horses (1). These minerals play roles in physiological functions such as acid-base balance, formation of structure components, enzymatic cofactors, energy transfer, and as components of vitamins, hormones and amino acids (1). Minerals are obtained entirely from diet and are only needed in small concentrations. In high concentrations, minerals can become toxic. Minerals can be categorized according to the concentration needed, as macromineral or micromineral. Macrominerals are needed in the diet in concentrations of grams per kilogram (g/kg) of feed, and microminerals in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of feed. There are seven macrominerals, seven microminerals and three “Other Minerals of Interest.” The link below is to a table that summarized the seventeen macro-, micro- and other minerals.
Chemical Interactions and Ratios
The ratio of minerals in a diet is also important as certain minerals can interfere with the absorption of others. Several of the most notable interaction are:
Calcium and Phosphorous
Phosphorus interferes with Calcium absorption. A ratio of calcium to phosphorus of at least 1.5:1 is desired (1). Alfalfa has high ratio of calcium to phosphorus and grains tend to be the opposite.
Zinc and Copper
These minerals compete for the same transport mechanism. A ratio of 1:3 of zinc to copper is desired. Grass hays and pasture are sources of both minerals. Beet pulp and molasses are sources of copper (1).
Inorganic and Organic Forms
Horse feed may contain inorganic (oxides, sulfates) forms of mineral and/or minerals complexed with amino acids and polysaccharides, organic sources. There is a perspective that chelating (complexing) trace minerals with organic compounds can improve the bioavailability and consequently absorption of the trace minerals (2). The thinking is that the organic complexes improve bioavailability by protecting bound mineral from interaction with other minerals and antinutritive compounds (e.g. oxalates) in digesta, and improve absorption by utilizing the organic molecules intestinal transport mechanism instead of that available to inorganic forms. However, in reviewing horse studies of absorption of trace minerals in organic versus inorganic forms, it was found that there was minimal difference in biologic utilization or performance (3). While studies of chelated minerals have been shown to improve performance in ruminants, pigs and poultry(4) horse anatomy and function is sufficiently different to prevent such information from being applicable to horses (5). Equine-specific studies are needed to understand the efficacy of chelated minerals.
Common Mineral Ingredients
Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate - organic Cobalt source
Calcium Citrate - organic Calcium source
Calcium Iodate - inorganic Iodine source
Calcium Phosphate - inorganic Calcium and Phosphorus source; facilitates pelleting process efficiency (6)
Calcium Proteinate - organic Calcium source
Calcium Sulfate - inorganic Calcium source
Chromium Yeast - organic Chromium source
Cobalt Carbonate - inorganic Cobalt source
Cobalt Chelate - organic Cobalt source
Cobalt Chloride - inorganic Cobalt source
Cobalt Proteinate - organic Cobalt source
Cobalt Glucoheptonate - organic Cobalt source
Cobalt Sulfate - inorganic Cobalt source
Copper Amino Acid Complex - organic Copper source
Copper Amino Acid Chelate - organic Copper source
Copper Chloride - inorganic Copper source
Copper Chloride, Basic - inorganic Copper source
Copper Gluconate - organic Copper source
Copper Lysine Complex - organic Copper source
Copper Oxides - inorganic Copper source
Copper Polysaccharide Complex - organic Copper source
Copper Proteinate - organic Copper source
Copper Sulfate - inorganic Copper soource
Cupric Sulfate - inorganic Copper source
Deflourinated Phosphate - inorganic Calcium and Phosphorus source; facilitates pelleting process (6)
Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide - organic Iodine source
Ferrous Carbonate - organic Iron source
Ferrous Sulfate - inorganic Iron source
Iodine Chelate - organic Iodine source
Iron Amino Acid Complex - organic Iron source
Iron Amino Acid Chelate - organic Iron source
Iron Polysaccharide Complex - organic Iron source
Iron Proteinate - organic Iron source
Limestone, Ground - organic Calcium source (calcium carbonate)
Magnesium Citrate - organic Magnesium source
Magnesium Carbonate - organic Magnesium source
Magnesium Chloride - inorganic Magnesium source
Magnesium Oxide - inorganic Magnesium source
Magnesium Proteinate - organic Magnesium source
Magnesium Sulfate - inorganic – Magnesium source
Manganese Amino Acid Complex - organic Manganese source
Manganese Amino Acid Chelate - organic Manganese source
Manganese Citrate - organic Manganese source
Manganese Methionine Complex - organic Manganese source
Manganous Polysaccharide Complex - organic Manganese source
Manganese Polysaccharide Complex - organic Manganese source
Manganese Proteinate - organic Manganese source
Manganese Sulfate - inorganic Manganese source
Manganese Sulfate Monohydrate - inorganic Manganese source
Manganous Oxide - inorganic Manganese source
Manganous Sulfate - inorganic Manganese source
Mono Ammonium Phosphate inorganic Phosphorus source; doesn’t improve pelleting efficiency like other phosphate sources (6)
Monocalcium Phosphate - inorganic Phosphorus source; facilitates pelleting process efficiency (6)
Potassium Chloride - inorganic Potassium and Chloride source
Potassium Iodide - inorganic Potassium and Iodine source
Potassium Iodate - inorganic Potassium and Iodine source
Potassium Sulfate - inorganic Potassium source
Sodium Chloride - inorganic Sodium and Chloride source
Selenium Yeast - organic Selenium source
Sodium Molybdate - inorganic Molybdenum and Sodium source
Sodium Selenite - inorganic Selenium and Sodium source
Sulfur - inorganic Sulfur source
Zinc Amino Acid Complex - organic Zinc source
Zinc Amino Acid Chelate - organic Zinc source
Zinc Gluconate - organic Zinc source
Zinc Methionine Complex - organic Zinc source
Zinc Oxide - inorganic Zinc source
Zinc Polysaccharide Complex - organic Zinc source
Zinc Proteinate - organic Zinc source
Zinc Sulfate - inorganic Zinc source
Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate - inorganic Zinc source
(1) Crabbe, B. (2014). Vitamins and Minerals for Horses. Horse and Rider. www.horseandrider.com
(2) Power, R. and Horgan, K., (2000). Biological chemistry and absorption of inorganic and organic trace minerals, In T.P. Lyons and K.A. Jacques. Biotechnology in the Feed Industry. Nottingham, U.K.: Publishers
(3) NRC. (2009). Nutrient Requirements of Horses. (6th Ed.) National Academy Press, Washington D.C.
(4) Pal, D.T. and Gowda, N.K.S. (2015). Organic trace minerals for improving livestock production. Food and Agriculture Organization. www.feedipedia.org
(5) Kienzle, E. and Zorn, N. (2006). Bioavailability of Minerals in the Horse. Proceedings of the 3rd European Equine Nutrition & Health Congress. Merelbeke, Belgium: Ghent University.
(6) Axe, D.E. and Behnke, K.C. Phosphate sources in pelleting. Feed Pelleting Reference Guide. Retrieved from http://www.wattagnet.com/Feed_Strategy/.
Amino Acids
Horses use 22 of the more than 500 known amino acids to build proteins. Proteins are major components of blood, muscles, organs and enzymes (1). 12 of the 22 the horse can manufacture. The remaining 10 are called essential amino acids because the horse relies on its diet to obtain those. The essential amino acids are arginine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine (2). Unlike sugar and fat which can be stored for future use, there is no storage mechanism for proteins in the horse’s body. Excess protein is broken down into the amine portion which is excreted though urine as urea, and the remaining carbon skeletons are processed into glucose or fat (1).
Quality
The quality of a protein source is dependent on how well the assortment of constituent amino acids meets the dietary needs of the horse (1). Animal protein sources are superior to plant sourced proteins, but are less palatable (2). Oil seed meals and legume hays are sources of protein that are rich in assortment of amino acids and are considered to be of good quality. Soybean and canola being superior to other oil seed meals (3) (2). Cereal grains have a limited assortment and are considered lower in quality (3). Lysine is considered the most likely amino acid to be deficient in the diet of growing horses, followed by threonine (1). Manufacturers will often add free form amino acids to the feed to improve the amino acid quality of the feed.
Pagan, J.D. 1998. Protein requirements and digestibility: A Review. In: J.D. Pagan (Ed.) Advances in Equine Nutrition. pp. 43-50. Nottingham University Press. Nottingham, United Kingdom
NRC. (2009). Nutrient Requirements of Horses . (6th Ed.) National Academy Press, Washington D.C.
Frape, D. (2010). Equine Nutrition and Feeding. (4th Ed.) Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex U.K.
Definitions terms per AAFCO 2017 Official Publication
Dehulled, dehulling = (Process) Having removed the outer covering from grains or other seeds.
Distillation Solubles = (Part) Stillage filtrate.
Germ = (Part) The embryo found in seeds and frequently separated from the bran and starch endosperm during the milling.
Gluten = (Part) The tough, viscid nitrogenous substance remaining when the flour of wheat or other grain is washed to remove the starch.
Meal = (Physical form) An ingredient which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
Whey = (Part) The watery part of milk separated from the curd.
Common Amino Acid and Protein Ingredients
Animal Plasma
Canola Meal
Corn Distillers Dried Grains With Soluables
Corn Germ
Corn Germ Meal
Corn Gluten Feed
Corn Gluten Meal
Cottonseed Meal
Distillers Dried Grains
Distillers Dried Grains W/Soluables
Distillers Dried Grains, Corn
Distillers Dried Soluables, Cereals
Distillers Dried Soluables, Corn
DL-Methionine
DL-Methionine Hydroxy Analogue
Egg Product
Flaxseed Meal
L-Arginine
L-Glutamine
Linseed Meal
L-Isoleucine
L-Leucine
L-Lysine
L-Lysine Monohydrochloride
L-Threonine
L-Tryptophan
L-Valine
Maize Gluten
Maize Gluten Feed
Methionine Hydroxy Analogue
Milk, Skim, Dried
Pea Meal
Plant Protein Products
Rice, Brewers
Soy Protein Concentrate
Soy Protein Isolate
Soybean Meal
Soybean Meal, Dehulled
Sunflower Meal
Wheat Germ
Wheat Germ Meal
Wheat Gluten
Wheat Gluten Feed
Whey Powder
Whey Protein Concentrate
Whey Protein Concentrate, Low Lactose
Whey Solubles, Dried
Whey, Dried
Whey, Whole, Dried
Yeast, Brewers, Dried
Yeast, Hydrolyzed