The answer may lie in Nor-Grape 80, a dry grape extract feed additive registered in the European Union, able to provide a powerful antioxidant effect to optimise vitamin E utilisation and to control costs

Vitamin E: a key role in animal nutrition

“Vitamin E” includes a wide range of molecules with non-equivalent properties. They are classified in 2 categories: tocopherols (α, β, γ, δ) and tocotrienols (α, β, γ, δ). There are different types of α-tocopherol: “D-α-tocopherol” for the natural form of vitamin E and “DL-α-tocopheryl acetate” for the synthetic one. Vitamin E50 acetate is the most common commercial form used in animal nutrition.

Vitamin E is considered as a powerful antioxidative vitamin which binds oxygen free radicals that can cause tissue damage. It is an essential component of animals’ diets and has effects extensively documented in animal nutrition, in particular:

• Protection of lipids from oxidation, through antioxidant properties against lipid peroxyl radicals
• A contribution to a better meat quality
• Reproduction improvement

In turn, a vitamin E deficiency leaves the cellular membranes unprotected against oxidative attacks, inducing specific symptoms that endanger animals’ health and decrease zootechnical performances.

Vitamin E restraining factors

However, the use of vitamin E can be complicated by several factors.

A variable assimilation

Animals assimilate synthetic vitamin E, but not always fully and a higher dose of vitamin E does not necessarily translate into a higher concentration of antioxidant markers in the organism. This is true for larger adult animals. The following graph shows the evolution of the α-tocopherol plasma concentration in dairy cows according to the level of daily vitamin E supplementation.

This absorption limit is particularly true for young animals, when their enzymatic equipment is still immature:

A fluctuating price… on the rise

Additionally, the price of vitamin E can be very volatile and difficult to foresee: it was lower than 5€/kg in October 2017 and transactions were reported in excess of 14 €/kg in Europe, in November of the same year.

The recent volatility is mainly explained by 2 factors. First, due to the enforcement of new environmental regulations, China vitamin producers had to reduce their production since the summer 2017. On the other hand, the situation was dramatically worsened after October 2017 by a fire incident at a citral plant of one of the main European producers.

Nor-Grape 80, a standardised and efficient antioxidant!

Nor-Grape 80 is a standardised dry grape extract rich in polyphenols, anthocyanins & proanthocyanidins, all very potent natural antioxidants.

Nor-Grape 80 is the first and only dry grape extract that has received an authorisation from the European Union. Its guaranteed content of several types of polyphenols ensures a reliable supply of antioxidants for the industry stakeholders (premixers, food manufacturers and breeders).

1 g of Nor-Grape 80 = 11 g of pure vitamin E

More and more research evidences that vitamin E can be regenerated by polyphenols. In vitro, in vivo and ex vivo trials show that Nor-Grape 80 has a vitamin E optimisation effect through the replacement of up to 50 percent of it, with a 1:11 ratio in the complete feed, due to these molecular interactions.

Concrete savings

In this calculation made with Nor-Feed’s “e-calculator”, Nor-Grape is used on broilers in order to potentiate the use of vitamin E:

Calculations also show that the higher the price of Vitamin E, the greater the profit per T of feed generated by the use of Nor-Grape 80.

For more information, click here. References available upon request.

About Nor-Feed

Since 2003, Nor-Feed has been inventing, manufacturing and marketing natural plant extracts for animal nutrition and health.

Nor-Feed is focused on a short product portfolio; our products are standardised, documented and efficient, with sustainable development principles.

Nor-Feed provides its clients with technical, marketing and regulatory support.