Stable coated cinnamaldehyde compositions for animal feed and related methods

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coated cinnamaldehyde which comprises an acidic coating and optionally a polymeric coating and which, when combined with animal feed or other feedstock ingredients, remains stable up to 90 days after combination with animal feed or feedstock ingredients. Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of improving animal growth by adding a coated cinnamaldehyde composition to animal feed.

Description

[0001] Citations of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 351,663, filed on June 13, 2022, entitled “Stable Coated Cinnamaldehyde Compositions for Animal Feed and Related Methods,” which claims the benefit of priority to International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2022 / 096376, filed on May 31, 2022, entitled “Stable Coated Cinnamaldehyde Compositions for Animal Feed and Related Methods,” the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Cinnamic aldehyde, or cinnamaldehyde, is an essential oil that can be found in cinnamon leaf oil. It is described as a yellow oily liquid with a cinnamon odor and sweet taste. Cinnamaldehyde is believed to have antibacterial properties and is considered an acceptable flavoring agent in animal feed. In fact, cinnamaldehyde is generally recognized as safe and is approved as a feed ingredient by the FDA (21 CFR §582.60, https: / / www.ecfr.gov / current / title-21 / chapter-I / subchapter-E / part-582) and AAFCO (AAFCO, Section 582.60). Along with carvacrol and thymol, cinnamaldehyde (CIN) is one of the most commonly used essential oil (EO) products in feed.

[0004] Despite their acceptance in the animal feed industry, cinnamaldehyde based products, including those encapsulated or unencapsulated, suffer from stability issues once combined with animal feed. Currently commercially available products on the market have known stability challenges and deficiencies.

[0005] Those in the feed industry have attempted to address the stability issue by creating physical barriers, such as encapsulation or microencapsulation using palmitic acid or glyceryl monostearate, which do not inhibit the aldehyde-amine condensation between CIN and the amine functional groups in protein feedstuffs. In other words, even with these physical barriers, once CIN is combined with any feed or feed raw materials containing protein feedstuffs, such encapsulation is not sufficient to stabilize CIN.

[0006] Therefore, researchers set out to overcome the stability barriers associated with CIN by developing new essential oil products. The researchers unexpectedly identified a new approach, using a chemical barrier, to achieve a stable CIN product that remains stable when combined with animal feed or other raw ingredients. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention relates to compositions containing coated cinnamicaldehyde as an ingredient, wherein the final product exhibits improved stability when combined with animal feed or other raw material ingredients (e.g., raw material ingredients containing protein feed raw materials). Another aspect of the present invention relates to the preparation of a stable CIN product for animal feed, the product comprising a cinnamic aldehyde core and an acidic layer that acts as a chemical barrier when combined with animal feed. Another aspect of the present invention relates to providing an alternative to animal growth promoters, including a stable CIN product for animal feed, wherein the CIN product comprises a cinnamic aldehyde core and an acidic layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a graph reflecting the effect of feed ingredients on the stability of cinnamaldehyde after 12 days of ambient storage.

[0009] Figure 2 is a graph showing the stability of cinnamaldehyde in different formulations.

[0010] Figure 3 is a graph showing the stability of cinnamaldehyde in different formulations in feed.

[0011] Figure 4 is a graph showing the shelf-life stability of CIN in the sample and two other commercially available products.

[0012] Figure 5 is a graph showing the stability of CIN based products in mash feed.

[0013] Figure 6 is a graph showing the shelf life stability of CIN content in the sample and two commercially available products.

[0014] Figure 7 is a graph showing the stability of CIN based products in concentrate feeds over time.

[0015] Figure 8 is a graph showing the stability of CIN in prototype samples and other products in pelleted feed.

[0016] Fig. 9is a graph showing the effect of dietary prototypes on villus height, crypt depth and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum of 28-day-old piglets. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present invention relates to stable compositions for animal feed containing an effective amount of CIN, wherein the final product overcomes stability challenges previously associated with CIN when combined with animal feed or other raw material ingredients by using an acid layer as a chemical barrier.

[0018] The researchers unexpectedly and surprisingly found that CIN degrades much faster in protein feed ingredients than in other ingredients. Given the observation that more primary amines are present in these protein feed ingredients, the researchers considered whether amine-aldehyde condensation could be the primary cause of CIN degradation. The researchers surprisingly found that a chemical barrier (e.g., by blocking the degradation pathway of amine-aldehyde condensation) translates into superior stability of CIN.

[0019] To demonstrate its superior stability, the CIN product of the present invention, using a chemical barrier, was compared to two leading encapsulated CIN products using only a physical barrier. All three encapsulated products demonstrated very good stability over the shelf life of the CIN products. However, when the CIN products were mixed with animal feed and then stored under ambient storage for 12 days, the degradation of CIN in both commercial products was more than 50%. In other words, it is clear that physical barriers alone (such as products using known encapsulation technology) and no other (barriers) do not adequately address the stability barriers of CIN when combined with animal feed.

[0020] The researchers further determined that the combination of an acidic layer (chemical barrier) and a polymer layer (physical barrier) to encapsulate CIN was highly effective in stabilizing CIN in feed.

[0021] Thus, one aspect of the present invention relates to the preparation of a stable CIN product for animal feed comprising a cinnamaldehyde core, an acidic layer acting as a chemical barrier and a polymer encapsulation layer (polymer encapsulation) as a physical barrier.

[0022] According to at least one embodiment, the core comprises at least 20% cinnamaldehyde, for example about 35% to 55%. In addition to comprising cinnamaldehyde, the core may optionally comprise an antioxidant. In an alternative embodiment, the core comprises butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), carvacrol, thymol or eugenol.

[0023] According to at least one embodiment, the core beads containing CIN are coated with an organic acid such as citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid or mixtures thereof to inhibit reaction with amines using a fluidized bed coating process, followed by a second coating with a polymer to block physical contact with air and feed. In alternative embodiments, the acid coating is applied using pan coating or extrusion spheronization equipment. In alternative embodiments, the polymer coating can be accomplished using pan coating or extrusion spheronization equipment.

[0024] According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the core beads containing CIN and antioxidants are coated with an organic acid layer to inhibit reaction with amines by a fluidized bed coating method, followed by a second polymer coating to block physical contact with air and feed. According to another embodiment, it was found that the combination of citric acid as a stabilizer in the first coating film and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) in the second coating film is particularly advantageous for stabilizing CIN. For example, the coated CIN showed a loss of less than 15% after 90 days of storage in an animal feed environment.

[0025] In at least one embodiment, researchers have found that the combination of citric acid as a stabilizer in the first film coating and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) in the second film coating results in a stable CIN. For example, the coated CIN showed a loss of less than 15% after 90 days of ambient storage with feed, which is much lower than the loss observed in commercial products containing only physical barriers.

[0026] According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, a CIN product comprises a core comprising CIN, an acidic layer (chemical barrier), and a polymer layer (physical barrier), thereby stabilizing the CIN even after combination with animal feed or raw material ingredients.

[0027] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a CIN product that exhibits superior stability when combined with animal feed compared to existing CIN products on the market. For example, in at least one embodiment, the core containing CIN is subsequently coated with an acidic layer. This can be achieved by pan coating the core or spraying the core with an acid (such as an organic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, or a mixture thereof). The coating material includes sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na), polyacrylic resin II, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, calcium stearate, glycerol, talc, or a mixture thereof. The pH value of the coating solution ranges from 1 to 4. In at least one embodiment, the acid accounts for about 0.5% to 15% by weight.

[0028] Another aspect of the invention relates to providing an alternative to animal growth promoters, including a stable CIN product for animal feed, wherein the CIN product comprises a core containing CIN, an acidic layer that acts as a chemical barrier, and wherein the CIN product is stable when combined with animal feed. According to at least one embodiment, the composition is added to animal feed to improve growth parameters, such as feed intake and body weight. According to at least one embodiment, the composition is a natural alternative to animal growth promoters, and the composition does not include animal growth promoters.

[0029] According to at least one embodiment, in order to obtain a CIN product that is stable when combined with animal feed, the CIN is loaded into silica beads and encapsulated with a polymer layer to prevent evaporation and protect the CIN from contact with oxidants and primary amines.

[0030] According to at least one embodiment, cinnamaldehyde is present in an amount ranging from about 20% to about 50% by weight, while the silica beads content ranges from about 15% to about 40% by weight.

[0031] According to at least one embodiment, the acid may be citric acid and / or other moderately strong acids, wherein the acid is present in an amount ranging from about 0.5% to about 15% by weight.

[0032] According to at least one embodiment, the content of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) is about 1 to 15% by weight.

[0033] In alternative embodiments, the CIN product optionally includes an antioxidant, including but not limited to BHT, TBHQ, carvacrol, thymol, or mixtures thereof. According to at least one embodiment, the antioxidant is present in an amount ranging from about 0.01% to 10% by weight. In certain embodiments, the antioxidant is contained in the core. In alternative embodiments, the antioxidant is contained in the acidic layer.

[0034] According to at least one embodiment, the composition of the present invention is suitable for animal feed and can be combined with known animal feed ingredients, including but not limited to soybean meal, fish meal, corn, cottonseed meal, whey powder, formula milk powder, soybean oil, amino acids, salt, limestone, dicalcium phosphate, choline chloride, mineral premixes, vitamin premixes, or combinations thereof.

[0035] For the purposes of this disclosure, "animal feed" refers to feed or food intended for consumption by livestock, including, for example, poultry, pigs, pets or ruminants, and "protein feed ingredients" refers to feed ingredients containing high levels of protein, including plant-based proteins.

[0036] Example

[0037] Example 1

[0038] Materials. Acetonitrile (HPLC, ≥99.9%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich LLC. Cinnamaldehyde reference standard (Cin, 99.5%), niacin, choline chloride, dicalcium phosphate and casein were purchased from Shanghai Aladdin Biochemical Technology Co., Ltd. Ethanol was purchased from Guangzhou Chemical Reagent Factory. Syringes (5 mL) were purchased from Jiangxi Hongda Medical Equipment Group Ltd. Methionine, lysine and threonine, ZnSO4, FeSO4, MnSO4, CuSO4, vitamins (VA, VD3, VE, VB1, VB2, VB6, VB 12 ), calcium D-pantothenate, biotin and folic acid were purchased from Jiangsu Ease Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Salt and limestone were purchased from Guangzhou Chemical Reagent Factory.

[0039] Effect of feed ingredients on the stability of cinnamaldehyde. Feed ingredients were divided into different groups: soybean meal, cornmeal, cottonseed meal, soybean oil, amino acids (methionine, lysine and threonine), salt series (salt, limestone, dicalcium phosphate and choline chloride), metal sulfates (ZnSO4, FeSO4, MnSO4 and CuSO4), vitamin series 1 (VA, VD3, VE, VB1, VB2, VB6 and VB 12 ) and vitamin series 2 (calcium D-pantothenate, niacin, biotin and folic acid). Silica was used as a carrier. The ingredient groups were added to the silica according to their content in the feed. The cinnamaldehyde standard was mixed with the mixture of ingredients and silica. 10 grams of sample were collected after 12 days of storage at room temperature and mixed with 50mL of ethanol in a beaker. The sample was then stirred for 2 hours and repeated three times. The supernatant was filtered into a vial. The content of CIN in the feed was then determined using HPLC. The relative content of cinnamaldehyde was calculated by equation 1 based on the initial added CIN content and the remaining content in the feed ingredients.

[0040]

[0041] Among them, A and A tare the initial content and the remaining content in the feed at the sampling time point (t), respectively.

[0042] Cinnamaldehyde is degraded much faster in protein feed ingredients than in other ingredients ( Figure 1 Since there are significantly more primary amines in these protein feed ingredients, it is suspected that aldehyde amine condensation may be the main cause of CIN degradation.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] Preparation of core beads. BHT and thymol were dissolved in cinnamaldehyde and then mixed with carvacrol. The essential oil mixture was completely absorbed by the silica beads and mixed thoroughly as core beads for coating (Table 1).

[0045] Screening of coating materials. The core beads were coated with different coating materials using fluidized bed coating technology. The candidate formulations and materials of the film are given in Table 1. The coating process was carried out as follows: the core beads were loaded into a fluidized bed container, and the coating material solution was sprayed onto the surface of the core beads by a peristaltic pump. After drying at 40°C for 10 minutes, the resulting coated particles were collected for stability analysis. The coated particles were mixed with other ingredients to form a prototype mixture. The prototype was mixed with feed at a dose of 3kg / ton. The feed was stored in sealed bags at room temperature for 12 days. Samples were then collected from the bags and the content of cinnamaldehyde was determined using HPLC. The ratio of the remaining content in the feed after 12 days of storage to the initial content was used to reflect stability (%). The relative content of cinnamaldehyde was calculated according to Equation 1.

[0046] Table 1. Screened formulations of cinnamaldehyde granule coating materials.

[0047]

[0048] The CMC-Na based formulation (Formulation 4) showed the best protective efficacy (P<0.05) ( Figure 2 ). Therefore, CMC-Na formula was identified as the preferred coating material.

[0049] Optimization of coating formulations. Core beads coated with one film did not solve the stability of CIN in feed. Different coating formulations were proposed to solve this problem (Table 2). The preparation of core beads and the coating of the first and second films were performed as described above. The stability of the coated CIN particles was evaluated as described in the screening of coating materials.

[0050] Table 2. Coating formulations for cinnamaldehyde granules.

[0051]

[0052] After 12 days of storage in feed, the coated CIN granules prepared from Formulation D showed the highest recovery of CIN in feed (P < 0.05) ( Figure 3 Formulation D, which contained citric acid as a stabilizer in the first coating film and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) in the second coating film, was selected as a prototype for stabilizing CIN in feed.

[0053] Example 3

[0054] Materials. Prototype samples were prepared using coated cinnamaldehyde (CIN) particles and then tested against two commercially available CIN (coated) based products, Product A and Product B. Table 3 summarizes the EO content of each sample.

[0055] Table 3. Contents of ingredients in essential oil products.

[0056]

[0057] Shelf life stability. The products were stored in sealed aluminum foil bags at room temperature (25°C) for 12 months. Samples were then collected from the bags at different time points and the cinnamaldehyde content was determined by HPLC. Cinnamaldehyde in the three products was stable when stored at 25°C for one year ( Figure 4 ).

[0058] Stability in powdered feed. The sample and two commercially available products (product A and product B) were mixed with powdered feed at a dose of 3 kg / ton. The feed was stored in sealed bags at room temperature for 90 days. Samples were then collected from the bags at different time points and the content of cinnamaldehyde was determined by HPLC.

[0059] The ratio of the remaining content in the feed after storage for different time periods to the initial content was used to reflect the stability (%). The prototype showed good stability of CIN in powdered feed (>85% retention) ( Figure 5 ), while the two commercially available products did not.

[0060] Example 4

[0061] Materials. Custom samples were prepared using coated CIN granules and tested against two commercial products based on coated CIN, Product C and Product D. The EO content of the products is shown in Table 4. The piglet concentrate feed contained 34.26% crude protein.

[0062] Table 4. Contents of ingredients in essential oil products.

[0063]

[0064] Shelf life stability of the products. The products were stored in sealed aluminum foil bags at room temperature (25°C) for 30 days. Samples were then collected from the bags at different time points and the cinnamaldehyde content was determined using HPLC. Cinnamaldehyde in all three products was stable at 25°C for 30 days ( Figure 6 ).

[0065] Stability in concentrated feed. The sample and two commercial products, product C and product D, were mixed with concentrated feed at a dose of 3 kg / ton. The feed was stored in sealed bags at room temperature for 30 days. Samples were then collected from the bags and the cinnamaldehyde content was determined using the HPLC method. The ratio of the remaining content in the feed after 30 days of storage to the initial content was used to reflect the stability (%). The prototype sample showed the best stability in concentrated feed ( Figure 7 ), the loss is less than 15%.

[0066] Example 5

[0067] Materials. Six powdered feeds and six pelleted feeds containing different essential oil products were evaluated. The first prototype sample, prepared by Kemin, contained coated CIN. Information on the other five samples was unknown.

[0068] Stability in pelleted feed. The feed was stored in sealed bags at room temperature for 30 days. Samples were then collected from the bags and the cinnamaldehyde content was determined using the HPLC method. The stability (%) was reflected by the ratio of the remaining content in the pelleted feed after 30 days of storage to the initial content in the powdered feed. In the pelleted feed, the prototype sample outperformed all other products due to its superior stability ( Figure 8 ), CIN losses were significantly less (24%) compared to losses in the other samples (>50%).

[0069] Example 6

[0070] Materials and Methods, Broiler Study. The trial was conducted in accordance with animal welfare regulations in China. The trial was conducted at the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, China. A total of 288 one-day-old ArborAcre male broiler chickens were weighed on the first day and randomly assigned to three treatment groups, each with eight replicate pens and 12 birds per pen. The corn-soybean meal-based dietary formula met or exceeded the nutritional requirements for broiler chickens in the NRC (1994) and the Agricultural Trade Standardization of China (NY / T33-2004). The prototype was obtained from Kemin (China) Technologies Co., Ltd. The dietary treatments were as follows: 1) non-challenge control (NCC), 2) challenge control (CC), 3) CC + 200 mg / kg prototype (prototype). All chickens received continuous light throughout the experiment. On days 7 and 12, all chickens except the NCC group were fed 1.0 mL of an actively growing culture of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O78 (2.0 × 10 8 CFU / mL) were challenged once by oral gavage. Pellet feed and water were provided ad libitum.

[0071] Growth performance. Body weight (BW) and feed intake were recorded on days 1, 7, 12 and 21, and average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated accordingly. The prototype was able to improve the growth performance of broiler chickens after E. coli challenge (Table 5).

[0072] Table 5. Effects of prototype supplementation on growth performance of broiler chickens.

[0073]

[0074] a,b The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0075] Ileal microbial populations. The prototype significantly reduced the counts of E. coli in the ileum compared to the control (challenge) group (Table 6).

[0076] Table 6. Effects of prototype supplementation on ileal microbial populations in broiler chickens at day 21.

[0077]

[0078] a,b The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0079] Intestinal junction protein expression. On day 21, the prototype significantly increased the gene expression of tight junction proteins in the jejunum compared with the control (challenged) group (Table 7).

[0080] Table 7. Effects of prototype supplementation on the expression of intestinal junction proteins in broiler chickens at day 21.

[0081]

[0082] a,b,c The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0083] Example 7

[0084] Animals, diet and management. The trial was conducted in accordance with the animal welfare regulations of China. The trial was conducted at Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China. 128 weaned piglets (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) with an average body weight of 5.66±0.2 kg were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (8 replicates per treatment group, 4 weaned piglets per replicate) for a 28-day trial, receiving a control diet (CON), a control diet supplemented with the prototype at 100 mg per kg of diet (Prototype 100), a control diet supplemented with the prototype at 200 mg per kg of diet (Prototype 200), and a control diet supplemented with the prototype at 300 mg per kg of diet (Prototype 300). The diet was formulated in powder form to meet or exceed the nutritional requirements of weaned piglets recommended by the National Research Council (2012). All piglets were provided with powdered feed and water ad libitum. On day 8, 8 piglets were taken from each of the CON and Prototype 300 groups and treated with 10 9 coli K88 solution was challenged to induce diarrhea.

[0085] Growth performance. Diet consumption was recorded during the 28-day trial period, and piglet weights were measured on days 1, 14, and 28, and average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated accordingly. The prototype improved the growth performance of piglets and reduced the diarrhea index of piglets (Table 8).

[0086] Table 8. Effect of CIN product supplementation on growth performance of weaned piglets (1-28 days).

[0087]

[0088] a,b The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0089] Gut microbiota. The prototype significantly increased the number of Firmicutes in the colonic digesta (Table 9). The prototype+challenge group significantly increased the number of Lactobacillus compared to the CON+challenge group.

[0090] Table 9. Effects of prototype supplementation on the intestinal microbiota of weaned piglets at day 10.

[0091]

[0092] a,b The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0093] Intestinal junction protein expression. On day 10, the prototype improved the intestinal barrier function of piglets compared to the control (challenged) group (Table 10).

[0094] Table 10. Effects of prototype supplementation on day 10 on intestinal junction protein expression in weaned piglets.

[0095]

[0096] a,b The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0097] Example 8

[0098] Animals, diet and management. The trial was conducted in accordance with China's animal welfare regulations. The trial was conducted at the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China. A total of 80 weaned piglets (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (8 replicates per treatment group, 2 weaned piglets per replicate) for a 28-day trial, receiving a control diet (CON), a control diet supplemented with a prototype at 50 mg per kg of diet (prototype 50), a control diet supplemented with a prototype at 100 mg per kg of diet (prototype 100), a control diet supplemented with a prototype at 200 mg per kg of diet (prototype 200) and a control diet supplemented with a prototype at 400 mg per kg of diet (prototype 400). The diet was formulated in powdered form to meet or exceed the nutritional requirements of weaned piglets recommended by the National Research Council (2012). All piglets were provided with powdered feed and water freely. On day 28, eight piglets were selected from each of the CON and Prototype 400 groups, and intestinal samples were collected.

[0099] Growth performance. During the 28-day trial period, diet consumption was recorded and piglet body weights were measured on days 1, 14 and 28, and average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated accordingly. The prototype significantly improved ADFI and ADG of piglets (Table 11). On day 28, the prototype had a trend to improve piglet BW.

[0100] Table 11. Effects of prototype supplementation on growth performance of piglets.

[0101]

[0102]

[0103] a,b,c The values ​​with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P<0.05).

[0104] Intestinal morphology. On day 28, the prototype significantly increased the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the ileum of piglets, and decreased the crypt depth ( Fig. 9 ).

[0105] While the present invention is described with reference to specific compositions, theories of effectiveness, etc., it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not intended to be limited to these illustrative embodiments or mechanisms and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It is intended that all such obvious modifications and variations be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The claims are intended to cover the claimed components and steps in any order that are effective to achieve the intended purpose, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0106] It is also to be further understood that minor dosage and formulation modifications may be made to the compositions described herein and the ranges expressed and still remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0107] The above description is presented for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is contemplated that other alternative processes and methods obvious to those skilled in the art are considered to be included in the present invention. This description is merely an example of an embodiment. It is understood that any other modifications, substitutions and / or additions may be made, which are within the intended spirit and scope of the present invention. As can be seen from the above, the exemplary aspects disclosed in the present invention at least achieve all intended purposes.

Claims

1. An animal feed ingredient containing coated cinnamaldehyde, wherein the coated cinnamaldehyde comprises a cinnamaldehyde core and an acidic layer.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the acidic layer comprises an organic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid and mixtures thereof. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the acidic layer comprises citric acid. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising a polymer layer.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polymer layer comprises sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the coated cinnamaldehyde component is stable for up to 90 days when combined with an animal feed or raw feed ingredient.

7. A method for preparing a stable cinnamaldehyde feed ingredient, include: A cinnamaldehyde core containing at least 35% by weight of cinnamaldehyde is prepared, and the cinnamaldehyde core is coated with an organic acid to form an acidic layer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the acidic layer comprises an organic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, and mixtures thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the acidic layer contains citric acid.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising coating the cinnamaldehyde core with a polymer to form a polymer layer. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the polymer layer comprises sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the coating step is performed using a fluidized bed.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein the coating step is performed using a pan coating method or an extrusion spheronization method.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the coated cinnamaldehyde component is stable for up to 90 days after being combined with the animal feed or raw feed ingredient.

15. A method of improving the growth of an animal by administering to the animal a coated cinnamaldehyde composition, wherein the coated cinnamaldehyde comprises a cinnamaldehyde core containing at least 35% cinnamaldehyde by weight and an acidic coating.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the acidic coating comprises an organic acid.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the acidic coating comprises an acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, and mixtures thereof.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the cinnamaldehyde comprises a polymer coating.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the polymer coating comprises sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the coated cinnamaldehyde component is stable for up to 90 days after being combined with the animal feed or raw feed ingredient.

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