Novel feed composition

Abstract

The present invention provides a feed composition comprising: a) at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof; and b) a hypophosphorous acid and / or at least one salt thereof, as well as the use of the feed composition for improving animal growth performance and / or improving animal immunity and / or reducing animal mortality.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a new feed composition and uses thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Acidulant products, including organic acids, can be used to maintain food and feed hygiene and can prevent spoilage caused by microorganisms such as bacteria or moulds. Organic acids, such as benzoic acid, formic acid, propionic acid and acetic acid, can be used to control microbial growth in foodstuffs, food products or feedstuffs, with the aim of minimising the risk of foodborne illness. To this end, acidulant products can be added before and / or after production of the finished feed. In addition, acidulant products can be used to improve feed conversion and weight gain after consumption by an animal.

[0003] It has now surprisingly been found that a combination of an organic acid and / or a salt thereof with hypophosphorous acid and / or a salt thereof provides additional benefits to an animal. SUMMARY

[0004] The present invention provides a feed composition comprising: a) at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof; and b) hypophosphorous acid and / or at least one salt thereof.

[0005] The present invention also provides a method of improving growth performance and / or improving immunity and / or reducing mortality in an animal, the method comprising administering to the animal the animal feed additive or the animal feed of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 : Box plots of haematological parameters per group at 56 days on experimental feed (before challenge) and at 7 days after bacterial challenge. The boxes represent the interquartile range (IQR: 50% of the data lies between Q1 and Q3). The line across the box represents the median. The lines / whiskers outside the box extend to Q1 - 1.5 x IQR (25% of the data) and Q3 + 1.5 x IQR (25% of the data), respectively. Outliers outside the whiskers are represented by individual markers. The dark, black diamonds represent the mean values. Group 1 = control diet, Group 2 = Biotronic PX Top 3, Group 3 = MR. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] Animal: The term "animal" or "animals" refers to any animal other than human. Examples of animals include, but are not limited to, pigs or swine, such as piglets, growing pigs, and sows; poultry, such as turkeys, ducks, quail, guinea fowl, geese, pigeons (including squab), and chickens (including, but not limited to, broilers, pullets, and layers); pets, such as cats and dogs; horses; crustaceans, such as marine shrimp and freshwater prawn; fish, such as amberjack, arapaima, barb, bass, bluefish, bocachico, bream, bullhead, cachama, carp, catfish, catla, chanos, char, cichlid, cobia, cod, crappie, dorada, drum, eel, goby, goldfish, gourami, grouper, guapote, halibut, java, labeo, lai, loach, mackerel, milkfish, mojarra, mudfish, mullet, paco, pearlspot, pejerrey, perch, pike, pompano, roach, salmon, sampa, sauger, sea bass, seabream, shiner, sleeper, snakehead, snapper, snook, sole, spinefoot, sturgeon, sunfish, sweetfish, tench, terror, tilapia, trout, tuna, turbot, vendace, walleye, and whitefish.Preferably, the animals are selected from the group consisting of: swine (including but not limited to piglets, growing pigs and sows); poultry, such as turkeys, ducks, quail, guinea fowl, geese, pigeons (including squab) and chickens (including but not limited to broilers, chicks, layers); companion animals, such as cats and dogs; and crustaceans, such as marine and freshwater shrimps.

[0008] Animal feed: The term "animal feed" refers to any compound, preparation or mixture suitable or intended for consumption by an animal, capable of sustaining the life of the animal and / or promoting the production of the animal without consuming any other substance than water.

[0009] Animal feed additive: The term "animal feed additive" refers to an ingredient or combination of ingredients added to an animal feed, usually in small amounts, and requiring careful handling and mixing. The ingredients include, but are not limited to, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, colorants, growth improving additives and aroma compounds / flavorings, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); active oxygen generating substances, antioxidants, antimicrobial polypeptides, antifungal polypeptides and mycotoxin management compounds, etc.

[0010] Feed composition comprising an organic acid and hypophosphorous acid In a first aspect, the present invention provides a feed composition comprising: a) at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof; and b) hypophosphorous acid and / or at least one salt thereof.

[0011] In the present invention, the at least one organic acid can be selected from the group consisting of short monocarboxylic acids having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, saturated dicarboxylic acids, unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, unsaturated carboxylic acids, saturated carboxylic acids, hydroxycarboxylic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids and keto carboxylic acids, and / or at least one salt thereof. Merely for the sake of clarity, examples of short monocarboxylic acids having 1 to 6 carbon atoms include, but are not limited to: formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethylbutyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid. Examples of saturated dicarboxylic acids include, but are not limited to: adipic acid and succinic acid. An example of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid is fumaric acid. Examples of unsaturated carboxylic acids include, but are not limited to: sorbic acid and oleic acid. Examples of saturated carboxylic acids include, but are not limited to: stearic acid, caprylic acid (also known as caprylic acid), capric acid (also known as capric acid) and lauric acid (also known as lauric acid). Examples of hydroxycarboxylic acids include, but are not limited to: lactic acid, malic acid (D-malic acid or L-malic acid or D / L-malic acid), citric acid and tartaric acid. Examples of aromatic carboxylic acids include, but are not limited to: benzoic acid and cinnamic acid. An example of a keto carboxylic acid is pyruvic acid.

[0012] Preferably, the at least one organic acid can be selected from the group consisting of formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethylbutyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, caprylic acid (capric acid), capric acid (lauric acid), lauric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, pyruvic acid, gluconic acid, suberic acid, malonic acid, tannic acid, coffeic acid, tannic acid, perillic acid and gallic acid, or at least one salt thereof.

[0013] More preferably, the at least one organic acid can be selected from the group consisting of formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethylbutyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, caprylic acid (capric acid), capric acid (lauric acid), lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid and pyruvic acid, or at least one salt thereof.

[0014] Further preferably, the at least one organic acid can be selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, butyric acid, citric acid, formic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, caprylic acid, propionic acid, pyruvic acid, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, succinic acid and valeric acid, or at least one salt thereof.

[0015] In the present application, the at least one salt of an organic acid can be any one of the following metal salts, such as potassium, sodium or calcium salts and ammonium salts. Examples of organic acid salts include, but are not limited to, ammonium formate, potassium diformate, sodium diacetate, calcium acetate, ammonium propionate, sodium propionate, calcium propionate, calcium lactate, potassium sorbate, sodium formate, calcium formate, sodium butyrate, sodium sorbate, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, calcium citrate and benzoic acid salts such as sodium benzoate, magnesium benzoate, manganese benzoate, potassium benzoate, aluminium benzoate, calcium benzoate and iron benzoate.

[0016] Examples of commercial organic acid products are VevoVitall® (DSM Nutritional Products, Switzerland), Biotronic® (DSM Nutritional Products, Austria), Amasil®, Luprisil®, Lupro-Grain®, Lupro-Cid®, Lupro-Mix® (BASF), n-Butyric acid AF (OXEA) and Adimix Precision (Nutriad).

[0017] In the present application, the at least one salt of hypophosphorous acid can be selected from the group consisting of sodium hypophosphite, magnesium hypophosphite, manganese hypophosphite, potassium hypophosphite, aluminium hypophosphite, calcium hypophosphite, ammonium hypophosphite and iron hypophosphite; preferably sodium hypophosphite, magnesium hypophosphite, manganese hypophosphite and potassium hypophosphite; more preferably sodium hypophosphite.

[0018] In this invention, the feed composition may contain more than one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof and hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof. For example, such a feed composition may contain a combination of two, three, four, or even more organic acids with hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof. In one example, the feed composition contains a salt of hypophosphite and at least three organic acids, particularly formic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid, wherein the salt of hypophosphite is selected from sodium hypophosphite, manganese hypophosphite, magnesium hypophosphite, and potassium hypophosphite, preferably sodium hypophosphite and manganese hypophosphite, more preferably sodium hypophosphite. In another example, the feed composition contains a salt of hypophosphite and at least four organic acids, particularly formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and benzoic acid, wherein the salt of hypophosphite is selected from sodium hypophosphite, manganese hypophosphite, magnesium hypophosphite, and potassium hypophosphite, preferably sodium hypophosphite and manganese hypophosphite, more preferably sodium hypophosphite.

[0019] In this invention, the feed composition may be provided in a specific manner, wherein the molar ratio of at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof to hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof is 100:0.1 to 0.1:100, preferably 100:1 to 1:100, more preferably 50:1 to 1:50, even more preferably 20:1 to 1:20, and most preferably 10:1 to 1:10.

[0020] Such feed compositions of the present invention can be provided in a form in which one or more of the components are provided in solid form (e.g., salt, powder, granules, pellets, etc.) or liquid form (e.g., aqueous solution, gel, viscous). It is also conceivable that the feed composition can be provided in such a manner that one component (e.g., one or more organic acids) is provided in liquid form, while a second component (e.g., hypophosphite) is provided in solid form, and the composition is formed by combining the two components either as a mixture or individually.

[0021] As those skilled in the art will recognize, the feed compositions of the present invention can be formulated as animal feed additives. Therefore, the feed compositions of the present invention may also include trace components.

[0022] Trace components include, but are not limited to: aromatic compounds; antimicrobial peptides; polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); reactive oxygen species; at least one enzyme, fats and water-soluble vitamins, and minerals.

[0023] Examples of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) include CAP18, leukotropic adenosine A, protegrin-1, thanatin, defensins, lactoferrin, lactoferricin, ovispirin (e.g., novispirin) (Robert Lehrer, 2000), plectasins, and statins.

[0024] Examples of polyunsaturated fatty acids include C. 18 - Polyunsaturated fatty acids, C 20 - Polyunsaturated fatty acids and C 22 - Polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and γ-linolenic acid.

[0025] Substances that produce reactive oxygen species include chemicals such as perborate, persulfate, or percarbonate; and some enzymes such as oxidases, oxygenases, or synthases.

[0026] Examples of enzymes include phytase (EC 3.1.3.8 or 3.1.3.26), galactase (EC 3.2.1.89), α-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.22), phospholipase A1 (EC 3.1.1.32), phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4), lysophospholipase (EC 3.1.1.5), phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3), and / or phospholipase D (EC 3.1.4.4).

[0027] Examples of fat-soluble vitamins include, but are not limited to, vitamin A, vitamin D3, and vitamin K (such as vitamin K3).

[0028] Examples of water-soluble vitamins include, but are not limited to, vitamin B. 12 Biotin and choline, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, niacin, folic acid and pantothenate (e.g., Ca-D-pantothenate).

[0029] Examples of minerals include, but are not limited to: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorine, iodine, iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, and zinc. Common mineral supplements in feed include, but are not limited to: limestone, bone meal, oyster shells, sodium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide, and superphosphate. Sources of minerals include meat scraps, fish meal, dairy products, ground limestone (calcium), ground oyster shells (calcium), dicalcium phosphate (calcium, phosphorus), defluorinated phosphate rock (phosphorus, calcium), cooked bone meal (phosphorus, calcium), salts (sodium, chlorine, iodine), manganese sulfate (manganese), manganese oxide (manganese), zinc carbonate (zinc), and zinc oxide (zinc).

[0030] As those skilled in the art will recognize, the feed compositions of the present invention can be further formulated into animal feed. Therefore, the feed compositions of the present invention may further include any number of components commonly used in animal feed, such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats as defined above, and additional additives.

[0031] Examples of suitable types of protein that can be included in feed include, but are not limited to, meat scraps (lysine), fish meal (lysine, methionine), poultry by-product meal (tryptophan, lysine), blood meal, liver and gland meal, feather meal (hydrolyzed), animal fat residue, dairy products, cottonseed meal, peanut meal, soybean meal, sesame meal, and sunflower seed meal.

[0032] Most feed ingredients (corn, barley, safflower, sorghum (milo), wheat, rice, bran, etc.) contain about 2-5% fat and linoleic acid. Sources of fat include animal fats (beef), lard, corn oil, and other vegetable oils.

[0033] Additional additives include, but are not limited to: minerals as defined above; antioxidants such as BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), santoquin, ethoxyquinoline, butylated hydroxyisode, and diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine; pellet binders such as sodium bentonite (clay), liquid or solid byproducts of the wood pulp industry, molasses, and guar meal; colorants such as lutein, synthetic carotenoids, and canthaxanthin; probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria strains and streptococcal strains; and / or antibiotics such as penicillin, streptomycin, tetracyclines, and chlortetracycline.

[0034] In this invention, at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof may be provided at a concentration of 0.001% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.01% to 5% by weight, more preferably 0.05% to 1% by weight, for example 0.05% by weight, 0.1% by weight, 0.2% by weight, 0.3% by weight, 0.4% by weight and 0.5% by weight, based on the weight of the animal feed.

[0035] In this invention, hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof may be provided at concentrations of 0.0005% to 1% by weight, preferably 0.001% to 0.5% by weight, more preferably 0.002% to 0.2% by weight, and even more preferably 0.0025% to 0.1% by weight, for example 0.0025%, 0.003%, 0.004%, 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015%, 0.02%, 0.025%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1% by weight, based on the weight of the animal feed.

[0036] Methods to improve animal production performance and / or enhance animal immunity and / or reduce animal mortality It has now been surprisingly discovered that the feed compositions of the present invention, comprising a) at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof and b) hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof, provide a synergistic effect in improving animal production performance and / or enhancing animal immunity and / or reducing animal mortality.

[0037] Therefore, in a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for improving animal growth performance and / or enhancing animal immunity and / or reducing animal mortality, said method being the administration of the feed composition, animal feed additive or animal feed of the present invention described herein to animals.

[0038] The present invention also provides the use of the feed compositions described herein in the preparation of animal feed additives or animal feeds for improving animal growth performance and / or providing animal immunity and / or reducing animal mortality.

[0039] In this invention, the growth performance of an animal can be characterized or represented by its weight gain (WG), average weight gain, and / or feed conversion ratio (FCR).

[0040] In this invention, an animal’s immunity can be characterized or represented by the total hemocyte count (THC) and the number and percentage of hyaline cells (HCs), granular cells (SCs), and / or granular cells (GCs) in the animal’s hemolymph.

[0041] In this invention, the mortality rate of an animal can be characterized or represented by the percentage of animals that die or survive after a challenge.

[0042] In this invention, the improvement is compared with an animal feed additive (referred to herein as a control), which does not contain at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof and hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof. Preferably, compared with the control, one or more parameters relating to animal performance, immunity, and / or mortality are changed in the desired direction by at least 0.5%, for example, by at least 0.6%, at least 0.7%, at least 0.8%, at least 0.9%, at least 1.0%, at least 1.2%, or at least 1.4%.

[0043] In the method of the present invention, the dosage of at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof may be, based on the weight of the animal feed, 0.001% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.01% to 5% by weight, more preferably 0.05% to 1% by weight, for example 0.05% by weight, 0.1% by weight, 0.2% by weight, 0.3% by weight, 0.4% by weight and 0.5% by weight.

[0044] In the method of the present invention, the dosage of hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof may be, based on the weight of the animal feed, 0.0005% to 1% by weight, preferably 0.001% to 0.5% by weight, more preferably 0.002% to 0.2% by weight, more preferably 0.0025% to 0.1% by weight, for example 0.0025% by weight, 0.003% by weight, 0.004% by weight, 0.005% by weight, 0.01% by weight, 0.015% by weight, 0.02% by weight, 0.025% by weight, 0.03% by weight, 0.04% by weight, 0.05% by weight, 0.06% by weight, 0.08% by weight, and 0.1% by weight.

[0045] The present invention is further illustrated by the following embodiments.

[0046] Example Example 1 Animals and rearing environment The trial was conducted from August 1, 2022 to October 10, 2022 at the Aquaculture Center for Applied Nutrition (ACAN), Nong Lam University, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

[0047] Purchased white shrimp and Litopenaeus vannamei from a local hatchery in Ninh Thuan province (www.shrimpvet.com). Litopenaeus vannamei 5000 juvenile shrimp (PL 10) were selected (specific pathogen-free). At the ACAN facility, PL shrimp were reared for 42 days in 2000 L quarantine tanks under recirculating water conditions (15 ppt salinity, 29-31°C, pH 8.0-8.2) until reaching an average weight of 2.40 g / shrimp. During rearing, the PL shrimp were fed commercially available shrimp feed suitable for prawns.

[0048] Feeding and treatment After being reared in isolation tanks for a period of time, shrimp with normal feeding behavior and no obvious signs of disease were selected for performance trials. Three groups (six replicates per group, 20 shrimp per replicate) received either a basal diet without feed additives (control group) or with feed additives Biotronic PX Top 3 (DSM Nutritional Products, Austria) or MR (95% Biotronic PX Top 3 (DSM Nutritional Products, Austria) and 5 wt% sodium hypophosphite (NaH2PO2*H2O)), as shown in Table 1. The experimental diets were fed for 70 days (including production performance and challenge trials).

[0049] Table 1: Overview of each test group in the performance test The composition of the basal diet (control diet) used in the experiment is shown in Table 2. The experimental diets (groups 2-3) were formulated by adding feed additives Biotronic PX Top 3 or MR to the basal diet.

[0050] Table 2: Basal Diet Formulation Throughout the experiment, the water quality was maintained under conditions suitable for shrimp farming. After all sampling for the performance test was completed, 13 shrimp were randomly selected from each pond and transferred to the challenge pond (3 groups, 4 replicates per group).

[0051] Animals were placed in a challenge tank for 3 days to acclimatize to the new conditions and to ensure no mortality occurred after transfer. Shrimp were soaked in a 20 ppm ammonia solution for 24 h, then subjected to a 1.12 × 10⁻⁶ ammonia solution. 6 CFU / mL Vibrio parahaemolyticus ( V. parahaemolyticusSoak the bacteria in the solution for 1 hour. After soaking for 1 hour, replace 50% of the water in each challenge pool with freshly prepared brine to reduce the bacterial concentration in each pool to 50%.

[0052] Observe and record shrimp mortality at least twice daily until the challenge ends. Remove dying or dead animals. Shrimp that die within the first 3 days of the bacterial challenge under good conditions will be sent to the laboratory for bacterial isolation to confirm the challenge's success. At the end of the challenge trial, kill all remaining shrimp, disinfect with chlorine, and discard.

[0053] Experimental parameters and analysis 1. Growth performance parameters Clinical observations, water quality parameters, and mortality rates were recorded daily. For practical reasons, animals in each tank were weighed together, and their total weight was recorded on days 0, 28, and 56. The average weight of individuals in each tank was calculated by dividing the total weight of the animals by the number of animals.

[0054] Measure feed consumption between each weighing day. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is calculated as the ratio of total feed consumption to weight gain per pond, and the ratio of average feed consumption per animal to weight gain per animal.

[0055] 2. Immunological analysis Hemolymph samples were collected from 3 shrimp per pond and immunological analysis was performed at the following time points: 1. Take samples at the end of the performance test. 2. Sampling during the challenge trial (1 week after the challenge). Animals were randomly selected for analysis of the total hemocyte count (THC), clear cells (HCs), hemigranular cells (SCs), and granular cells (GCs) counts and percentages.

[0056] 3. Animal sampling for EMS (Early Mortality Syndrome) testing during challenge trials. Prior to the challenge, a pooled sample of four shrimp from different performance tanks was collected. Furthermore, to determine the cause of death after the bacterial challenge, on day 5 after the challenge, three to four healthy dead shrimp from each group were sent to the laboratory for real-time PCR testing for Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS / AHPND).

[0057] Results and discussion 1. Growth performance As shown in Table 3, compared with the control group and the Biotronic PX Top3 group, the MR-added group had greater average body weight and average weight gain per pond of shrimp.

[0058] Table 3: Descriptive statistics of growth performance parameters for each group 2. Immune parameters like Figure 1 As shown, compared with the control group and the Biotronic PX Top3 group, the percentage of small granular cells (SGC) in the MR supplementation group was higher both before and after the challenge.

[0059] 3. Survival of the Challenge Test EMS analysis results of shrimp samples before and after bacterial challenge showed that the shrimp had no EMS at the end of the performance test (before the challenge), but were positive for EMS after the challenge, indicating that the challenge was successful and Vibrio parahaemolyticus was positive for EMS.

[0060] As shown in Table 4, during the first week of the challenge, the group supplemented with MR had a higher survival rate during the challenge compared with the control group and the Biotronic PX Top3 group.

[0061] Table 4: Number and survival rate of animals surviving the challenge Conclusions Compared with the control group, supplementing with MR improved growth performance and immunity, and reduced mortality.

[0062] Example 2 Animals and rearing environment The experiment was conducted on a commercial farm in Lorca, Murcia, Spain. A total of 572 healthy weaned piglets [(Landrace x Large White x Pietrain)] were selected, with an average weaning time of 26 days and an initial average weight of 5.73 ± 0.96 kg. Environmental conditions were automatically controlled to ensure adequate temperature and ventilation for the piglets of the specified age.

[0063] Weaned piglets were grouped by weight into groups of 13 (mixed sexes, with an equal sex ratio in each group) and housed in 44 experimental pens (11 replicates per group). They were then weighed (individually) and randomly assigned to one of four experimental treatments (CTR, VEV, BIO, SH) solely based on their weight.

[0064] Although a two-stage feeding program of 0-14 days and 14-38 days was adopted, the experimental period was 38 days, divided into 4 stages: 0-7 days, 7-14 days, 14-21 days, and 21-38 days. At the end of each stage, the pigs were weighed (days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 38), and the total feed intake was recorded to calculate the main production parameters (growth rate, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio).

[0065] Experimental diets Experimental diets for each study phase were formulated using BRILL software (linear programming) and the FEDNA 2019 composition table. The same nutrient and component restrictions were used, except for the inclusion of test products (VEVOVITALL® (DSM Nutritional Products, Switzerland) and BIOTRONIC® TOP 3 (DSM Nutritional Products, Austria) or sodium hypophosphite).

[0066] The content levels of the test products and the composition of the test diets are shown in Table 5-6.

[0067] Table 5: Dietary composition (%, based on feed) from 0 to 14 days 1 Rovimap CP70: Plant Protein Concentrate (70% Crude Protein) 2 Vitamin-Mineral Premix: 4,000,000 UI / kg Vitamin A, 500,000 UI / kg Vitamin D3, 25,000 mg / kg Vitamin E, 625 mg / kg Vitamin K3, 31,250 mg / kg Vitamin C, 45,000 mcg / kg Biotin, 250 mg / g Folic Acid, 750 mg / kg Vitamin B1, 1750 mg / kg Vitamin B2, 1125 mg / kg Vitamin B6, 8,000 mcg / kg Vitamin B1 12 8000 mg / kg nicotinamide, 4500 mg / kg calcium pantothenate, 30000 mg / kg Fe, 13750 mg / kg Cu, 12500 mg / kg Mn, 25000 mg / kg Zn, 250 mg / kg I, 100 mg Se 3 Phytase: 6-Phytase (OptiPhos®).

[0068] Table 6: Dietary composition (%, based on feed) from day 14 to 38 1 Rovimap CP70: Plant Protein Concentrate (70% Crude Protein) 2 Vitamin-mineral premix: 4,000,000 UI / kg Vitamin A, 500,000 UI / kg Vitamin D3, 25,000 mg / kg Vitamin E, 625 mg / kg Vitamin K3, 31,250 mg / kg Vitamin C, 45,000 mcg / kg Biotin, 250 mg / g Vitamin H, 750 mg / kg Vitamin B1, 1,750 mg / kg Vitamin B2, 1,125 mg / kg Vitamin B6, 8,000 mcg / kg Vitamin B1 12 8000 mg / kg nicotinamide, 4500 mg / kg calcium pantothenate, 30000 mg / kg Fe, 13750 mg / kg Cu, 12500 mg / kg Mn, 25000 mg / kg Zn, 250 mg / kg I, 100 mg Se 3 Phytase: 6-Phytase (OptiPhos®).

[0069] Experimental parameters and analysis • Average body weight on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 38, in kg / piglet • Average daily weight gain (ADWG) for 0-7 days, 7-14 days, 14-21 days, 21-38 days, 0-14 days, 14-38 days, and 0-38 days, in kilograms per day. • Average daily feed intake (ADFI) for days 0-7, 7-14, 14-21, 21-38, 0-14, 14-38, and 0-38 (kg / day) • Feed conversion ratio (FCR) for 0-7 days, 7-14 days, 14-21 days, 21-38 days, 0-14 days, 14-38 days, and 0-38 days, in kg / kg • Withdrawn ratio (%) for 0-7 days, 7-14 days, 14-21 days, 21-38 days, 0-14 days, 14-38 days, and 0-38 days • Mortality rates at 0-7 days, 7-14 days, 14-21 days, 21-38 days, 0-14 days, 14-38 days, and 0-38 days, % Results and discussion As shown in Table 7, compared with the control group and the organic acid group (VEV and BIO), the SH group supplemented with VevoVitall® and sodium hypophosphite had the highest average daily weight gain and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR). In addition, the SH group also had lower culling and mortality rates in piglets.

[0070] Table 7: Production performance of piglets 0-7 days after weaning Conclusions The combination of organic acids and sodium hypophosphite improves the growth performance of piglets and reduces the mortality rate of piglets in the pre-weaning period (0-7 days after weaning).

Claims

1. A feed composition comprising: a) at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof; and b) hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof.

2. The feed composition according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one organic acid is selected from: short monocarboxylic acids, saturated dicarboxylic acids, unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, unsaturated carboxylic acids, saturated carboxylic acids, hydroxycarboxylic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, and ketocylic acids having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

3. The feed composition according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one organic acid is selected from: formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethylbutyric acid, valeric acid, hexanoic acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, pyruvic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, malonic acid, tannic acid, caffeic acid, tannic acid, perillic acid, and gallic acid, or at least one of their salts.

4. The feed composition according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one organic acid is selected from: acetic acid, butyric acid, citric acid, formic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, caprylic acid, propionic acid, pyruvic acid, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, succinic acid, and valeric acid, or at least one of their salts.

5. The feed composition according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, At least one salt of an organic acid is a salt of any of the following metals: for example, potassium, sodium, or calcium salts and ammonium salts, including but not limited to: ammonium formate, potassium diformate, sodium diacetate, calcium acetate, ammonium propionate, sodium propionate, calcium propionate, calcium lactate, potassium sorbate, sodium formate, calcium formate, sodium butyrate, sodium sorbate, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, calcium citrate, and benzoates such as sodium benzoate, magnesium benzoate, manganese benzoate, potassium benzoate, aluminum benzoate, calcium benzoate, and iron benzoate.

6. The feed composition according to claim 1, wherein, At least one salt of hypophosphite is selected from: sodium hypophosphite, magnesium hypophosphite, manganese hypophosphite, potassium hypophosphite, aluminum hypophosphite, calcium hypophosphite, ammonium hypophosphite, and ferric hypophosphite; preferably selected from: sodium hypophosphite, magnesium hypophosphite, manganese hypophosphite, and potassium hypophosphite; more preferably selected from sodium hypophosphite.

7. The feed composition according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The molar ratio of at least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof to hypophosphite and / or at least one salt thereof is 100:0.1 to 0.1:100, preferably 100:1 to 1:100, more preferably 50:1 to 1:50, even more preferably 20:1 to 1:20, and most preferably 10:1 to 1:

10.

8. The feed composition according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, At least one organic acid and / or at least one salt thereof are provided at concentrations of 0.001% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.01% to 5% by weight, more preferably 0.05% to 1% by weight, for example 0.05% by weight, 0.1% by weight, 0.2% by weight, 0.3% by weight, 0.4% by weight and 0.5% by weight, based on the weight of the animal feed.

9. The feed composition according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, Hypophosphophosphate and / or at least one salt thereof are provided at concentrations of 0.0005% to 1% by weight, preferably 0.001% to 0.5% by weight, more preferably 0.002% to 0.2% by weight, and even more preferably 0.0025% to 0.1% by weight, based on the weight of the animal feed, for example 0.0025%, 0.003%, 0.004%, 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015%, 0.02%, 0.025%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1% by weight.

10. The feed composition according to any one of claims 1-9, for improving animal performance and / or improving animal immunity and / or reducing animal mortality.

11. An animal feed additive or animal feed comprising the feed composition according to any one of claims 1-10.

12. The use of the feed composition of any one of claims 1-10 in the preparation of animal feed additives or animal feed to improve animal performance and / or improve animal immunity and / or reduce animal mortality.

13. The use according to claim 12, wherein, The animals are selected from: pigs, such as piglets, growing pigs, and sows; poultry, such as turkeys, ducks, quails, guinea fowl, geese, pigeons (including squabs) and chickens (including but not limited to broilers, chicks, and laying hens); pets, such as cats and dogs; horses; crustaceans, such as marine and freshwater shrimp; fish, such as amberjack, arapaima, barramundi, sea bass, bluefish, scorpionfish, cyprinid fish, bighead carp, kachamae, carp, catfish, catfish, milkfish, red-spotted fish, cichlids, cod, bream, golden snapper, and croaker. Eel, goby, goldfish, gudgeon, grouper, cichlid, halibut, Java barb, mullet, loach, mudskipper, mackerel, flounder, mudskipper, mullet, pike, pearl grouper, silver carp, perch, pike, pomfret, carp, salmon, sardine, bigeye amberjack, sea bass, sea bream, glittering flounder, goby, snakehead, sea bream, shad, sole, basketfish, sturgeon, sunfish, sweetfish, bream, crown bream, tilapia, trout, tuna, turbot, white trout, glass bass, and white salmon.

14. A method for improving animal growth performance and / or improving animal immunity and / or reducing animal mortality, comprising applying to an animal the feed composition of any one of claims 1-10 or the animal feed additive or animal feed of claim 11.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The animals are selected from: pigs, such as piglets, growing pigs, and sows; poultry, such as turkeys, ducks, quails, guinea fowl, geese, pigeons (including squabs) and chickens (including but not limited to broilers, chicks, and laying hens); pets, such as cats and dogs; horses; crustaceans, such as marine and freshwater shrimp; fish, such as amberjack, arapaima, barramundi, sea bass, bluefish, scorpionfish, cyprinid fish, bighead carp, kachamae, carp, catfish, catfish, milkfish, red-spotted fish, cichlids, cod, bream, golden snapper, and croaker. Eel, goby, goldfish, gudgeon, grouper, cichlid, halibut, Java barb, mullet, loach, mudskipper, mackerel, flounder, mudskipper, mullet, pike, pearl grouper, silver carp, perch, pike, pomfret, carp, salmon, sardine, bigeye amberjack, sea bass, sea bream, glittering flounder, goby, snakehead, sea bream, shad, sole, basketfish, sturgeon, sunfish, sweetfish, bream, crown bream, tilapia, trout, tuna, turbot, white trout, glass bass, and white salmon.

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