The main component of stevia extract is steviol glycosides, which have many applications in animal feed. Firstly, it can be used as a sweetener to improve the palatability of feed, stimulate the appetite of pigs, chickens, aquatic animals, etc., and increase feed intake. Secondly, it can regulate blood sugar and energy metabolism, avoid large fluctuations in blood sugar for animal models prone to diabetes, and is also useful for animals that control energy intake. Furthermore, in the case of limited antibiotic growth promoters, it can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the animal gut and inhibit harmful bacteria, which is very helpful for the intestinal health of broiler chickens and piglets. It also has antioxidant and immune regulatory effects, such as reducing oxidative stress in ruminant feed and enhancing immune cell activity in rabbit feed. In addition, it can also improve the quality of livestock products, such as enhancing the quality of egg laying hens and affecting the meat quality of meat producing animals.
As a sweetener added to feed
- Many animals, like humans, have a preference for sweetness. Adding stevia extract to feed can improve its palatability. For example, sweet feed can stimulate the appetite of livestock and poultry such as pigs and chickens, making them more willing to eat. This can increase the intake of feed, especially for young animals or animals with poor appetite under stress, and this attraction is particularly important.
- Aquatic animals such as fish and shrimp also have a positive response to sweetness. Adding stevia extract to aquatic feed can mask some of the unpleasant odors of the feed ingredients themselves, improve the stability of the feed in water, reduce the loss of feed in water, and thereby increase the intake of feed by aquatic animals.
Stevia extract added to feed has the effect of regulating blood glucose and energy metabolism
- Although steviol glycosides have a sweet taste, they provide almost no digestible carbohydrates and have a relatively small impact on animal blood sugar. For some experimental animal models prone to diabetes or abnormal blood glucose (such as some strains of mice), adding stevia extract to the feed can ensure the sweetness of the feed while avoiding the violent fluctuation of blood glucose.
- From the perspective of energy metabolism, it does not provide a large amount of energy like traditional sugars. This is very useful for animals that need to control their energy intake (such as pet dogs and cats' weight loss feed), as it can give the feed a good taste without adding too many calories.
Adding stevia extract to feed can replace antibiotics and growth promoters
- In the current context of restricting the use of antibiotic growth promoters, stevia extract can be used as a natural feed additive to improve animal growth performance. Research has found that adding stevia extract to broiler feed can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut and inhibit the proliferation of harmful bacteria. This is similar to the effect of prebiotics, which help maintain the balance of gut microbiota, thereby improving the feed conversion rate and growth rate of broiler chickens.
- For piglets, the gut microbiota is not yet fully established and mature. Stevia extract can help piglets better adapt to the feed environment, reduce the probability of intestinal problems such as diarrhea, and promote their healthy growth.
Antioxidant and immune regulatory effects
- Stevia extract contains some antioxidant components, such as flavonoids. Adding it to animal feed can enhance the antioxidant capacity of animals. For example, in the feed of ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep, these antioxidants can alleviate oxidative stress and protect cells from free radical damage.
- It may also participate to some extent in animal immune regulation. In some feed experiments on small mammals such as rabbits, it was found that the addition of stevia extract enhanced the immune cell activity of rabbits and increased their resistance to diseases. This may be because stevia extract activated certain immune related signaling pathways in the animal body.
Improve the quality of livestock products
- Adding stevia extract to animal feed may improve the quality of livestock products. For example, adding it to the feed of laying hens may improve the quality of the eggs, make the yolk color more vibrant, and may also reduce the cholesterol content in the eggs.
- For meat animals such as pigs and cows, it may affect the tenderness, color, and flavor of the meat. Because stevia extract has a positive effect on the physiological metabolism of animals, indirectly affecting muscle growth and quality.
What are the standards for adding stevia extract to feed?
According to the "Feed Additive Stevia Extract (Active Ingredient: Chlorogenic Acid and Its Analogues)" standard NYSL-1006-2023, the specific amount of Stevia Extract added to different animal feeds is not specified. But there are some research and practical experiences for reference:
- Broiler chicken
There are research reports that adding 0.5% -1% stevia extract to the diet or water for 15 consecutive days can improve the production efficiency, intestinal health, and humoral immunity of broiler chickens. Adding 0.5% -2% steviol to the diet of broiler chickens for 0-15 days can promote early immune maturation of the bursa of Fabricius and improve intestinal health.
- pig
In piglet feed, the addition amount is generally around 0.1% -0.5%. For example, in the experiment of weaned piglets, adding 0.2% stevia extract can improve the feed intake and intestinal health of piglets, and reduce the occurrence of diarrhea. For fattening pigs, the addition amount can be appropriately increased to 0.5% -1%, which can help improve the quality of pork, make the meat fresher and more tender, and also increase the pig's feed intake to a certain extent, promoting growth.
- Ruminant animals
The amount of stevia extract added to the feed of cows and beef cattle is usually between 0.2% and 0.8%. Research has found that adding stevia extract can increase milk production and quality in cows, while also improving the growth performance and meat quality of beef cattle. In sheep feed, the addition amount is generally 0.1% -0.6%, which helps to improve sheep's appetite and digestive absorption ability, promote sheep growth and wool quality.
- Aquatic animals
In fish feed, the addition amount is generally around 0.05% -0.3%. For example, adding 0.1% -0.2% stevia extract to the feed of carp and crucian carp can increase their feeding rate and growth rate, while also enhancing their immunity. In shrimp feed, the addition amount can be appropriately increased to 0.2% -0.5%, which can help improve the survival rate and growth performance of shrimp.
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