L-Ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, serves as a vital nutrient for animals, playing a crucial role in enhancing animal production performance and bolstering disease resistance. While aquatic animals generally lack the ability to synthesize or have insufficient synthesis of vitamin C, most mammalian livestock and poultry can produce it in the liver or kidney. However, during stressful conditions such as high temperatures, transportation, and group transfers, as well as in juvenile stages, supplementing vitamin C becomes essential for stabilizing and improving production performance.
1. The Importance of Ascorbic Acid in Animal Breeding
Vitamin C is indispensable for the growth and well-being of various animals. It not only boosts immunity but also strengthens disease resistance, making it a vital component for maintaining life and supporting growth and development. Although adult healthy livestock and poultry can synthesize vitamin C, under stress conditions or in young or low-capacity individuals, supplementation through the diet is necessary. Failure to do so may lead to symptoms such as anemia, bleeding, growth stagnation, increased susceptibility to stress, and lower fertilization and hatching rates.
Artificially farmed fish and crustaceans, lacking L-gulonolactone oxidase activity, must acquire vitamin C from their diet. Insufficient vitamin C in aquatic animals can result in metabolic disorders, decreased disease resistance, increased mortality, slow wound healing, and abnormalities in trunk cartilage development. Vitamin C deficiency in aquatic animals can also lead to bacterial and viral diseases, emphasizing the importance of its inclusion in feed.
2. Application Effect of Ascorbic Acid in Breeding
The application of ascorbic acid in animal production yields positive effects:
In chickens, adding vitamin C to the diet improves egg production rate, eggshell quality, feed utilization, weight gain, and the fertilization and hatching rates of breeders. This is especially significant during stressful conditions such as high temperatures, water deprivation, fasting, immunization, disease, malnutrition, and transportation.
In pig production, vitamin C enhances production performance and reduces the incidence of diarrhea in piglets. Supplementation in boar feed improves semen quality, increasing the conception and litter rates of sows.
In aquaculture, adding vitamin C enhances the anti-stress and disease resistance of aquatic animals, promotes growth, bone development, and reproductive rates. It also improves immune function, aiding in disease resistance, and enhances the adaptability of aquatic organisms to hypoxia and low temperatures.
By understanding the importance and application of ascorbic acid in animal nutrition, producers can optimize the health and performance of their livestock and aquaculture.
