Evonik launches own guanidinoacetic acid-product (GAA)
Evonik made the strategic decision to launch its own GAA product following the termination, at the end of 2018, of an agreement it had with AlzChem to distribute that company’s CreAMINO branded GAA additive.
GuanAMINO is being manufactured in China, said Dr Torben Madsen, head of product line sustainable healthy nutrition at Evonik Animal Nutrition.
Production capacity can easily expand to meet growing market demand for the feed additive, he told us.
“GuanAMINO is available globally, and, for the moment, is targeted at broilers and growing pigs,” said Madsen.
The additive, claims Evonik, ensures optimal nutrient utilization and therefore return over feed costs for producers.
Creatine is formed through methylation of GAA, which itself is formed from the amino acids, glycine and arginine, explained the specialty chemicals producer. However, in fast-growing animals it is estimated that only around two-thirds of the required daily need for creatine is covered by the body’s own synthesis. The rest must be supplied via addition to the feed, it added.
Feed conversion, muscle and bone growth
A meta-analysis, published in the March 2020 edition of the World’s Poultry Science Journal, saw that the most consistent effect of supplemental GAA was in relation to feed conversion.
The reviewers, which included Evonik-based researchers, concluded that GAA has proven to be a stable and efficient feed additive to boost energy utilization and improve live performance of poultry.
“Furthermore, this feed additive has several important features in poultry nutrition, including arginine-sparing potency, improving reproductive function and enhancing muscle and bone growth and developments.”
Evonik said its GAA product is granulated, virtually dust free, free flowing and has handling characteristics which make for easy usage in daily operations.
