Betaine is ubiquitous in animals, and beet is the plant with the most betaine. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the application of betaine in the livestock and poultry industry. This is because betaine can provide active methyl groups in the metabolism of living organisms, form methyltransferase with cysteine, and participate in methyl reactions, so it is called "life methylating agent". In addition, choline chloride and methionine also have the function of providing active methyl groups. However, as a non-toxic, non-polluting and non-residue new type of nutrient redistribution agent, betaine overcomes a series of drawbacks such as high stress, serious residue, and decreased meat quality caused by nutrient redistribution agents such as β-adrenergic agonists. .

The chemical name of betaine is trimethylglycine, which is a quaternary ammonia alkaloid with molecular formula C5H12NO2 and molecular weight of 117.5. Its molecular structure has two characteristics: one is that the distribution of electric charge in the molecule is neutral; the other is that it has three activities methyl. Its appearance is fluid, slightly brown crystalline powder, sweet in taste, easy to absorb moisture, soluble in water and alcohol, neutral in aqueous solution, with a melting point of 293 °C, can withstand high temperatures below 200 °C, and has strong antioxidant properties. In addition, betaine also has moisturizing properties.

Betaine provides high-efficiency active methyl groups for the body After years of research, it has been found that betaine, as an intermediate metabolite in animals, indirectly participates in animal protein and fat metabolism. From the perspective of its physiological mechanism of action, betaine indirectly participates in many physiological metabolic processes in the body by providing methyl groups and synthesizing various nutrients. Methyl is a necessary group for the synthesis of proteins, carnitine, creatine, phospholipids, epinephrine, ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid and many other substances with important physiological activities in the animal body, and one of the main methyl donors in the animal body. Choline cannot provide methyl groups, and it needs to be converted into betaine by cell mitochondria before it has the ability to provide methyl groups and synthesize lipoproteins, amino acids and other substances. Therefore, when the supply of choline in the feed is insufficient, some betaine is added. Replaces the role of choline. Appropriate supplementation of betaine in the diet can replace the other main methyl donor - methionine for methylation, thereby saving methionine and improving protein utilization. The ability of betaine to provide methyl can also promote the synthesis of carnitine in animals and improve the intensity of fat metabolism.

Early studies have shown that betaine has a certain anti-fat effect. Adding betaine to the diet will reduce body fat and increase protein content in growing chickens. Betaine can provide methyl group to methylaminoethanol to generate choline, and choline plays an important role in ester metabolism, thereby promoting fatty acid oxidation and phospholipid production, and improving the operating speed of esters. Synthesis, on the one hand, reduces the activity of lipase in the liver; The migration of fat in the liver, thereby reducing the content of triglycerides in the liver.