Betaine is a kind of quaternary amine alkaloid, which widely exists in animals and plants, especially in beet molasses. At present, there are two kinds of betaine used in the breeding industry: one is the biological betaine extracted from the waste molasses after sugar beet production; The other is betaine hydrochloride produced by chemical synthesis. Its main functions are as follows:
(1) As a methyl donor, betaine has three methyl groups in its molecular formula and is an effective methyl donor. As a methyl donor, betaine is 2.3 times higher than choline chloride and 3.7 times higher than methionine. Betaine is an internal salt of glycine, which is a neutral substance and does not destroy the vitamins in feed.
(2) Anti-resistance and anti-stress effect Betaine can improve the tolerance of biological cells to high temperature, high salt and high osmotic environment, regulate the balance of cell osmotic pressure, alleviate stress response, and enhance resistance. Betaine has characteristics similar to electrolyte. Studies have shown that it has an osmotic protective effect on pig gastrointestinal cells when the digestive tract is invaded by pathogens. When the piglets suffer from diarrhea resulting in gastrointestinal water loss and ion balance imbalance, betaine can effectively prevent water loss, avoid hyperkalemia caused by diarrhea, maintain and stabilize the ion balance of the gastrointestinal environment, make the beneficial bacteria dominate in the microbial flora in the gastrointestinal tract of piglets under weaning stress, and the harmful bacteria will not multiply in large numbers, and protect the normal secretion of enzymes in the digestive tract and the stability of their activity, Improve the growth and development of digestive system of weaned piglets, improve the digestibility and utilization of feed, increase feed intake and daily weight gain, significantly reduce diarrhea, and promote the rapid growth of weaned piglets.
Betaine can alleviate the stress caused by immune injection to animals, and can alleviate the damage of anti-coccidial drugs to animal intestines.
Third, improve production performance. Betaine can promote the secretion of growth hormone, promote the synthesis of protein, reduce the decomposition of amino acids, and maintain a positive balance of nitrogen in the body. Betaine can increase the content of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the liver and pituitary, thus enhancing the endocrine function of the pituitary, promoting the synthesis and release of growth hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone and other hormones by the pituitary cells, increasing the nitrogen storage of the body, thus promoting the growth of livestock and poultry.
Fourth, improve carcass traits of livestock and poultry. Betaine can promote fat catabolism, inhibit fat deposition, promote muscle growth and protein increase, improve lean meat rate and reduce back fat thickness.