UNIT IV - Animal Nutrition

Animal Nutrition
⮚ study of various physiological, physical
and chemical processes of transforming
food elements to body elements and the
influences of various feed additives to
these processes

⮚ GOAL : development of foods that

match individual genotypes for better
health
 Nutrient
• can be defined as any substance or
constituent of food/feed that is
transformed and transported to the
body tissues which supports diverse
physiological processes of the body
 Animal’s Body

67.2 % Water

13.8 % Protein

15.67 % Fats

2.95 % Minerals

Maintenance Reproduction 0.43% Carbohydrates

Growth Lactation
Metabolism – chemical processes that transform
substances for utilization and the excretion of
wastes products at the cellular level.

Anabolism – building of complex substances from

simpler compounds.
Ex: tissue growth

Catabolism – destructive metabolism, breakdown

of complex substances into simple substances.
Ex: breakdown of reserve fat for energy
utilization
Terminologies
Maintenance: Portion of food which
supports bodily processes which go on
whether or not any new tissues or
products are being formed
Growth : Increase in body size or size
composition
Hypertrophy : Increase in cell size
Hyperplasia: Increase in cell number
 Nutrients
Structural materials of the body

Essential

Source of energy for metabolism

regulating body processes or

Non- in the formation of body
Essentials produced regulators
 Nutrients
Composition (%)
Nutrient ANIMAL* PLANT*
Water 70 70
Protein 22 5
Fats 3 1
Carbohydrates <1 22
Ash 4 2
 Nutrient Elements
Arsenic (As) Iodine (I) Potassium (K)
Calcium (Ca) Iron (Fe) Selenium (Se)
Carbon (C) Magnesium (Mg) Silicon (Si)
Chlorine (Cl) Manganese (Mn) Sulfur (S)
Chromium (Cr) Molybdenum (Mo) Tin (Ti)
Cobalt (Co) Nickel (Ni) Vanadium (Va)
Copper (Cu) Nitrogen (N) Zinc (Zn)
Flourine (F) Oxygen (O)  
Hydrogen (H) Phosphorus (P)  
 Proximate Analysis of
Feed
CP
H2 0

Organic Mater
Feed CFat CF
DM
NFE

Inorganic
Mater

Ash
 Classes of Nutrients
Water (H2O)
⮚ 65-80% of an animal body at birth
⮚ 45-60% at maturity
⮚ 90-95% of blood
⮚ 70-90% tissues
FUNCTIONS:
⮚ Transport of nutrients
⮚ Solvent for chemical reaction
⮚ Temperature control
⮚ Lubrication
 Water
Water Restriction
⮚ Reduce feed intake
⮚ Weight loss-dehydration
⮚ Increase nitrogen and electrolyte excretion
Water composition
⮚ Electrolyte balance
⮚ Microbial activity
Consumption
✔ 1:2 feed to water ratio
 Drinking Water Standards
TDS
Ca
SO2
MO
Mg
pH

Total Dissolved solids – 3,000 ppm

Ca – 1,000 ppm
Sulfate – 1,000 ppm
Mg – 400 ppm
Coliforms – 10,000/L
pH – 6.5-8.5
 Water
1. Intracellular water - water found in
muscles and skin
2. Extracellular water - water found in
between cells like blood plasma, lymph,
synovial and cerebrospinal fluids
3. Water present in body parts such as
gastrointestinal and urinary tract.
*Lack of water may result to death faster than deficiency of any
other nutrients
*Limitation of water will reduce production
 Carbohydrates (CHO)
⮚ Largest part of an animal’s feed supply
⮚ Main source of energy and heat
⮚ Stored in the body as fats
⮚ Commonly known as sugar
⮚ Includes sugar, starch, cellulose and
gums
⮚ Simplest form is glucose (C6H12O6)
 Classification of Carbohydrates
Monosaccharides – 1 molecule of sugar unit
Classification of Carbohydrates

Important Hexose
 Classification of Carbohydrates
Disaccharides – 2 molecules of sugar unit
Lactose
 Classification of Carbohydrates
Polysaccharides – more than 10 molecules of sugar unit
*Starch is the most common polysaccharide
- Examples: amylose, amylopectin and glycogen
-glucose units joined by alpha linkage
-practically the most important polysaccharide in
animal nutrition as it is abundant in seeds
-major component of corn grains which make up
the bulk of rations for livestock and poultry
- good source of high energy for feeds
 *Pentosans
- Polymers of β-1,4-linked 5-carbon sugars
-Arabinans and Xylans are basically composed
of hemicelluloses which are insoluble in the
digestive system especially in monogastric
animals
-Ruminants, however, can digest these due
to some microbial action

Structure of xylan (Butt

et al, 2008)
*Cellulose
-the major component of the fiber
portion of many plants
-important to ruminants (as
roughages)

Beta-1,4 glycosidic bond of a cellulose unit

(Sampath et al., 2016)
*Hemicellulose –part of plant cell wall which are
more digestible than cellulose

*Lignin -a structural component of plant cells

-the fibrous portion of the roots, stems
and cobs
-As a plant gets older, the proportion of
lignin increases

Chemical structure of lignin

(Mahmood et al, 2018)
Fats
-or lipids are group of substances that are practically insoluble in water
but soluble in some organic solvents

-It is made up of 77% Carbon, 12% Hydrogen and 11% Oxygen in terms
of molecular weight

-Lipids have components similar to that of a carbohydrate but are

different from carbohydrates
R’s – represents a long C-C-C chain
 Classification of Fats based
on Structure
Saturated fats
✔ No double band on fatty acids
✔ Solid at room temperature (butter or animal fat)
✔ Associated to health diseases
Unsaturated fats
✔ double bonds are present in fatty acid
✔ Liquid at room temp. (oil)
✔ Monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat
• Fats may be classified as Simple,
Compound or Derived

Simple lipids
• True fat (fats and oils)
Compound lipids

• Phospholipids (also called

phosphatides)- Glycolipids -
fats in combination with Compound lipids (Xia and Peng, 2013)

carbohydrate and nitrogen

• Lipoproteins - fat molecules

bound to proteins

Lipoprotein structure (Chiang 2014)

• Derived Lipids
• As the term implies, derived lipids are those
formed from the hydrolysis of simple or
compound lipids
• Fatty acid - building blocks of fats
– Saturated solid at room temp. (ani. Fats like
tallow)
– Unsaturated - lower melting point, liquid at room
temp.
(Vegetable oils (coconut, corn oil, soybean oil)
*Oils are more digestible than fats
• Fats can be formed easily can be synthesized
from carbohydrates and proteins

In the animal body it can be found

• subcutaneously,
• surrounding internal organs or in and milk
• as a component of feeds at not more than
10% and in oil seeds at about 20%
*The difference between fats and oils is the
state they are in at room temperature;
*fats are solid at room temperature
whereas oils are liquid at the said
temperature
In general:
*Oils are more digestible than fats

LARD (Pork fat)

vs
PALM OIL
Fats function as
1. Dietary source of energy (2.25 time higher
than carbohydrates);
2. Source of heat, insulation and protection for
animal body;
3. Source of essential fatty acids namely
linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acid
4. Carrier of fat-soluble vitamins for absorption
Deficiency of fats in the body or its abnormal
metabolism may result to:
– hair loss
– reduced growth rate
– skin lesions
• Fatty liver - abnormal liver function due to
accumulation of lipids in the liver
Proteins
-composed of polypeptides, or a series of amino acids joined
by peptide bonds
-contain elements Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen
- may also have Sulfur and Phosphorus
-building blocks of proteins are amino acids

Amino acids
- polymerized units which provide the necessary structure
for a protein molecule.
- categorized as essential or limiting and non-essential or
non-limiting
R in the diagram represents a
functional group that varies
depending on the specific
amino acid in question
example : H or complex
organic group
• Essential amino acids
– must be supplied in the diet because it
cannot be synthesized by the body in
sufficient amounts commensurate to
the needs of the animal
– essentiality depends on the factors
such as species, age, health,
metabolism
Ten Essential Amino Acids: PVT MAT HILL
• Phenylalanine
• Valine
• Tryptophan
• Methionine – most limiting amino acid in poultry
• Arginine
• Threonine
• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine- most limiting amino acid in swine
• Non- Essential amino acids - vital but need not be
supplied in the diet for the rate at which it is synthesized
by the body is commensurate to body needs

12 Non- Essential amino acids:

1. Alanine 7. Glutamic acid
2. Asparagines 8. Glutamine
3. Aspartic acid 9. Glycine
4. Cysteine 10.Hydroxyproline
5. Cystine 11.Proline
6. Serine 12.Tyrosine
• A protein made up of amino acids is called
true protein

• however, proteins that are not true protein

in nature but contain high amounts of
nitrogen which can be converted into
protein via the action of bacteria, called
Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN)
• In analysis, protein is usually expressed
as crude protein which is
representative of the true protein and
any nitrogenous product

• On the average, food products have been

analyzed to have 16% N
• The formula for computing crude protein:

the amount of nitrogen multiplied by

6.25

100 = 6.25
16
• proteins are organic compounds that are
very vital in all living organisms

• requirement of protein is higher in young

animals as this nutrient forms mainly
the structural components of the
body
Insufficient amount of protein or amino
acids may lead to:

• reduced growth rate

• reduced feed efficiency
• anorexia
• increased nitrogen in the feces
(environmental pollution)
Classification based on
structure:
• Fibrous proteins
-These are the proteins that
are insoluble in water and
resistant to digestive enzymes
-It may contain low amounts
of cystine
-It constitutes about 30% of
total protein in an animal body
-Examples are collagen,
elastin and keratin
• Globular or simple proteins
-These are the proteins that are soluble in
water or in dilute acids and bases or in alcohol
-It includes the albumins, globulins,
enzymes and hormones
• Conjugated proteins
-Examples are
❑ glycoproteins (carbohydrates
and proteins),
❑ lipoproteins (fats and
proteins),
❑ phosphoproteins (phosphorus
and proteins), Structure of 1 and the binding sites of the

❑ metalloproteins (inorganic),
metalloproteins (Mehta et al, 2017))

❑ cytochrome, enzymes, and

very low density lipoprotein
Minerals

-Minerals are inorganic, solid crystalline chemical

elements that are required by the body in rather
smaller amounts as compared to other nutrients

-these are present in an animal body at about 5%

only on a dry weight basis
-these are expressed as ash in proximate analysis
Minerals function in:
• regulation of acid-base balance
• maintenance of osmotic balance in the body
• formation and maintenance of the skeletal
system
• intermediate in protein synthesis
• transport of oxygen
• activation and component of enzyme systems
• absorption of vitamins
It is present in the animal as:

1. ingested or part of feed -

mineral supplements

2. metabolic essential - Fe and

Co for energy production

3. structural material - bones,

teeth
Minerals can be classified as:
Major or Macrominerals – Ca, P, K, Mg, Na, Cl, S
Trace or Microminerals–Fe, Cu, Co, Mn, I, Mo, Zn, Fl,
Se
• Macro minerals. These are minerals needed in large
amount; requirement is expressed as percentage of the
diet
1. Sodium (Na),and 2. Chlorine (Cl) – required in the
formation of digestive juices, control of body fluid
concentration, for nerve and muscle activity and
maintenance of acid-base balance (pH)
Deficiency: Unthrifty appearance and impaired
performance heavily perspiring animals
 3. Calcium (Ca) – required for bone
and teeth formation; needed for
muscle and nerve function; acid – base
balance; milk and egg production,
blood coagulation

Deficiency:
• rickets in young animals with enlarged
joints; soft and deformed bones
• osteomalacia or osteoporosis in older
animals with porous and weak bones

 
 4. Phosphorus (P) – required for
bone and teeth formation ( 80% of
body P is in the bones and teeth)
- component of protein in the soft
tissues, milk and egg production
- for various metabolic processes
(energy production such as ATP
synthesis)

• Deficiency:
• rickets, osteomalacia or osteoporosis
Newsmedical Sarah Ryding
• poor appetite, poor growth, low (Illustration Credit: Designua /
Shutterstock)
milk production
 5. Magnesium (Mg)
– carbohydrate metabolism
- activation of certain enzyme systems
- proper functioning of the nervous system

• Deficiency
• loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue,
and weakness
• hypomagnesemic tetany – hyperirritability of
the neuromuscular system producing
hyperexcitability, incoordination
 6. Potassium (K)
– required in various body functions:
- osmotic homeostasis
- acid-base balance
- rumen digestion
- primary intracellular cation in neuromuscular
activity

• Deficiency: non-specific such as decreased

feed consumption, low feed efficiency, slow
growth, and stiffness
 7. Sulfur (S)
– a component of amino acids methionine and
cystine and vitamins biotin and thiamine
- synthesis of sulfur containing amino acids in
the rumen
- the formation of various body compounds

• Deficiency: express itself as a protein

deficiency - a general unthrifty condition and
poor performance
• Micro minerals. These are minerals needed in
small amounts; requirement is expressed in
parts per million or parts per billion
1. Cobalt (Co) – component of the molecule of
vitamin B12, important in the synthesis of vitamin
B12 in the rumen
• Deficiency: malnutrition symptoms; poor
appetite, unthriftiness, weakness, anemia,
decreased fertility, slow growth, and decreased
milk and wool production
 2. Iron (Fe) – component of the
hemoglobin molecule which is involved in
oxygen transport in the blood
• Deficiency: deficiency seldom occurs in older animals
because most livestock ration are adequate in iron
• Deficiency in young pigs are: low blood hemoglobin,
labored breathing, listlessness, pale eyelids, ears and
nose, flabby and wrinkled skin, edema of head and
shoulder
 3. Copper (Cu) – required for absorption of
iron, in hemoglobin formation, synthesis of
keratin for hair and wool and for enzyme
systems

• Deficiency: non-specific symptoms that may

include: low blood and liver copper, bleaching
of hair in cattle, abnormal wool growth,
muscular incoordination, weakness at birth and
anemia
 4. Iodine (I) – production of
thyroxine by the thyroid
gland which controls
metabolic rate

• Deficiency: goiter at birth or

soon thereafter, dead or weak
at birth, hairlessness at birth
and infected navels especially
in foals
 5. Manganese (Mn) – in enzyme systems
influencing estrus, ovulation, fetal
development, udder development, milk
production and growth and skeletal
development

• Deficiency: delayed estrus, reduced ovulation,

reduced fertility, abortions, resorptions,
deformed young, poor growth, lowered serum
alkaline phosphatase, lowered tissue
manganese, “knuckling over” in calves
6. Molybdenum (Mo) – a component of the
enzyme xanthine oxidase important in the
uric acid formation in poultry, stimulates
action of rumen organism

7. Selenium (Se) – involved in proper

absorption and retention of vitamin E
 Deficiency symptoms of selenium in many respects are
similar to vitamin E deficiency such as:
• -nutritional muscular dystrophy (white muscle
disease) in lambs and calves
• retained placenta in cows
• heart failure
• paralysis
• poor growth
• low fertility
• liver necrosis
• pancreatic fibrosis in chicks
 8. Zinc (Zn) – component of carbonic
anhydrase which is involved in the transport
of carbon dioxide from the cell to the lungs,
prevents parakeratosis; promotes wound
healing; for the growth of hair and wool

• Deficiency: Seldom occurs in animals given normal

ration, frequently among growing and fattening
swine. Symptoms include:
-parakeratosis -general unthriftiness
-poor growth -unhealthy hair
-slow wound healing
 9. Fluorine (Fl) – reduces incidence of
dental caries in human and possibly in
other animals

• Deficiency: Excessive dental caries in

children

Sam Aguilar (Haikudeck)

• For some minerals, the borderline between
safety and toxicity is very small

• Toxicity does not necessarily mean death but

can also mean greatly reduced performance

• Cu, Se, and F are toxic at relatively low dietary

levels
Vitamins
-organic nutrient required small quantities needed for
regulating metabolic processes
-does not become actual component of body structures
-principal function is as regulators of metabolism
-divided as:
Fat-soluble vitamins -Vitamins A, D, E and K
Water soluble vitamins - Vitamins B complex
(thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic
acid, biotin, choline, folic acid) and C (Ascorbic Acid)
• When insufficient or improperly absorbed or
utilized, various deficiency symptoms or disease
may arise 
• General symptoms of vitamin deficiency
 
–poor growth response
–lack of appetite
–alopecia (hair loss)
–reproductive failure
The fat soluble vitamins
 1. Vitamin A – Retinol
– Can occur as retinol, retinal or retinoic acid
– Common in plants as precursors –
carotenoids
– Carotene, a precursor is present in yellow
colored cereals in abundant amounts
• Required for :
– normal night vision as it is responsible
for the development of visual purple or
rhodopsin in the eye
– development and protection of normal
epithelial cells
– normal bone growth and development
– improves resistance to infections
2. Vitamin D – sterols
– Present as ergosterol in plants and
7-dehydrocholesterol in animals
– Plenty in dry forages because of
activated ergosterol
– Found in colostrums in very rich
amounts, 6-8 times more than any
other source
– 7-dehydrocholesterol is
converted into vitamins D2 or D3 or
cholecalciferol by means of sunlight
– Vitamins D2 and D3 can be efficiently
utilized by mammals; birds can utilize
Vitamin D3 more efficiently than they
do Vitamin D2
• Functions of Vit. D in body regulation:
– incorporation of the macrominerals
calcium and phosphorus into the
bone matrix to allow normal bone
mineralization and prevent tetany
– absorption of calcium from the
intestinal lumen
3. Vitamin E – Tocopherol
–Anti-sterility vitamin
–Biological antioxidant
–Detoxifying agent
–Component of the
respiratory chain
–Involved in nucleic acid,
protein and mitochondrial
metabolism
–Present in abundant
amounts in green fodders
and green leafy vegetables
4. Vitamin K - Menadione
• antihemorrhagic vitamin
• required for normal blood clotting and
maturation of bone structure
• present as phylloquinone or K1 in plants;
menaquinone or K2 in bacteria (the most
active form) and menadione or K3 in
animals
• normally synthesized by bacteria in the
intestines and destroyed by heat and intense
sunlight
The water soluble vitamins
1. Vitamin B1 – Thiamine
»present as thiamine
pyrophosphate
»involved in the processes of
carbohydrate metabolism
2. B2 – Riboflavin
»important in energy metabolism
»acts as a constituent of the
flavin enzymes in hydrogen
transfer in the respiratory chain
»synthesized by green plants,
forages, bacteria, rumen
3. B6 – Pyridoxine
– Present as pyridoxal phosphate
– Coenzyme of many enzyme systems involved in
amino acid metabolism
4. Pantothenic Acid
– Plays an important role in the metabolism of
coenzyme A which occupies a central position in
the intermediary metabolism by activating weakly
active acids
– Is not supplied to ruminants as the
microorganisms in the rumen has the ability to
synthesize it
5. Biotin - vitamin H / B4
» Contains sulfur
» Involved in carboxylation reactions
in gluconeogenesis and fatty acid
synthesis
6. B12 – Cyanocobalamin
» Essential in metabolism of fats and
proteins particularly in the
reduction of one carbon
compounds
» Known as the animal protein factor
7. Folic Acid - B9
» Indispensable in the formation of amino and
nucleic acids as it acts in one carbon
metabolism
8. Nicotinic Acid –Niacin (B3)
• Involved as a coenzyme of NAD
(nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and
NADP NAD (nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide phosphate)
• Acts as co-dehydrogenases in different
processes in citric acid cycle
9. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
» Directly involved with numerous enzymes
responsible for catalyzing oxidation and reduction
reactions
» Indispensable in the formation and maintenance
of skeletal tissues
» Involved in body defense mechanism
• THE NUTRITIVE MATERIALS 
-Feed is a term given to a particular product that
provides nutrient
- materials consisting of grains; fodder or by-products
of animal or plant origin which when properly used
have nutritional value to the animals
- edible materials which are consumed by animals and
contribute energy and/or nutrients to the animal’s diet
-Food is an article used for food or drink for man or
other animals. It is a substance that provides taste,
flavor or nutritive value
-Feedstuff is commonly used when a group or
list of feeds is being referred to
*It is a term similar to feed or food but is
broader covering all materials in the diet
*It may consist of products that are of natural
or artificial in origin

-Meal is processed nutritive materials that are

intended for feeding
-Diet is composed of a number of
individual feeds selected to make a
balance ration for feeding to stocks;
sometimes known as mixed feed or
formula feed

-Ration is the quantity of feed being

offered (daily) to an animal