Effect of pelleting and expanding processes on vitamin A stability in animal feeds

The stability of vitamin A (retinol-acetate) in pelleted feed for broilers and expanded feed for piglets was controlled during the storage under extreme conditions (at temperature 60°C and relative humidity 80%) in a period of three months. Determination of vitamin content was performed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The concentrations of vitamin A in the untreated samples of feed for broilers and piglets decreased during the three month storage period to 60% and 70% of their initial values, respectively. In the samples of pelleted feed for broilers and expanded feed for piglets, the concentrations of vitamin A decreased to 39% and 50% of their initial values, respectively. Pelleting and expanding processes had significant effects on vitamin A stability in animal feeds. Losses, in general, were in the range found in other studies.