Components of the premix

The manufacture of a quality premix requires careful choice of its constituents: vitamins, trace minerals, minerals and carrier.

Incorrect choices may explain difficulties in manufacture or aberrant analytical results.

Choice of vitamins
The vitamins used in the premix must satisfy a set of criteria such as those described in the Adisseo Vitamin Certification System™

Criteria of the Adisseo Vitamin Certification Sytem™

Choice of minerals and trace minerals
The choice of a mineral or a trace mineral results from a compromise between its low physicochemical aggressiveness with regard to the other components and its good bioavailability for the animal. This is because minerals and trace minerals are often responsible for redox reactions, which may damage the vitamins.

The most aggressive products are the hygroscopic sulfates, which provide both water and the active ion. In contrast, oxides and carbonates generally make it possible to limit these chemical reactions.

Exception: certain oxides may be very reactive (magnesium oxide).
When the mixtures are to be stored for very long periods, one is well advised, whenever possible, to prepare separate premixes of vitamins and of trace minerals.

Note: choline chloride
Choline chloride, which is very hygroscopic, contributes to an increase in free water content in the premix. It is thus recommended, whenever possible, to incorporate it directly into the feed and not into the premix.

Choice of carrier
The choice of carrier is an important factor for the quality of the premix.

Criteria for choice of a carrier

• For premix manufacture
  - neutralize the static electricity present in certain active materials;
  - prevent demixing between the active com-pounds of the premix (thereby requiring the density and particle si4e of the carrier to be compatible with those of the other components);
  - bind small particles. This differentiates carriers from diluents, which do not share this property. Carriers are generally of plant origin (wheat middlings, corn cobs, rice hulls). whereas diluents are of inorganic origin (calcium carbonate).
  
  
• For premix storage
  - reduce water activity in the premix (a good carrier should be capable of sequestering free water from the premix). Plant carriers generally have this capacity.
  
  
• For premix use
  - improve flowability of the premix;
  - adjust the density of the premix so that it can be handled easily in feed plants and incorporated efficiently into the feeds.

Practical application
In practice, the use of a single carrier does not always make it possible to satisfy these six criteria simultaneously.

It is thus preferable to use mixtures of raw materials such as a plant carrier (minimum 30%) with an inorganic diluent.