Why Is Guanidinoacetic Acid A “hot Commodity” in Feed Additives?

What is guanidinoacetic acid?Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is the only precursor substance for the synthesis of creatine in vertebrates. Creatine participates in energy metabolism through the creatine phosphate system. The creatine and creatine phosphate systems can serve as backup for the adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) systems and can mobilize and store energy in a short time when the body needs energy. Animals obtain creatine in two ways, one is through animal protein (such as fish meal) in the diet, and the other is through its own synthesis in the body.Vertebrate animals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens themselves synthesize guanidinoacetic acid in their kidneys. 

Guanidinoacetic acid is a safe feed additive. Due to the gradual reduction in the amount of animal protein or whole plant protein in animal diets, and the insufficient synthesis of creatine by cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens, it may cause a lack of creatine in the body, and it is necessary to supplement animals with guanidinoacetic acid from external sources. A condition in which there is insufficient creatine in the body. Therefore, guanidinoacetic acid is often used as a nutritional ingredient in feed additives.

Why is guanidinoacetic acid useful?Guanidinoacetic acid is converted into creatine in the liver, and 95% of the creatine is transported to skeletal muscles through the blood to participate in the hydrolysis and regeneration reaction of ATP. That is to say, the feed will eventually be converted into energy for digestion and absorption by cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. , metabolism, protein synthesis, immune response, and anti-stress energy supply, 90% of which are realized through the hydrolysis and regeneration reaction of ATP (energy is generated through aerobic digestion and metabolism, and this energy substance is called adenosine triphosphate ATP). 

Therefore, it can be considered that supplementing guanidinoacetic acid can increase the energy storage and conversion efficiency in muscles, and muscle growth will obtain more energy and nutrients, thereby promoting animal muscle growth.On the other hand, guanidinoacetic acid can reduce subcutaneous fat deposition by regulating energy distribution. Specific regulation methods: First, guanidinoacetic acid can increase the level of calpain, which is an enzyme that degrades proteins. The higher the level, the faster it can accelerate protein dissolution, increase the number of oxidized muscle fibers, and reduce the shear force of skeletal muscles. The tenderness of the meat is improved. 

Secondly, guanidinoacetic acid can also increase the expression of protein kinase b in skeletal muscle, promote protein synthesis in the body, benefit muscle fiber development, further increase lean meat rate, and improve tenderness. Third, guanidinoacetic acid can reduce the expression and activity of liver lipogenic enzymes, thereby reducing carcass fat deposition, increasing intramuscular fat synthesis, improving muscle tenderness and fat content, increasing muscle marbling scores, and reducing cooking losses and dripping losses. Guanidinoacetic acid improves meat quality by affecting the type of muscle fiber composition. 

In addition, guanidinoacetic acid can increase the energy reserve of the animal body, delay the demand for post-mortem glycolysis energy supply, thereby delaying the decline of the pH value in the muscle, keeping the pH relatively high while ensuring that the meat color and color are maintained in the same period of time. The flavor is better.In short, the use of guanidinoacetic acid can achieve the effects of promoting growth, controlling oil, increasing muscle, and improving meat quality. At the same time, it will not produce harmful substances to the body and promote the sustainable development of the animal breeding industry.

How to choose guanidinoacetic acid in livestock production?It is recommended to choose Zeaplant’s guanidinoacetic acid product. As a biotechnology company focusing on animal feed additives, Zeaplant has more than ten years of rich experience in the animal feed field. Its guanidinoacetic acid products are uniquely cost-effective and require only a small amount to be added to animal feed to achieve excellent results.