The Function and Application of Magnesium Sulfate as a Feed Additive

Magnesium sulfate is a common feed additive, mainly present in feed in the form of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (chemical formula MgSO4 · 7H2O).

Magnesium sulfate has a wide range of functions and uses in feed, as it can play various important physiological functions in animals, ensuring their health and production performance. The following are the main functions and uses of magnesium sulfate:

Magnesium supplementation: Adding an appropriate amount of magnesium sulfate to feed can provide the magnesium needed by animals and help maintain normal physiological activities. Magnesium is an important component of many enzyme systems and can participate in energy metabolism, protein synthesis, and bone development processes. Reasonable supplementation of magnesium can improve animal immunity, reproductive performance, and survival rate of mother and offspring.

Promote digestion and absorption: Magnesium sulfate can promote the normal operation of the animal's digestive system and improve the digestion and absorption rate of food. Magnesium sulfate can increase the secretion of gastric and pancreatic juices, stimulate intestinal peristalsis, accelerate the passage of food in the digestive tract, reduce the retention time of food in the intestine, and effectively prevent and reduce the occurrence of digestive diseases. In addition, magnesium sulfate can also regulate cholesterol metabolism and help prevent the formation of gallstones.

Promote metabolism in the body: Magnesium sulfate can bind to some enzymes in the body and participate in the metabolism of sugars, fats, and proteins. It can activate the oxidation of fatty acids, improve the body's energy utilization efficiency, reduce fat accumulation, and help prevent the occurrence of obesity and fatty liver. In addition, magnesium sulfate can also regulate the metabolism of sugar, promote the balance of blood sugar, prevent and improve diabetes.

Improving antioxidant capacity: Magnesium sulfate has certain antioxidant functions, which can help animals eliminate free radicals in the body and reduce oxidative stress damage to the body. Oxidative stress is an important factor leading to many diseases, such as infection, inflammation, tumors, etc. Reasonable addition of magnesium sulfate can enhance animal antioxidant capacity, improve immune function, and reduce the risk of disease occurrence.

Improving bone health: Magnesium sulfate is one of the important components in bones, which can promote the absorption and utilization of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. Reasonable addition of magnesium sulfate can improve the quality and strength of bones, and prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis and fractures. Especially for fast growing livestock and poultry such as fattening cattle and pigs, adding an appropriate amount of magnesium sulfate is of great significance for bone development and stability.

In summary, magnesium sulfate has various functions and uses in feed. It can provide animals with the magnesium element they need, promote digestion and absorption, promote metabolism, improve antioxidant capacity, and improve bone health. By adding magnesium sulfate reasonably, animal immunity, production performance, and feed utilization can be effectively improved, ensuring animal health and production efficiency. Therefore, the rational use of magnesium sulfate in feed production is very important.