Properties of potassium dicarboxylate

As an antibiotic growth promoter, antibiotics in feed have been used in China's poultry product industry for many years to improve animal health development and production performance. Acidifiers such as pure organic acids have been widely used as feed preservatives to protect as well as feed from damage by affected microorganisms and fungi. Therefore, acidifiers can be used as a powerful tool to maintain the health of the poultry gastrointestinal system, thereby continuously improving its performance. Acidifiers effectively inhibit the growth of non-acid-resistant bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens, and play a role as a growth environmental performance enhancer. In addition, organic acids reduce the PH of the stomach, enhance the activity of pepsin, and increase the digestibility of nitrogen, phosphorus, and minerals.

Physical and chemical properties of potassium dicarboxylate

Potassium diformate, also known as potassium diformate, is an organometallic acid that can be formed from formic acid molecules and potassium formate molecules. It is formed from the carbonyl group of formic acid and the hydroxyl group of potassium formate through a hydrogen bond. The molecular formula is HCOOH ·HCOOK. The relative quality of life of intellectuals is 130.14, and the melting point temperature is about 109℃. Potassium dicarboxylate is a white crystalline material powder, odorless, easily soluble in water, easy to decompose at high temperatures, stable under acidic environmental conditions, and decomposed into basic potassium formate and formic acid under neutral or alkaline conditions.

In 2001, the European Union approved potassium dicarboxylate for use in feed (Commission Regulation). (Ec)No.1334/2001) is the first non-antibiotic feed additive approved in the European Union for use as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. In April 2003, the European Union approved an increase in the maximum safe addition of commercial potassium dicarboxylate to 1.8% in the feed of weaned piglets. In 2005, China approved the use of potassium dicarboxylate as a feed additive (Xinsi Zhengzi (2005) 03). There have been many reports on the mechanism of adding organic acids or salts, especially formic acid or salts, to pig feed to improve performance. In general, the mechanism of growth promotion of many antibiotics is still inconclusive, but it is generally believed that the improvement of production performance caused by the addition of antibiotics in feed is related to the inhibition of subclinical infections.

The action mechanism of potassium dicarboxylate is only the action of formic acid, which is also the basic consideration of the EU's approval of potassium dicarboxylate as an alternative to antibiotics.

An important reason why potassium dicarboxylate has become a growth promoter and an alternative to antibiotics is its antibacterial action, which is based on a simple and unique molecular structure. Its main components, formic acid and potassium formate, occur naturally in nature and in pig intestines and eventually break down into CO2 and H2O, which are fully biodegradable.