Nutritional strategy in production vitamin D fortified eggs

Abstract

Vitamin D is a liposoluble vitamin that regulates calcium homeostasis and is important for animal and human health. Lack of vitamin D in humans can cause rickets, osteomalacia, and decreased immunity. In laying hens, vitamin D deficiency negatively affects egg production (decrease in egg production, thin-shelled eggs, poor feed conversion rate, etc.). Farm animal requirements for vitamin D depend on age, sex, health status and production category. Foods that contain vitamin D in human nutrition include salmon, red meat, liver, tuna and eggs, but due to an unbalanced diet, people often cannot meet their needs in this way. In animals, the daily needs can be met by adding vitamin D through premixes into the feed. The Department of Nutrition and Botany, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, conducted research on a commercial laying hen farm, where an active form of vitamin D was added through premix into the feed of 20-week-old laying hens. The nutritional reference value for vitamin D is 5 µg/day, and an enriched egg contained an average of 2.56 µg/100 g of egg mass. By consuming food or feed enriched with vitamin D, various diseases can be prevented, and it is easier to meet the daily needs of both humans and animals.