Vitamins in Animal Feed: Fat- and Water-Soluble Vitamins, Requirements and Stability

Vitamins in animal feed are nutritional feed additives of EU functional group 3a, and the EU Register lists vitamins A, D3, E and K3, the B group, vitamin C and vitamin-like substances such as choline chloride and betaine in that group. EU law sets maximum contents for vitamin A (6 500 to 25 000 IU/kg complete feed by animal category), vitamin D3 (2 000 to 60 000 IU/kg), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 inside the D3 ceiling, the 3a673 entry for dairy cows and beta-carotene in calf milk replacers; vitamin E, vitamin K3, the B vitamins and vitamin C carry no EU maximum.

In the US, most feed vitamins are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) under 21 CFR 582, while 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and two menadione forms carry food additive sections with numeric limits.

Values are compiled from the EU authorising acts, the EU Register of Feed Additives, the eCFR and named studies, checked on 3 November 2026; see the methodology.

What Are Vitamins in Animal Feed?#

Vitamins in animal nutrition are organic micronutrients that feed must supply because the diet alone does not cover the requirement, and feed vitamins are added as purified or stabilised feed additives through a premix. In EU law they form functional group 3a of category 3, the nutritional additives, among the feed additive categories of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

EU functional group 3a and the US classification#

Functional group 3a carries the legal name "vitamins, pro-vitamins and chemically well-defined substances having similar effect" and belongs to category 3, nutritional additives, in Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003. Vitamin entries are generic and name no holder, since only zootechnical additives, coccidiostats and histomonostats and GMO additives are holder-bound; betaine from genetically modified sugar beet, 3a921i, names its holder in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/9.

In the US, most feed vitamins are GRAS substances listed in 21 CFR 582. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 has a GRAS affirmation for broiler chickens (21 CFR 584.725) and a food additive section for layers, breeders and turkeys (573.550), and the menadione forms MPB and MNB are food additives under 573.620 and 573.625. A US listing never implies an EU entry, or the reverse.

Choline chloride (3a890i, 3a890ii), betaine (3a920, 3a925), L-carnitine (3a910, 3a911), inositol (3a900), beta-carotene (3a160, 3a160i) and taurine (3a370) also hold 3a identification numbers.

Why compound feed carries added vitamins#

Compound feed carries added vitamins because nutritionists formulate to requirement tables and breed specifications, and surveys show they supplement above both (Faccin et al. 2023). NRC 2012 tabulates requirements per vitamin and phase, and Aviagen publishes added-vitamin specifications for Ross broilers; neither is a legal limit.

Vitamins are dosed in milligrams or international units per kg of feed, so most reach the mill in vitamin and mineral premixes rather than straight into the mixer.

Vitamin and Vitamin-Like Feed Additives: Members, EU Entries and US Status#

The table lists vitamin and vitamin-like feed additives with EU identification numbers, animal categories, maximum content and EU status next to the US section; EU maxima are total content per kg complete feed (12 % moisture).

Note R7: printed expiry as shown in the row; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003). No withdrawal period is set for any vitamin.

The second table covers processing losses and deficiencies.

How Do Feed Vitamins Work?#

Feed vitamins work as coenzymes, antioxidants and hormone precursors: fat-soluble vitamins act in vision, bone, membranes and clotting, water-soluble vitamins run energy and amino acid metabolism, and vitamin-like nutrients donate methyl groups or move fat.

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D3, E and K#

Fat-soluble vitamins work in four ways: vitamin A supports vision, epithelial integrity, immunity, reproduction and growth; vitamin D3 controls calcium and phosphorus absorption for bone and eggshell; vitamin E acts as a chain-breaking membrane antioxidant together with the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase; and vitamin K drives the gamma-carboxylation of clotting factors. Vitamin D3 is hydroxylated to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the liver and to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the kidney, and feeding 25-OH-D3 bypasses the hepatic step. High vitamin A doses antagonise vitamins D3 and E.

The EU acts fix the label units: 1 IU of vitamin A equals 0.344 µg retinyl acetate or 0.5458 µg retinyl palmitate (2015/724), and 1 mg all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate equals 1 IU of vitamin E (2023/341).

Water-soluble B vitamins and vitamin C#

Water-soluble B vitamins work as coenzyme precursors that run energy, amino acid and one-carbon metabolism:

• Thiamine (B1): thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP)
• Riboflavin (B2): FMN and FAD
• Niacin: NAD and NADP
• Pantothenic acid (B5): coenzyme A
• Pyridoxine (B6): pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)
• Biotin: cofactor of the carboxylases
• Folic acid: one-carbon metabolism
• Vitamin B12: methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase

Ruminants need cobalt in the diet for the rumen synthesis of vitamin B12. Vitamin C is a reducing agent that drives collagen hydroxylation and regenerates vitamin E; it is essential for fish and shrimp and serves as stress support in poultry.

Vitamin-like nutrients: choline, betaine, L-carnitine and inositol#

Vitamin-like nutrients in group 3a include choline, betaine, L-carnitine and inositol. Choline is a methyl donor and supplies phosphatidylcholine for the export of fat from the liver as VLDL; for dairy cows, choline also comes among rumen-protected choline and niacin products. Betaine donates methyl groups through betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) and acts as an osmolyte.

L-carnitine runs the carnitine shuttle of fatty acid metabolism, inositol is a precursor of membrane phospholipids in aquafeed, and beta-carotene is a provitamin A, cleaved to vitamin A in the intestinal mucosa. The label figures for choline chloride and betaine in the dosing table are recommendations, not maxima.

Evidence from surveys and meta-analyses#

Surveys show nutritionists formulating well above requirement tables: 37 US nutritionists responsible for 72 % of US sows reported supplementation well above NRC 2012, and about 40 % used 25(OH)D3, natural vitamin E or organic minerals (Faccin et al. 2023, Translational Animal Science). In China, producers covering about 90 % of the pig herd supplement far above NRC and Chinese standards (Yang et al. 2021, Animal Bioscience). In one study, gestation diets with 1 to 9 times the NRC vitamin levels gave no reproductive benefit (Jeong et al. 2019).

A meta-analysis of 35 studies recommends 250 mg vitamin C per kg feed for heat-stressed broilers (Tavakolinasab and Hashemi 2025), yet no EU feed additive holds a heat-stress authorisation. Vitamin C and betaine results under heat stress in poultry and cattle are compared on the problem page.

How to Choose Vitamin Forms and Levels#

Vitamin levels are chosen in six steps, from the requirement or breed specification through the processing allowance to the EU maximum, and forms are chosen by the process the feed goes through.

B2, B6, B12, niacin, calcium pantothenate and biotin withstand extrusion (Riaz et al. 2009). After 12 months in premix, vitamins E, B2, B6, niacin and pantothenic acid keep more than 90 % of their activity, while A, K3 and B1 lose more with choline chloride, high copper or zinc and storage time (Yang et al. 2019).

Selection by Species and Diet#

Animal category decides which EU vitamin maximum applies, because Implementing Regulations (EU) 2015/724 and 2017/1492 set vitamin A and D3 ceilings per category and age, while vitamin E, vitamin K3, the B vitamins and vitamin C have no EU maximum. The table compares those ceilings in IU/kg complete feed (12 % moisture).

Vitamins for poultry#

Chickens and minor poultry may receive at most 20 000 IU vitamin A per kg complete feed up to 14 days of age and 10 000 IU/kg after that (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/724); turkeys follow the same two values with the split at 28 days. 25-OH-D3 counts inside the D3 ceiling, within a combined 0.125 mg/kg for chickens and turkeys for fattening. In the US, 25-OH-D3 is limited to 69 ppb in broiler feed (21 CFR 584.725).

Multivitamin products for poultry drinking water meet three EU route rules: vitamin A may not be given in water for drinking except as compound feed later given in water (2015/724), vitamin E 3a700 may be used in water, and D-panthenol 3a842 is authorised for water for drinking only.

Vitamins for pigs#

Pigs have three EU vitamin A ceilings, 16 000 IU/kg for piglets, 12 000 IU/kg for sows and 6 500 IU/kg for pigs for fattening, and vitamin D3 stops at 2 000 IU/kg, a ceiling 25-OH-D3 may not raise (combined 0.050 mg/kg). In the US, menadione may be added to growing-finishing swine feed at up to 10 g/ton (21 CFR 573.620, 573.625).

NRC 2012 sets the gestating sow requirement at 4 000 IU vitamin A, 800 IU vitamin D3 and 44 IU vitamin E per kg diet (Jeong et al. 2019). L-carnitine was fed at 125 mg per sow per day in gestation and 250 mg per sow per day in lactation in one trial (Ramanau et al. 2004).

Vitamins for cattle#

Cattle have EU vitamin A ceilings of 9 000 IU/kg for dairy cows and cows for reproduction, 16 000 IU/kg for calves for rearing up to 4 months and 10 000 IU/kg for cattle for fattening, with no maximum for other bovines (2015/724). Glycosylated 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol from Solanum glaucophyllum (3a673) is given to dairy cows once as a complementary-feed bolus from 9 days before calving, at up to 0.004 mg/kg complete feed (2024/1685).

Vitamin B12 for cattle comes from rumen synthesis, which depends on dietary cobalt. In dairy cows, biotin at 20 mg/head/day reduced the hazard of white line lameness (hazard ratio 0.57) in one study (Hedges et al. 2001). Organic ruminants may receive only synthetic vitamins A, D and E, with prior authorisation by the Member State (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165).

Fish, horses and pet food#

Salmonids may receive up to 60 000 IU vitamin D3 per kg complete feed since Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/849 raised their value from the 3 000 IU/kg set for other fish, and inositol 3a900 names finfish and crustaceans only (2026/1151).

Horses share the 4 000 IU/kg vitamin D3 value with bovines and ovines, and vitamin K1 (phytomenadione, 3a712) is authorised for horses only (2021/1409). Taurine 3a370 names Canidae, Felidae, Mustelidae and carnivorous finfish under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1859, while its US section, 21 CFR 573.980, covers growing chickens only.

Dosing Logic: Legal Maximum, Requirement and Breed Specification#

Vitamin doses come in four kinds that are never interchangeable: the EU legal maximum (total content per kg complete feed at 12 % moisture), the NRC requirement, the breed-company specification and the trial dose. The table sets each value next to its basis.

US ppb and g/ton limits and EU mg/kg or IU/kg maxima are measured on different bases and are not converted here.

EU legal maximum contents for vitamin A, D3 and 25-OH-D3#

EU legal maximum contents are set for vitamin A by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/724, for vitamin D3 by 2017/1492 as amended by 2019/849, for 25-OH-D3 by 2024/1070 and 2025/2491, for the 3a673 dairy-cow entry by 2024/1685 and for beta-carotene in calf milk replacers by 2026/1148. Each maximum is a total content per kg complete feed at 12 % moisture, summed over all forms, and 25-OH-D3 is never additional to the D3 ceiling: the combined limit runs from 0.050 mg/kg for pigs and other species to 1.500 mg/kg for salmonids.

The Ross 2022 broiler grower specification of 11 000 IU/kg added vitamin A sits above the EU maximum of 10 000 IU/kg for chickens over 14 days, so the specification as printed is not legal for EU chickens of that age.

Requirements and breed specifications against the EU maxima#

Requirements and breed specifications are formulation targets, not legal limits. The NRC 2012 sow values sit well below the EU sow vitamin A ceiling, and the Ross 2022 starter specification adds 13 000 IU vitamin A, 5 000 IU vitamin D3, 80 IU vitamin E and 4.0 mg vitamin K per kg feed.

Ross specifies choline as a minimum total of 1 700 mg/kg rather than as an added amount, and its starter B vitamins run from 0.02 mg/kg vitamin B12 to 70 mg/kg niacin.

Regulation Summary: EU Entries and US Status#

In the EU every feed vitamin needs a 3a entry under Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 with its own species, maximum and expiry, while in the US most feed vitamins are GRAS under 21 CFR 582 and 25-OH-D3 and two menadione forms carry food additive sections in 21 CFR 573.

EU entries, expiry and renewal status#

Renewal acts from 2024 to 2026 cover thiamine (2026/460), choline chloride (2026/164), vitamin K3 (2026/2115), biotin (2025/1424) and niacin (2024/1194), while the printed expiries of the vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, betaine and L-carnitine entries have passed. For vitamin A (3a672a to 3a672c), printed expiry 2025-05-26; for vitamin C (3a300, 3a311, 3a312) and betaine (3a920, 3a925), printed expiry 2025-07-23; for folic acid (3a316), printed expiry 2023-09-12; for L-carnitine (3a910, 3a911), printed expiry 2025-05-19; in each case the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003). Vitamin D3 3a671 has a printed expiry of 2027-09-11 under 2017/1492, and the EU Register notes a renewal application.

An authorisation under Article 14 runs for 10 years, and the renewal application is due at the latest one year before expiry. Article 14 renewals are explained under EU feed additive regulation.

US status of feed vitamins: 21 CFR 582, 573 and 584#

GRAS listing in 21 CFR 582 covers most US feed vitamins, and only 25-OH-D3 and menadione carry numeric feed limits (21 CFR 573 and 584):

• GRAS under 21 CFR 582: vitamins A, D3 and E, the B vitamins, ascorbic acid, choline chloride, inositol and carotene.
• 25-OH-D3: GRAS affirmed for broiler chickens in 584.725 (max 69 ppb in feed or 34.5 ppb in water); food additive in 573.550 for layer and breeder chickens (same limits) and turkeys (92 ppb feed); never in feed and water at the same time.
• Menadione: 573.620 and 573.625, max 2 g/ton in chicken and turkey feed and 10 g/ton in growing-finishing swine feed; menadione sodium bisulphite has no 21 CFR section.
• No 21 CFR 573, 582 or 584 section: folic acid, betaine and L-carnitine.

An FDA proposed rule of 11 August 2026 (Federal Register document 2026-16296) would require GRAS notices for human and animal food substances; it is a proposal, not a final rule.

Use conditions of the EU vitamin entries#

Three conditions apply beyond the maxima: the label shows the added amount and identification number, complementary feed stays within 100 times the complete-feed maximum, and premixtures with vitamin A or D come from an approved establishment. Compound feed for food-producing animals declares vitamin A, vitamin D3 and 25-OH-D3 by name, added amount, identification number and functional group (Regulation (EC) No 767/2009, Annex VI, chapter I); premix rules sit with the feed additive labelling requirements.

Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 sets that 100-times limit for feed materials and complementary feed, and 5 times for coccidiostats and histomonostats.

Nutritional additives require an approved establishment (Regulation (EC) No 183/2005, Annex IV, chapter 1), and so do premixtures containing vitamins A and D (chapter 2, Article 10(1)(b)).

Organic feed takes vitamins derived from agricultural products, or else synthetic vitamins identical to natural ones for monogastric animals and aquaculture (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165), whose Annex III lists the other organic feed additives.

Sourcing Checklist for Feed Vitamins#

Source feed vitamins in seven checks, from the identification number on the label to the storage plan for the premix.

1. Confirm the identification number and the act, for example 3a700i for a vitamin E preparation (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/341) or 3a890ii for a solid choline chloride preparation (2026/164).
2. Check the production strain of riboflavin and vitamin B12, because their EU entries are strain-specific (for example 3a835, Ensifer adhaerens CNCM I-5541).
3. Match the form to the process: phosphate esters of vitamin C survive pelleting and extrusion where crystalline ascorbic acid does not, and thiamine mononitrate is used more often than the hydrochloride for its higher stability.
4. Ask for the method on the certificate of analysis: HPLC for vitamins A and E (Regulation (EC) No 152/2009), EN 12821 for vitamin D3, EN 14152 for riboflavin and HPLC-MS/MS for 25-OH-D3.
5. Keep choline chloride out of concentrated vitamin premix.
6. Verify the establishment approval for premixtures with vitamin A or D.
7. Ask for FAMI-QS or GMP+ certification.

BASF declared force majeure for selected vitamin A, vitamin E and carotenoid products on 7 August 2024 after a fire at Ludwigshafen, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2589 imposes a definitive anti-dumping duty on choline chloride imported from China.

Feed Vitamin Questions#

Four questions about feed vitamins come up when nutritionists and buyers first specify a premix.

What vitamins do animals need?#

Farm animals need vitamins A, D3, E and K and the B vitamins from feed, and fish and shrimp also need vitamin C. For gestating sows, for example, NRC 2012 lists 0.5 mg menadione, 0.2 mg biotin, 1.3 mg folacin and 15 µg vitamin B12 per kg diet.

Vitamins often share a premix with zinc, copper and selenium, and trace minerals in animal feed follow EU maxima of their own.

Is vitamin A a feed additive?#

Yes: vitamin A is an EU nutritional feed additive in functional group 3a, as retinyl acetate 3a672a, retinyl palmitate 3a672b and retinyl propionate 3a672c under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/724, and GRAS under 21 CFR 582.5930 to 582.5936 in the US. For all three entries: printed expiry 2025-05-26; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003).

Do animals need vitamin C in feed?#

Fish and shrimp need vitamin C in feed, while poultry receive it as stress support; the EU Register lists ascorbic acid 3a300, sodium ascorbyl phosphate 3a311 and sodium calcium ascorbyl phosphate 3a312 for all animal species. Their act, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1061, sets no maximum. In the US, ascorbic acid is GRAS under 21 CFR 582.5013.

What is the name of vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K?#

In feed, vitamin A is supplied as retinyl acetate, palmitate or propionate, vitamin C as ascorbic acid or its phosphate esters, vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol, vitamin E as alpha-tocopheryl acetate and vitamin K3 as menadione in MSB or MNB, while vitamin K1 is phytomenadione. The B vitamins carry these names in the EU acts:

• B1: thiamine hydrochloride (3a820) and thiamine mononitrate (3a821)
• B2: riboflavin and riboflavin 5'-phosphate sodium (3a826)
• Niacin: nicotinic acid (3a314) and niacinamide (3a315)
• B5: calcium D-pantothenate (3a841) and D-panthenol (3a842)
• B6: pyridoxine hydrochloride (3a831)
• Biotin (3a880)
• Folic acid (3a316)
• B12: cyanocobalamin (3a835, 3a836, 3a837)