Niacin

Niacin or nicotinic acid is a component of the two coenzymes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). These coenymes are required for tissue oxidation, energy metabolism from carbobydrates, lipid and proteins, and the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol. Deficiency symptoms include poor growth, anorexia, lethargy and mortality. Sources of niacin include blood meal, dried distillers solubles, corn gluten, cottonseed meal, crab meal, fish solubles, fish meal, peanut meal, rice bran and polishings, soybean meal, wheat bran and by-products, and yeast. Recommended supplementation level for niacin in commercial feeds is 200 mg/kg (Akiyama et al., 1992).