Guinea Lynx -- Stabilized Vitamin C in Kaytee Products


	Stabilized Vitamin C in Kaytee Products
	Kaytee products use a newer, modified form of ascorbic acid that is both time and heat stable to ensure its availability up to its "Best If Used By" date when properly stored in a cool dry place. The Forti-Diet (a plain pelleted product) does not use dyes or add nuts, seeds or dried fruit.

Kathy Schneider, Kaytee Technical Services Manager, was kind enough to answer several questions concerning the availability of Vitamin C in their guinea pig foods. Essentially, they use a newer, modified form of ascorbic acid (an ascorbic acid derivative called L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate) that is both time and heat stable to ensure its availability up to its "Best If Used By" date when their products are properly stored in a cool dry place.

I use and prefer the Forti-Diet (a plain pelleted product), as it does not use dyes or add nuts, seeds or dried fruit.

"We always recommend the pet food products we manufacture be stored in a cool, dry area, (if possible under 70 degrees F), to protect all of the vitamins and minimize the possibilities of infestation. All the products we manufacture can be refrigerated and/or frozen in a sealed container (to prevent condensation) to protect the product and extend its shelf life."

Kathy Schneider's letter dated March 6, 2001 is reprinted with permission:

Dear Lynx:

Thank you for writing and calling about your question regarding the contents of vitamin C in the Guinea Pig diets.

You are correct when you say the "Best Used By" is a guideline for you to determine the nutritional value of the product. We would not be able to use this 18 month dating if we were not confident the product would have the appropriate levels of vitamins.

As you are aware, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a vital nutrient for guinea pigs. The source of vitamin C generally used for Guinea Pig pellets is unstable and requires a much shorter code date on the product (6 to 9 months maximum). Vitamin C is generally used as a coated product that is somewhat more stable then the plain ascorbic acid. This coated product is sometimes referred to as "stabilized". The primary value of this form is that it does a good job of protecting the product during storage, prior to processing. When ascorbic acid products are subjected to heat during pelleting of the product, there is significant loss due to the heat processing, and then the ascorbic acid remaining in the product begins to breakdown due to interactions between feed ingredients, oxygen, light and moisture. In typical conditions, approximately 50% of the products ascorbic acid is lost every 3 months. Therefore to adequately provide a 3 month shelf-life, 400 ppm of vitamin C should be present at manufacturing. Likewise, to ensure a 6 month shelf-life, the product must originally contain 800 ppm to make sure the requirement of 200 ppm is satisfied after 6 months.

To avoid the uncertainty related to this issue of ascorbic acid unstability, especially considering how critical this nutrient is to guinea pigs and how quickly deficiency signs will be manifested, we are now using an ascorbic acid derivative called L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate. This is a newer, modified form of ascorbic acid that is both time and heat stable, enabling us to guarantee that the vitamin is available in the food for a far longer period. Kaytee did extensive feeding studies in guinea pigs to evaluate both the effectiveness and stability of this unique form and found that its performance (and stability) was far greater and more reliable than the typically used, and far less expensive, form of vitamin C.

We always recommend the pet food products we manufacture be stored in a cool, dry area, (if possible under 70 degrees F), to protect all of the vitamins and minimize the possibilities of infestation. All the products we manufacture can be refrigerated and/or frozen in a sealed container (to prevent condensation) to protect the product and extend its shelf life.

The Kaytee exact Rainbow, Forti Diet and Fiesta Diets for Guinea Pigs all have the L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate as the source of vitamin C. These products are formulated to contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals a guinea pig needs for a daily diet and are available in the product as per the intended Best When Used By date on the package, provided the product is properly fed and stored.

We hope this information has helped answer your questions. If you or anyone interested has any questions, please contact me and I will be happy to assist you.

Sincerely,
Kathy Schneider
Kaytee Technical Services Manager
1-800-669-9580, ext. 253