Nutrient Premixes
A nutrient premix is a manufactured blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other micronutrients, diluted in a food grade carrier and made so that a single small addition delivers every micronutrient a formula needs at the correct ratio.
Premixes exist because micronutrients are dosed in milligrams and micrograms against tonnes of finished product, and weighing those quantities accurately on a production line is impractical. Blending them once, under controlled conditions and with a carrier such as maltodextrin, dextrose, calcium carbonate or a cereal flour, converts a dozen difficult weighings into one, and it lets the premix maker handle the incompatibilities between the nutrients rather than pushing that problem downstream.
The physical article is normally a free flowing powder, off white to tan or coloured by its vitamin content, with a particle size distribution matched to the base it is blended into so that it does not segregate. Liquid and oil dispersed premixes are also made for beverages and for fat continuous systems. Every premix is formulated to a specific customer recipe, so composition, overages and shelf life are set per contract rather than by a general standard.
We source bulk Nutrient Premixes from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Guangdong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Animal-feed additive
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Free flowing powder, colour according to formulation |
| Identification | Conforms to the agreed formulation specification |
| Assay of declared nutrients | Meets label claim, typically 90 to 150% depending on nutrient and overage |
| Blend uniformity | Coefficient of variation not more than 5% on marker nutrients |
| Loss on drying | Not more than 6.0% |
| Bulk density | 0.5 to 0.9 g/ml, per formulation |
| Particle size | Not less than 95% through 40 mesh |
| Lead | Not more than 3.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 2.0 mg/kg |
| Cadmium | Not more than 1.0 mg/kg |
| Mercury | Not more than 0.1 mg/kg |
| Total plate count | Not more than 10,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and mould | Not more than 500 cfu/g |
| Escherichia coli | Absent in 10 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Premixes are categorised by application rather than by purity. Food fortification premixes serve flour, rice, salt, edible oil, dairy and beverages, and are formulated to survive the processing and storage of that specific vehicle. Infant and clinical nutrition premixes carry the tightest specifications, with restricted raw material sources, allergen and pathogen controls and full traceability. Supplement premixes are made for tablets, capsules and powders, and feed premixes cover livestock, aquaculture and pet food at higher inclusion rates and broader tolerances.
Within each category the variables are carrier, particle size, overage and protection. Overages are built in to cover losses during processing and shelf life, with the amount depending on the vitamin and the vehicle. Individual nutrients may be included in encapsulated, coated or beadlet form inside the premix, so that vitamin A, vitamin D, iron and iodine are physically separated from the oxidants and moisture that would otherwise degrade them.
Applications
- Wheat flour and maize meal fortification, delivering iron, folic acid, zinc and B vitamins in national fortification programmes
- Edible oil and margarine fortification with vitamin A and vitamin D in oil dispersible form
- Salt fortification with iodine, alone or with iron in double fortified salt
- Infant formula and follow on formula, supplying the full vitamin and mineral pattern required by the compositional standards
- Dairy products and milk powders, where heat stable forms are needed to survive pasteurisation and drying
- Beverages and powdered drink mixes, using water dispersible and colour stable nutrient forms
- Nutrition bars, cereals and bakery products where the premix is added at the dry mixing stage
- Tablet, capsule and sachet supplements, blended into the granulation as a single micronutrient addition
- Livestock, poultry and aquaculture feed, added to compound feed at defined inclusion rates
- Pet food and companion animal diets, compensating for nutrient losses during extrusion
China Manufacturers of Nutrient Premixes
Top Nutrient Premixes manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
A premix is regulated through its components rather than as a substance in its own right. In the United States each nutrient must be a permitted food source, drawing on the generally recognised as safe listings in 21 CFR Parts 182 and 184 or on individual food additive regulations, and fortification is guided by the agency's fortification policy. Standards of identity for enriched flour, bread, rice and pasta specify which nutrients must be present and at what levels, and supplement premixes fall under the manufacturing requirements of 21 CFR Part 111. Feed premixes are covered by feed ingredient definitions and by the preventive controls rules for animal food.
In the European Union the vitamin and mineral forms that may be added to foods are fixed in the annexes to Regulation 1925/2006, and those for food supplements in the annex to Directive 2002/46/EC, so a premix for the European market may only contain listed forms. Infant formula and foods for special medical purposes carry their own compositional rules under Regulation 609/2013 and its delegated acts. Codex Alimentarius sets out general principles for the addition of essential nutrients to foods and maintains advisory lists of nutrient compounds attached to its infant formula and special dietary standards, which many national fortification programmes follow.
Manufacturing Process
Production starts with sourcing and release of each individual nutrient against its own specification, since the premix can be no better than its inputs. Nutrients are dispensed by hand or by automated weighing into a batch record, with the smallest additions premixed separately with a portion of the carrier to make a serial dilution, because a few grams of vitamin B12 cannot be distributed evenly through a tonne of blend in one step.
The dilutions and the bulk components are charged to a ribbon, paddle or double cone blender and mixed for a validated time, established by mixing studies that sample the blend at several points and confirm the coefficient of variation for marker nutrients. Where flow or dust is a problem the blend may be granulated or coated in a fluid bed, and oils and fat soluble vitamins are sprayed onto the carrier rather than dry blended. The finished blend is screened, passed over magnets and through a metal detector, packed into moisture barrier bags or drums, often under nitrogen, and held for assay of marker nutrients before release. Retained samples support stability testing over the declared shelf life.
