Tryptofan more than a simple aminoacid
Sintofarm s.p.a. has recently entered the international market with a new synthetic aminoacid: the l-Tryptofan 98% feed grade.
On the world market of ingredients, four pure aminoacids are currently available: lysine, methionine, threonine and last, but not least tryptophan.
As commonly first limiting aminoacids, lysine and methionine cover the largest part of the market; but sometimes threonine and tryptophan are often underestimated when formulating feed for modern genotypes.
As a nutritional supplement, tryptophan is mainly used to balance diets for weanling piglets, where for scouring problems, nutritionists are forced to reduce total crude protein intake.
When local regulations, limiting nitrogen pollution, impose reduction in total protein level for monogastric diet, tryptophan is entering in least cost formulation to balance aminocids pattern following ideal protein concepts.
But this aminoacid, that enters in the pathway of serotonine biosynthesis, has important implication with animal behaviour. At higher level than the minimum nutritional requirement, tryptophan increases appetite in pigs and poultry improving feed intake.
Recently its nutraceutical use was discovered. Doubling tryptophan level in the diet above the minimum requirement, a sedative effect is obtained. In mixed data from human and animal studies is possible to assume a sedative dose for tryptophan equal to 50-80 mg/kg body weight  per day, that correspond in monogastric to a supplementation of 2.0-2.5 kg/ton of tryptophan per ton of pigs feed.
As natural component of proteins, tryptophan does not have any limitation in dosage nor in withdrawal period for the animal feeding.

• Tryptophan / L-tryptophan 98% feed grade