Recently, in the fields of natural nutrition fortification, pharmaceutical health, and feed additives, Nicotinic Acid (also known as Vitamin B3 or Vitamin PP)—a core ingredient integrating basic nutritional supplementation and multi-functional physiological activities—has continued to be hailed as an "all-round nutrient" by the health industry and related sectors, thanks to its core advantages of "essential nutrition, stability and efficiency, and multi-scenario adaptability". As a water-soluble vitamin essential for humans, animals, and plants, nicotinic acid is not only a fundamental substance for sustaining life activities but also, with its scientifically verified diverse efficacy, widely applied in scenarios such as food nutrition fortification, pharmaceutical formulations, and feed additives. It provides comprehensive support for human health, animal breeding, and the food industry, driving health-related industries toward the direction of "precision nutrition and efficient empowerment".
In terms of the product's essence, Nicotinic Acid is a water-soluble B-vitamin with the chemical name pyridine-3-carboxylic acid (CAS No.: 59-67-6), molecular formula C₆H₅NO₂, and molecular weight 123.11. It appears as colorless needle-like crystals or white crystalline powder, odorless with a slight sour taste, and exhibits extremely stable physical and chemical properties—heat-resistant, acid-alkali-resistant, and oxidation-resistant. It retains its activity even under high pressure at 120℃, with an extremely low loss rate during daily food processing and cooking. This characteristic endows it with strong applicability in various product formulations.
In terms of sources and processing, nicotinic acid is available in two forms: natural extraction and synthetic production. Natural nicotinic acid is widely found in animal livers, lean meat, fish, whole grains, nuts, and other foods, and can be obtained through biological extraction processes. Synthetic nicotinic acid is produced via chemical synthesis and purification using raw materials such as pyridine and 3-methylpyridine, with a purity of over 99%, meeting multi-grade standards including food-grade, pharmaceutical-grade, and feed-grade. Its core physical properties include good water solubility (1g soluble in 60ml of room-temperature water, easily soluble in boiling water and ethanol) and insolubility in ethers and lipid solvents. Compared with other B-vitamins, nicotinic acid's core advantages lie in its strong stability, broad spectrum of action, and high cost-effectiveness: no special storage conditions are required, making it suitable for various formulation systems; it can not only serve as a basic nutritional supplement but also exert specific physiological activities; the synthetic process is mature, and large-scale production can meet global market demand. When used in compliance with regulations, it boasts extremely high safety with no obvious toxic or side effects (excessive intake may cause skin flushing, which can be avoided under normal dosages).
After years of scientific research and industrial application verification, relying on its four core advantages of "basic nutritional supplementation, metabolic regulation, health protection, and industrial empowerment", Nicotinic Acid has demonstrated irreplaceable value in four major fields—human health, food industry, pharmaceutical formulations, and feed breeding—becoming an "cross-industry all-round nutrient".
Nicotinic acid is an essential nutrient that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must obtain from food. Its core function is to serve as a component of coenzyme Ⅰ (NAD⁺) and coenzyme Ⅱ (NADP⁺), participating in the metabolic processes of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the body, providing energy for cells, and maintaining the normal functions of muscles, nerves, and the digestive system. The recommended daily intake for adults is approximately 15mg. Deficiency of nicotinic acid can lead to pellagra, characterized by skin inflammation, diarrhea, dementia, and other symptoms. Appropriate supplementation of nicotinic acid can effectively prevent such nutritional deficiencies, making it particularly suitable for groups with insufficient nutritional intake such as vegetarians, the elderly, and people with weak digestive functions. In addition, nicotinic acid can promote the absorption and utilization of iron, assisting in improving iron-deficiency anemia and laying a foundation for human health.
The core efficacy of nicotinic acid in the field of human health focuses on cardiovascular protection and skin repair: In terms of cardiovascular health, clinical studies have confirmed that nicotinic acid can effectively reduce blood levels of triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, "bad cholesterol"), while increasing the content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, "good cholesterol"), reducing the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, and lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction. Daily intake of 1-2g of pharmaceutical-grade nicotinic acid (under medical guidance) can reduce triglyceride levels by 20%-50% and increase HDL-C by 15%-35%, making it a commonly used auxiliary lipid-lowering ingredient in clinical practice. In terms of skin health, nicotinic acid can promote the metabolism of the skin's stratum corneum, repair the skin barrier, enhance skin moisture retention capacity, and inhibit inflammatory reactions, improving skin problems such as acne and rosacea. It also has a gentle repairing effect on dry and sensitive skin and is often added to moisturizers, serums, and other skincare products.
As a nutrient fortifier recognized by national food safety standards (such as GB 14880-2011), nicotinic acid is widely used in various foods to compensate for nutritional gaps in natural foods and enhance product nutritional value. In dairy products (such as milk powder and yogurt), the addition amount is approximately 3-10mg/100g, which can meet the nutritional needs of infants and the elderly. In grain products (such as bread, oatmeal, and vermicelli), the addition amount is 5-20mg/100g, improving the B-vitamins lost during the processing of refined grains. In functional beverages and nutritional oral liquids, appropriate addition of nicotinic acid can enhance energy supplementation efficacy, aligning with consumers' demand for "healthy beverages". Its stable physical and chemical properties ensure that it does not easily lose efficacy during food processing and does not affect the flavor and taste of products, making it a convenient tool for food enterprises to achieve "clean labels" and "nutritional upgrading".
Nicotinic acid is an indispensable core additive in the feed industry, particularly suitable for livestock, poultry, and aquaculture: For livestock and poultry such as pigs and chickens, nicotinic acid can promote growth and development, improve feed conversion rate, enhance immunity, reduce the occurrence of diseases such as diarrhea and skin diseases, and improve meat quality and egg production rate of laying hens—adding 20-50mg/kg of nicotinic acid to piglet feed can increase weight gain rate by 10%-15%; adding 10-20mg/kg to laying hen feed can improve egg production rate and eggshell quality. For aquaculture (such as fish and shrimp), nicotinic acid can promote fish growth, enhance stress resistance, and prevent skin damage and growth retardation in fish caused by nutritional deficiencies. In addition, nicotinic acid can improve the nutritional balance of feed, solving the problem that nicotinic acid in grain feed is mostly in a bound form and not easily absorbed by animals, thereby promoting the development of the breeding industry toward a "high-efficiency, healthy, and green" direction.
Nicotinic acid are now available for purchase at Xi’an Biof -Technology Co., Ltd. For more information , visit https://www.biofingredients.com.
XI'AN BIOF BIO-TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD
Email: Tom@xabiof.com
Tel/WhatsApp: +86-15091533695
Website: https://www.biofingredients.com
Post time: Dec-08-2025
