Hyodeoxycholic Acid (HDCA, Bile Acid Feed Grade)

A secondary bile acid originally isolated from porcine bile, used in feed to support lipid emulsification, fat-soluble vitamin absorption, and hepatobiliary function in monogastric and aquatic species.

White to off-white crystalline powder. Stable to feed processing temperatures and pH range. Effective inclusion rates are typically 60 to 300 grams per ton, far below most other functional feed additives.

We supply feed-grade HDCA from manufacturers in China holding ISO, FAMI-QS, and other certifications relevant to the product and production.

Common market grades include pure HDCA (≥ 95 percent assay), HDCA-rich bile acid blends (≥ 30 percent total bile acid), and lower-cost composite bile acid mixtures targeting cost-sensitive aquaculture programs.

Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering assay, related bile acids, moisture, and microbiology.

Bile acids are amphipathic steroid molecules synthesized in the liver from cholesterol, secreted into the small intestine, and recycled through the enterohepatic circulation. They are essential for emulsifying dietary fat into micelles small enough for pancreatic lipase to act on and for mucosal absorption to occur.

Young, fast-growing, and stressed animals frequently produce insufficient endogenous bile to fully emulsify the fat loads in modern high-energy feeds, particularly in shrimp and freshwater finfish where the hepatopancreas is small relative to lipid intake. Supplemented bile acids fill this gap and improve fat digestibility, growth rate, and feed conversion.

HDCA is a particularly studied bile acid in Chinese aquaculture research because of its abundance in porcine bile (the historical commercial source) and its established role in hepatopancreas protection in shrimp. Other commercial bile acid mixtures contain chenodeoxycholic, cholic, and ursodeoxycholic acids in varying proportions.

Approved as a feed additive in China, the EU (under bile acid composite definitions), and most aquaculture-producing markets.

• Aquaculture feeds (shrimp, tilapia, carp, salmonids) for fat emulsification and hepatopancreas health
• Broiler and layer feeds with high inclusion of added fat or oil
• Piglet weaner feeds containing animal fat or soybean oil
• High-energy dairy cow and beef cattle diets
• Companion animal diets for hepatobiliary support
• Component of fat-utilization premixes alongside lipase and lysolecithin
• Cold-stress and disease-recovery feeding programs in aquaculture
• Replacement for older synthetic emulsifiers in clean-label feed programs