Quantitative efficacy of niacin sources for chicks: nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, NAD and tryptophan

A niacin-deficient diet based upon corn and casein was used to establish growth-promoting efficacy of various sources of niacin activity. In the presence of excess dietary nicotinamide, chicks fed the corn-casein diet achieved maximal weight gain when 100 mg/kg of L-tryptophan was supplemented. The basal diet for efficacy studies therefore contained 100 mg/kg of added tryptophan and no supplemental nicotinic acid. Weight gain in the linear response surface of the growth curve proved to be a far better measure of niacin bioactivity than tissue accumulation of NAD(P). Slope-ratio growth efficacy studies indicated that excess dietary tryptophan was 1.94 +/- 0.14% as efficient as nicotinic acid in furnishing bioavailable niacin activity (52:1, wt:wt). Relative to nicotinic acid used as a standard (100%), nicotinamide bioactivity was 124%. Nicotinamide in NAD was utilized with an efficiency of 95% relative to nicotinamide per se.