What is choline chloride 50%?
Choline chloride is produced industrially as a concentrated aqueous solution. To make a dry grade, the solution is adsorbed onto a carrier and dried, giving a powder with a declared choline chloride content. In the 50% grade, roughly half of every kilogram is choline chloride and the other half is carrier, plus a small residual moisture allowance set by the specification.
The biology of choline (cell membranes, fat export from the liver, methyl-group metabolism) is the same for all grades and is covered on our general choline chloride page. This page focuses on the 50% product itself: what it contains, where it fits and how to convert doses.
Why choose the 50% grade?
More carrier per unit of active substance generally means a drier-feeling, better-flowing powder that mixes evenly with other fine ingredients. That is why the 50% grade is often used where choline has to be blended into a premix or concentrate rather than dosed straight into a large batch of complete feed.
- Premixes and concentrates: easier to disperse uniformly at moderate inclusion levels.
- Smaller mills and on-farm mixing: no need for tanks, pumps or spray nozzles.
- Silica-based versions: silica is mineral, does not support mould growth like plant material can, and is often preferred where flow and long storage matter.
- Trade-off: you pay for and transport more carrier per kilogram of choline, and the product takes up more space in the formula than 60% or liquid grades.
Choline content: understanding the basis
Pure choline chloride contains about 86.8% choline when choline is expressed as choline base (hydroxide), the convention used in many nutrition tables; expressed as the choline cation alone, the figure is about 74.6%. A 50% grade therefore supplies roughly 43.4% choline on the first basis, or about 37.3% on the second.
Both numbers describe the same product. Before converting between products or comparing offers, check whether the supplier's specification states choline chloride content, choline content, and on which basis, and keep the same basis throughout the formulation.
Dose conversion example
Grades are most simply converted on a choline chloride basis. If a formula calls for 1.0 kg of choline chloride 60% per tonne, the same amount of choline chloride is supplied by 1.0 × 60 ÷ 50 = 1.2 kg of the 50% grade. To replace 1.0 kg of 70% liquid, you would need 1.0 × 70 ÷ 50 = 1.4 kg of the 50% powder.
The extra 0.2–0.4 kg is carrier, so the remaining ingredients or the premix carrier must be adjusted to keep the formula at 100%. Always use the actual analysed content from the certificate of analysis rather than the nominal grade when precision matters.
Using choline chloride 50% in vitamin premixes
Choline chloride is hygroscopic and, in concentrated vitamin premixes, can accelerate losses of sensitive vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin K₃ and some B vitamins. A diluted 50% grade does not remove this effect; it only reduces how much active substance is present per kilogram of product.
For this reason many nutritionists still dose choline separately at the mill. When choline must be included in a premix, it helps to use a dry, well-flowing grade, use stabilised vitamin forms, keep the premix in moisture-proof packaging and plan for a shorter storage time.
Specification and storage checklist
- Choline chloride content (and choline content with its basis) against the declared grade.
- Carrier type stated on the specification: silica or vegetable carrier.
- Moisture or loss on drying, and particle size or sieve analysis.
- Trimethylamine (TMA) odour: a strong fishy smell suggests poor quality or degradation.
- Heavy metals and a certificate of analysis (CoA) for each lot.
- Storage: cool, dry place in closed, intact bags; reseal opened bags immediately, because the powder picks up moisture and can cake.
CTF Premix and choline chloride 50%
Choline chloride 50% can be included in CTF Premix's vitamin, vitamin-mineral or custom premixes according to the customer's formulation, with our technical team choosing the grade and carrier with vitamin stability and shelf life in mind. Premixes are produced at our Ankara facility under ISO 9001:2015 and GMP; every lot has a certificate of analysis and can be traced through the batch verification page on our website.
This page is for general information. Inclusion rates and product choice should be decided with a nutritionist, taking into account the species, the feed formulation and the applicable regulations.