Mineral Nutrition · Marine Calcium & Buffer

LithoNutri™ — calcium from the sea.

Bioavailable marine calcium. A long-lasting natural buffer.

A 100% natural bio-mineral complex of Lithothamnium calcareum — a red calcareous marine algae carrying highly bioavailable calcium, magnesium and 70+ trace elements in a porous, organic-bound matrix. A long-lasting rumen buffer for dairy, beef and small ruminants that rivals sodium bicarbonate at roughly a third of the dose.

L
Source Lithothamnium calcareumred marine algae
Composition Ca min. 32% · Mg min. 3%70+ trace elements
Target species Ruminants — dairy, beef, sheep & goats
Function Calcium source & bufferprebiotic mineral matrix

Why marine calcium.

LithoNutri™ is harvested from Lithothamnium calcareum in the Brazilian equatorial region, where high luminosity and balanced water temperature drive fast algae growth and fragmentation. Its skeleton is a vegetal carbonate — calcium and magnesium bound to organic carbon in the algae's cell walls — with a honeycomb porosity that gives a specific surface of ~74 m²/g. That structure dissolves and releases its minerals far more readily than mined limestone, and buffers acid slowly and continuously rather than all at once.

Bioavailable calcium

Porous, organic-bound calcium and magnesium dissociates quickly — supporting calcium supply and acid-base balance through lactation.

Long-lasting buffer

Biogenic carbonates buffer the rumen slowly and continuously — controlling pH, reducing SARA-related symptoms, and out-performing sodium bicarbonate at under half the dose.

70+ trace elements

Beyond Ca and Mg, the matrix carries 70+ naturally-occurring bioavailable trace minerals plus amino acids and polysaccharides — whole-matrix mineral nutrition.

Prebiotic & gut health

Acts as a prebiotic — antioxidative, pH-controlling, and synergistic with probiotics and yeast — with mycotoxin-binding activity. Natural, easy to apply, no residual effect.

Calciummin. 32%
Magnesiummin. 3%
Trace elements70+bioavailable
Specific surface~74 m²/ghigh porosity
Origin100% naturalvegetal/marine
Portfolio fit. LithoNutri™ joins GLYCINIX™ (glycinate chelates) and TRACNIX™ (MHA trace minerals) in KYNAD's mineral line — but plays a distinct role: the bioavailable calcium and buffering dimension, delivering rumen-pH control and calcium supply across dairy, beef and small ruminants.

The evidence — dairy, beef and small ruminants.

LithoNutri™ (and the Lithothamnium source behind it) has been evaluated in university and field trials spanning dairy cows, beef cattle and sheep. Headline outcomes are shown below, each tied to its study.

−25%
Enteric methane
Sheep, in vitro · Durmic et al. (2014)
+9.7%
Milk fat
Dairy cows · Vieira et al. (2022), UFPel
+6.5%
Average daily gain
Beef, semi-feedlot · JBS program, 2016
102g
vs 280 g sodium bicarbonate
Dairy cows · Vieira et al. (2022), UFPel
Half the dose of bicarb. In a 36-cow Holstein trial (Vieira et al., 2022), LithoNutri™ at 102 g/cow/day matched or beat sodium bicarbonate at 280 g/cow/day on milk fat, corrected-milk yield and feed efficiency — a long-lasting buffer at roughly a third of the bicarbonate inclusion.

Dairy cows

Vieira (2022) · Cruywagen (2015)
  • +9.7% milk fat; +6.16% fat-corrected milk (+2.66 L)
  • Feed efficiency higher (P<0.01); 6.73% less fecal starch
  • Cruywagen: 31.8 kg/d milk vs 27.6 control, 29.1 bicarbonate
  • Stable rumen & fecal pH — long-lasting buffering effect

Beef cattle

JBS Quality Beacon · 2016
  • Semi-feedlot, 1.2% inclusion (72 g/head/day)
  • ADG +6.47% (0.872 vs 0.819 kg/day)
  • Carcass yield +1.5%; quality bonus +34%
  • Better carcass fat cover and meat quality

Dairy — LithoNutri™ vs sodium bicarbonate

Vieira et al. (2022), Federal University of Pelotas · 36 Holstein cows · LithoNutri 102 g vs bicarbonate 280 g/cow/day

ParameterLithoNutri™BicarbonateΔ
Milk fat (%)4.173.80+9.7%
Fat-corrected milk (L/day)40.1137.78+6.16%
Faecal pH6.18ᵃ6.11ᵇhigher
Rumen-to-faeces pH gap0.520.69narrower
Energy-corrected milk (L/day)43.2541.01+5.46%
Feed efficiency (fat-corr.)1.591.48P<0.01
Feed efficiency (energy-corr.)1.711.62P<0.01
Fecal starch (% of 29.28% dietary starch)2.792.98−6.73%

Sources: Vieira et al. (2022), Federal University of Pelotas; Cruywagen et al. (2015); Durmic et al. (2014); JBS Quality Beacon semi-feedlot field results, Gauchinha Farm (2016). Outcomes vary by diet, dose and animal standard; figures are illustrative of trial cohorts, not guarantees.

Application & Dosing.

LithoNutri™ is applied across dairy, beef and small-ruminant diets. It is compatible with essential oils, probiotics and monensin, and is widely used in "buffering mixtures" at feed mills and on farm. KYNAD's technical team tunes inclusion to species, stage and the calcium/buffering balance of the full diet.

70–120g/d
Per head · lactating cow (or 1% in concentrate)

Ruminants

A natural rumen buffer for dairy and beef — controlling pH, reducing SARA symptoms, and lifting milk and carcass performance.

Growing heifers20–25 g/head/d
Feedlot/beef (confinement or semi-confinement)60–90 g/head/d
High-grain/whole-grain confinement70–100 g/head/d
Protein/energy mineral supplement15–30 g/head/d
Mineral supplement15–20 g/head/d
Lactating goats & sheep12–14 g/head/d
Goats & lambs in fattening10 g/head/d
FormsPowder · granulatedmicron grades
HandlingEasy-applyno residual effect

Specifications.

Confirmed composition and functional attributes are shown below. Certificate of analysis, full micro-mineral profile and packaging detail are available on request.

ParameterLithoNutri™
Portfolio pillarMineral Nutrition
CategoryMarine calcium & natural buffer
SourceLithothamnium calcareum — red calcareous marine algae (Brazilian equatorial region)
Origin100% natural · vegetal/marine carbonate bound to organic carbon
Calciummin. 320 g/kg (32%) — batch 128LPO: 327.4 g/kg
Mineral mattermin. 920 g/kg
Moisturemax. 20 g/kg
Residue in HClmax. 40 g/kg
pH8.18
Magnesiummin. 30 g/kg (3%) — batch 128LPO: 35.1 g/kg
Trace elements70+ naturally-occurring, bioavailable
Organic fractionAmino acids (≈18), polysaccharides, biogenic carbonates (<0.45% amino acids)
Specific surface~74 m²/g (high porosity) — supplier-stated
Granulometry75% through 300 µm (50 mesh) · 25% through 44 µm (325 mesh)
Bulk density1.20 g/cm³
Packaging25 kg bags · 1,200 kg big bag
Functional rolesCalcium source · rumen buffer · prebiotic · mycotoxin binder
CompatibilityEssential oils, probiotics, monensin
FormsPowder · granulated · micron grades
Target speciesRuminants — dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep & goats
Cost benefit/ROIBuffering at 102 g/cow/day against 280 g of sodium bicarbonate — with higher milk fat, fat- and energy-corrected milk, and feed efficiency (Vieira et al., 2022)
Request

Request the LithoNutri™ brief.

Technical brief, mineral analysis, specification sheet, certificate of analysis, and the full trial dossier (dairy, beef and small ruminants). Our team will recommend an inclusion rate for your diet and production stage.