Patent ID: 8003686

Claim:
A method of improving performance of animals comprising administering to an animal in need of performance improvement an animal feed which comprises a performance improving effective amount of an acyl derivative of curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdesmethoxycurcumin and of curcuminisoxazolide wherein the acyl derivatives are of the formula wherein R 1 and R 2 are different or the same and represent hydrogen or methoxy; R 3 and R 4 are different or the same and at least one of them is an acyl residue selected from (a) sulfuric and phosphoric acid and salts thereof; (b) an aliphatic, aromatic or araliphatic organic acid; (c) formula —CO—OR 5 , with R 5 =C 1-6 -alkyl; (d) formula —CO—(CH 2 ) p —R 6 ,—CO—(CH 2 ) q —N +(R 8 ) 3 Y − , —CO—(CH 2 )q—NH—COR 9 or —CO—NH—(CH 2 ) q —COOR 5 , with p=0 or 1, q=an integer of 1-6 Y − =an anion of an inorganic acid, R 6 =—NHR 7 , —NR 5 R 7 , —CH(OH)R 5 or —C(OR 9 )R 5 R 7 =H or C 1-6 -alkyl R 8 =H or C 1-4 -alkyl, R 9 =C 1-5 -alkanoyl or (e) formula —CO—NH—(CH 2 )q—R 10 , with R 10 =H, C 1-6 -alkyl or —COOC 1-6 -alkyl; the other being hydrogen if only one of R 3 and R 4 is acyl; or of the formula wherein R 1 and R 2 are as defined above, and A is a group —CO—CHR 9 —CO— or —CR 10 R 11 —CO— with R 9 =H or C 1-4 -alkyl, R 10 =H and R 11 =H, C 1-2 -alkyl, —[CH(OH)] n —CH 2 OH, —(CH 2 ) m —COOH, —(CH 2 ) m -phenyl or —CH(OH)—COOH, or R 10 =R 11 =—CH 2 —COOH or R 10 +R 11 =oxygen and n and m=integers of 0-4; or of the formula wherein R 1 and R 2 are as defined above and X − =OH − , Cl − or HSO 4 − .