AAFCO Ch6 dicalcium phosphate

AAFCO Ch6 definition 57.71 Dicalcium Phosphate is a calcium salt of phosphoric acid generally expressed as CaHPO4 and its hydrated forms (IFN 6-01-080, calcium phosphate dibasic from defluorinated phosphoric acid). Minimum phosphorus (P), minimum calcium (Ca) and maximum fluorine (F) must be specified, and it must not contain more than 1 part of fluorine to 100 parts phosphorus (Adopted 1975). Dicalcium phosphate is used as a mineral supplement to supply calcium and phosphorus and to adjust the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of the formula; the AAFCO definition does not itself fix assay values (typical trade material runs roughly 22-26% Ca and 18-20% P by specification, not by definition). Over-supplementation can push a formula past the AAFCO dog profile maxima (Ca 1.8% DM growth / 2.5% DM adult; P 1.6% DM), which matters most in mineral-dense or all-meat formulations. It is commonly used in extruded dry food and in vitamin-mineral premixes to fine-tune mineral balance.