copper, and iron have been introduced to the European market. From the feed law point of view, chelates are characterized by the binding of the mentioned metals to organic amino acid-based compounds. Historically, the first chelated compounds allowed in the EU were products based on trace minerals bound to hydrolyzed soy protein. Since 2006 different chelates based on only one single amino acid have followed. The advantage of chelated forms is seen in the binding strength
between metals and the organic compound, which is higher than that of simple ionic bonding, as present in most inorganic compounds like sulfates. During passage along the upper gastro-intestinal tract the chelated trace minerals are more stable and more protected against antagonisms than forms with ionic bindings, which easily dissociate in the rumen and are more susceptible to antagonisms. As a result, a higher amount of metal is available for absorption in the small intestine. In order to compare the efficiency of trace mineral compounds, measurements of absorption and body retention of trace minerals provide the most valuable information. The higher bioavailability of chelated forms compared to inorganic ones in the presence of antagonists has been proven in scientific studies, for example, Hansen et al. (Figure 2). An additional aspect is that with higher bioavailability of trace elements, it is possible to reduce the levels of trace element supplementation and hence excretion of environmentally critical elements like Cu and Zn via manure, which will be an increasingly important concern in the coming decades.
Figure 3: Apparent zinc digestibility of different sources (%) in a piglet animal model (Means, SD, n = 12) ab
between treatments (P≤0.05) (Hildebrand & Weiner, 2017) As shown in several field studies by Biochem, the use of ECO
Trace minerals resulted in beneficial effects in dairy cows. These include improved udder health, fewer days open and better claw integrity, all relevant parameters for high lifetime performance. In a recent study in dairy cows on a commercial farm in Eastern Germany, the control group received a mineral feed providing of 1200 mg zinc, 800 mg manganese and 240 mg copper per animal and day originating from oxides and sulfates, whereas in the parallel test group the inorganic forms were partly replaced by glycine chelates by 40 %, 30 %, and 50 % for zinc, manganese, and copper, respectively. From the partial exchange of inorganic trace minerals with ECO Trace, the daily milk yield was markedly improved (37.3 vs. 35.9 L per cow/day). Furthermore, fertility parameters were improved; the percentage of cows pregnant at 120 days in milk (DIM) was significantly higher (Figure 4). The use of hormone treatment for heat activation could be reduced and the conception rate was increased from 33% to 42%.
- significant differences
Figure 2: Relative bioavailability of different Cu sources in presence of antagonists (2400 mg S/kg DM + 2 mg Mo/kg DM) (adapted from Hansen et al., 2008)
Another widely accepted method for evaluation of differences in
bioavailability of trace mineral sources is to test them in animals fed below requirements, simulating situations of trace mineral imbalances. From such tests it is assumed that efficiency in supporting the animals’ trace mineral status is higher than with sulfates, but similar between the different chelate forms used (Figure 3). Thus, differences in technical product characteristics such as metal content or particle size distribution become of relevance in the choice of chelated forms by producers of premixes. Glycine-based chelates represent one of the most efficient organic sources of trace minerals in terms of bioavailability and technical properties.
Figure 4: Effect of trace mineral source on proportion of
significant differences between treatments, P<0.05) (Mählmeyer et al., 2019)
pregnant cows, hormone treatment, and conception rate (Means; ab
FEED COMPOUNDER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 PAGE 33
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