ISSUE FOCUS 32 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2023 “The selection of a trace mineral source is an important decision to support productivity and health. However, knowing how that source was added and mixed, along with its impact on other essential nutrients in the feed, are equally important parts of an effective precision nutrition strategy…” 3 FACTORS TO CONSIDER While much has been written about trace minerals’ influence on livestock performance, little attention has focused on the actual delivery of trace minerals to the animal. Simply including these essential components in the animal’s diet is not enough. Trace minerals must be delivered at the proper time and at the right level to deliver the desired performance effects in bodyweight gain, feed efficiency and breast meat yield. Some factors that challenge trace mineral supplementation include the mineral source, its physical properties, accurate weigh out of trace minerals within the mix, proper mixing, and the chemical and positional stability of the trace mineral within a premix or complete feed. Considering how different factors affect the actual level of trace minerals delivered to the animal can bring more precision to trace mineral supplementation. Following are three considerations that can help poultry producers enhance the precision of their trace mineral supplementation investment. 1. Stability: As a common application in feed, a combination of vitamins and trace minerals in premixes is designed to supplement optimal levels in animals, but the negative interactions between vitamins and minerals is often underestimated. Certain inorganic trace mineral forms are classified as pro-oxidants, which means they can promote accelerated oxidation in the premix or complete feed, facilitating the reduced efficacy of essential nutrients which are added to the premix or complete feed like fat, vitamins, microbials, enzymes, etc. (Figure 1). This is because they are highly soluble and unstable complexes and is even more pronounced when processes involving moisture are applied, being the case when pelleting. Using a source, like IntelliBond, that is less soluble and more stable, and therefore less reactive will reduces the potential for degradation of feed ingredients, support the enzyme stability and probiotic survival and improve nutrient delivery quality. 2. Inclusion within a mix: Significant variances in different forms of trace minerals can influence formulation and adversely affect how much of an individual trace mineral is added to a mix. Table 1 clearly shows how added levels of an individual trace mineral can vary within a complete feed formulated to deliver 80 ppm of zinc. Within the overall volCAPTURING THE FULL VALUE OF TRACE MINERAL SUPPLEMENTATION Gavin Boerboom Technical Commercial Manager Selko Feed Additives
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