SPECIAL STORY 60 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2023 “Zinc (Zn) is one of the major trace minerals supplemented in animal feed diets. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a form commonly supplemented and is sometimes wrongly considered to have a lower bioavailability than sulfates. In a recent trial, published in the British Poultry Science journal, researchers investigated the correlation between the physicochemical properties of different ZnO sources and their bioavailability in broilers.” Zinc supplementation to cover nutritional requirements: FOCUS ON BONE ZINC Axel Minetto Product Manager Monogastric Animine France Dr. Alessandra Monteiro R&D Director Animine France Sulfates sources of trace minerals are often assumed to have 100% bioavailability due to their high solubility in water. However, when referring to trace minerals, solubility and bioavailability are not always directly related. Indeed, it is important that a trace mineral source can solubilize so its free ions can be taken up by the intestinal cell. Nevertheless, if this solubilization happens too early in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, the release of those ions will interact with other feed compounds (e.g: acid phytic and calcium) forming insoluble complexes and becoming unavailable for animal absorption. Zinc (Zn) is one of the major trace minerals supplemented in animal feed diets. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a form commonly supplemented and is sometimes wrongly considered to have a lower bioavailability than sulfates. In a recent trial, published in the British Poultry Science journal, researchers investigated the correlation between the physicochemical properties of different ZnO sources and their bioavailability in broilers. First, an in vitro trial was carried out to evaluate the properties of feed-grade ZnO sources and their dissolution kinetic behavior. Then, an in vivo trial was performed at INRAE (France) to evaluate the bioavailability of these sources in broiler chickens. The objective was to assess the dose response of Zn supplementation. Treatments consisted of a con-
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