Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 4 May 2021

SPECIAL STORY 42 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2021 PLASMAAND EGG POWDER AS SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES TO ZnO Zinc Oxide (ZnO) time is running out. Rational use of antibiotics and growth promoters moves the focus from pharmacology to functional ingredients. Spray dried plasma and egg powder are successfully used as excellent nutritional ingredients, preventing post-weaning diarrhea, improving the immune status of piglets and maintaining productive parameters in the absence of antibiotics and ZnO. Z inc Oxide is a compound widely known to be an effective tool to prevent post-weaning diar- rhea, mainly in piglets. Its mechanism of action is not fully known, but we can highlight beneficial effects on the balance of the intestinal flora (microbiome), bactericidal effect on E. Coli, stimulation of Ghrelin secretion and reducing intestinal permeability, among others. The use of this product has been very extensive in time, finding studies of its use since the 80s. There is no homogenization regarding the effective doses, but 85 mg of zinc oxide / kg of live weight are proposed per day for 14 days post-weaning (equiv- alent to 3.1 kg of veterinary drug / Tm of feed or equivalent at 2500 g of Zinc / Tm of feed). After so many years of use, in 2015 the EMEA re- vealed an environmental risk, when studying a refer- ral procedure. Zn accumulated in the environment, representing a real problem for some of the member states as showed in Figure1, where red dots represent Zn concentrations over than 103 mg/kg. Consequently, in 2016 France and the Netherlands force the Agency to review all available data and evaluate the risk / benefit of using ZnO-containing products for oral administration. In March 2017, the EMA finalized its review of risk and efficacy in food Carlos Ucero, MVetMed Technical Sales Manager ACTIPRO VEOS Group Figure 1. Zn soil contamination. Image based on publication from Christos Noulas et al. 2018