Trace elements (minerals and vitamins) in non-ruminant livestock nutrition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2020) | Viewed by 26003

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Guest Editor
Sherbrooke Research & Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C8, Canada
Interests: metabolism; pig; nutritional physiology; trace minerals; vitamins

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Improvements in animal production over the last decades have been remarkable. Advances in animal reproduction, nutrition, health, welfare, and handling are reflected in better performance and productivity. However, these advances in intensive livestock production have also brought new challenges to, among others, animal nutritionists. This is mostly because the nutritional requirements have been changing over the years as a result of the use of more modern genetic lines of animals and production conditions. Surprisingly, most of the nutritional recommendations of micro-minerals and vitamins for non-ruminant animals were published more than 20 years ago. This is especially concerning for trace minerals because, although essential for livestock animals, they are environmentally classified as heavy metals. The lack of knowledge on the intestinal fate of these minerals in animals has limited the development of strategies to better control their bioavailability. As a consequence, a potential accumulation of these heavy metals in soils, with consequent contamination of ground and surface waters, is not unlikely. Nitrogen and phosphorous have been classified as the first identified nutrients of environmental concern, but trace minerals may become the next limiting factors for the expansion of livestock farming. It has also to be considered that some micro-minerals, such as zinc and copper, are used in supra-nutritional levels as an alternative to the prophylactic use of antibiotics in some species because of their intestinal bacteriostatic properties. Although efficient, over the last decades, evidence has suggested that this practice may increase the appearance of genes related to bacterial resistance to antibiotics and even of genes related to bacterial resistance to these minerals. For vitamins, heterogeneous recommendations can be found in the animal nutrition industry, and empiricism is still present mostly because of the limited scientific information on their overall metabolic fate. Research on the use of vitamins in animal nutrition has moved from prevention of deficiencies to maximization of growth and reproductive performance since the middle of the 20th century. However, little is known on the requirements to optimize energy metabolism, the establishment of the intestinal microbiome, and immune and antioxidant systems. Therefore, in the future, vitamins will possibly be considered not only as nutritional ingredients but also as functional nutrients to improve the overall robustness of animals and the nutritional quality of animal-derived products. The rise of new technologies together with the use of multidisciplinary approaches will help to fill the gaps of knowledge that are more apparent in the study of trace elements than in any other area of nutrition.

Dr. Danyel Bueno Dalto
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • absorption
  • animal health
  • bioavailability
  • environment
  • livestock
  • micro-minerals
  • non-ruminant
  • nutrition
  • trace elements

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 932 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Iron Level on Growth Performance, Immune Organ Indices and Meat Quality in Chinese Yellow Broilers
by Xiajing Lin, Zhongyong Gou, Yibing Wang, Long Li, Qiuli Fan, Fayuan Ding, Chuntian Zheng and Shouqun Jiang
Animals 2020, 10(4), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10040670 - 12 Apr 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2590
Abstract
The objective of three trials was to investigate the effects of dietary Fe on growth performance, immune organ indices and meat quality of Chinese yellow broilers during the whole growth period. A total of 1440 1-day-old, 1440 22-day-old, and 1080 43-day-old Lingnan yellow [...] Read more.
The objective of three trials was to investigate the effects of dietary Fe on growth performance, immune organ indices and meat quality of Chinese yellow broilers during the whole growth period. A total of 1440 1-day-old, 1440 22-day-old, and 1080 43-day-old Lingnan yellow male broilers were randomly assigned to one of six dietary treatments with six replicates per treatment (40 birds per replicate for both 1 to 21 d and 22 to 42 d, 30 birds for 43 to 63 d). Additional Fe (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mg/kg) was added as FeSO4 • H2O to the three basal diets (calculated Fe 50 mg/kg, analyzed 48.3, 49.1, 48.7 mg/kg, respectively). The calculated final dietary Fe concentrations in Starter, Grower and Finisher phases were 50, 70, 90, 110, 130, and 150 mg/kg. The results showed that average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) of the broilers were not influenced by the different levels of Fe (p> 0.05). Weight indices of the spleen, thymus and bursa of Fabricius were not influenced (p > 0.05) by the different levels of Fe during three 21-day experimental periods. Hematocrit, and Fe contents of the liver and kidney were not affected by different levels of Fe (p> 0.05). The diet with 150 mg/kg of Fe increased the a* (relative redness) value of breast muscle compared to the 50 and 70 mg/kg diets at 24 h post mortem (p< 0.05). The diet with 90 mg/kg Fe increased the pH of breast muscle compared to broilers fed 50 or 150 mg/kg Fe (p < 0.05) 45 min after slaughter. The diet with 90 mg/kg Fe decreased drip loss of breast muscle compared to 150 mg/kg Fe (p< 0.05). These data suggest that feeding yellow-feathered broilers on a conventional corn-soy based diet satisfies their requirements without additional Fe at ages 1 to 21, and 22 to 42 d, while 90 mg/kg in the finisher phase improved meat quality, and from the QP (quadratic polynomial) models of the key meat quality variables, pH of breast muscle and drip loss of breast muscle, the optimal dietary Fe level was 89 to 108 mg/kg, and daily Fe fed allowance was 11 to 13 mg in the finisher phase (43 to 63 d). Full article
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22 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
Effects of Choline Chloride, Copper Sulfate and Zinc Oxide on Long-Term Stabilization of Microencapsulated Vitamins in Premixes for Weanling Piglets
by Pan Yang, Huakai Wang, Min Zhu and Yongxi Ma
Animals 2019, 9(12), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121154 - 16 Dec 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5478
Abstract
Two in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of choline chloride, copper sulfate (CuSO4) and zinc oxide (ZnO) on the stability of vitamin A (VA), vitamin D3 (VD3), vitamin E (VE), vitamin K3 (VK3 [...] Read more.
Two in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of choline chloride, copper sulfate (CuSO4) and zinc oxide (ZnO) on the stability of vitamin A (VA), vitamin D3 (VD3), vitamin E (VE), vitamin K3 (VK3), vitamin B1 (VB1), vitamin B2 (VB2), vitamin B6 (VB6), niacin, and pantothenic acid in vitamin and vitamin/trace mineral (VTM) premixes for weanling piglets after 0, 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months of premix storage. We developed predicted equations to estimate vitamin retention during storage. Two vitamin premixes (with or without choline) were formulated and stored at 25 °C and 60% humidity to establish the storage stability of vitamin premixes. Additionally, four VTM premixes were used to evaluate the effect of choline chloride (0 vs. 40,000 mg/kg) and trace minerals (Low CuSO4 + ZnO vs. High CuSO4 + ZnO) on vitamin stability in VTM premixes stored at room temperature (22 °C). In general, as storage time increased, residual vitamin activity decreased (p < 0.05). The results confirmed that VD3, VE, VB2, VB6, niacin and pantothenic acid were highly stable during storage, while the retention of VA, VK3 and VB1 was significantly affected by storage time and the presence of choline and high concentrations of Cu and Zn in the premix. After one year of storage, the retention of VE, VB2, VB6 niacin, and pantothenic acid was more than 90% in vitamin and VTM premixes. The retention of VD3 was more than 90% in vitamin premixes and more than 80% in VTM premixes after one year of storage. We conclude that current microencapsulation techniques for vitamin premixes appear to be inadequate to guarantee VA, VK3, and VB1 concentrations in VTM premixes. Full article
9 pages, 1521 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Selenium Deficiency or Excess on Selenoprotein Gene Expression in the Spleen Tissue of Pigs
by Zhuang Lu, Pengzu Wang, Teng Teng, Baoming Shi, Anshan Shan and Xin Gen Lei
Animals 2019, 9(12), 1122; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121122 - 11 Dec 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3071
Abstract
To evaluate the effects of dietary Se deficiency and excess on the mRNA levels of selenoproteins in pig spleen tissues, 20 healthy uncastrated boars (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 10 ± 0.72 kg) were randomly divided into four groups (5 pigs per group). [...] Read more.
To evaluate the effects of dietary Se deficiency and excess on the mRNA levels of selenoproteins in pig spleen tissues, 20 healthy uncastrated boars (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 10 ± 0.72 kg) were randomly divided into four groups (5 pigs per group). The pigs were fed a Se deficient corn-soybean basal feed (Se content <0.03 mg/kg) or basal feed with added sodium selenite at 0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 mg Se/kg diet, respectively. The experiment lasted 16 weeks. The spleen tissue was collected to examine the mRNA expression levels of 24 selenoprotein genes at the end of the study. Compared with pigs in other groups, those fed with the 1.0 mg Se/kg diet had higher mRNA levels of glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1), glutathione peroxidase 2 (Gpx2), deiodinase type II (Dio2), thioredoxin reductase 3 (Txnrd3), selenoprotein H (Selh), selenoprotein N, 1 (Sepn1), selenoprotein P1 (Sepp1), and selenoprotein V (Selv) in the spleen (p < 0.05). Dietary Se deficiency resulted in lower mRNA levels of Gpx1, Gpx2, glutathione peroxidase 3 (Gpx3), Dio2, thioredoxin reductase 2 (Txnrd2), Txnrd3, Selh, selenoprotein I (Seli), selenoprotein K (Selk), selenoprotein M (Selm), Sepn1, Sepp1, and Selv in the spleen than the other three groups. Dietary Se levels did not affect the mRNA levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4), deiodinase type I (Dio1), deiodinase type III (Dio3), selenophosphate synthetase 2 (Sephs2), thioredoxin reductase 1 (Txnrd1), selenoprotein O (Selo), selenoprotein S (Sels), selenoprotein W (Selw), selenoprotein X (Selx), and selenoprotein 15 (Sel15) in the spleen (p > 0.05). Dietary Se levels can affect the transcription levels of 14 selenoprotein genes in the spleen of pigs. Full article
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12 pages, 456 KiB  
Article
One Iron Injection Is Not Enough—Iron Status and Growth of Suckling Piglets on an Organic Farm
by Katharina Heidbüchel, Jessica Raabe, Lisa Baldinger, Werner Hagmüller and Ralf Bussemas
Animals 2019, 9(9), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9090651 - 04 Sep 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4724
Abstract
Suckling piglets cannot satisfy their demand for the essential trace element iron from sows’ milk alone, which is poor in iron. Therefore, iron is usually supplemented by injecting 200 mg iron (as iron dextran) on day 3 post natum. However, the longer suckling [...] Read more.
Suckling piglets cannot satisfy their demand for the essential trace element iron from sows’ milk alone, which is poor in iron. Therefore, iron is usually supplemented by injecting 200 mg iron (as iron dextran) on day 3 post natum. However, the longer suckling period in organic pig herds leads to iron intake from feed starting later. We hypothesized that one iron injection is not enough for organically reared piglets, and that a second and third injection would improve their iron status and growth. On an organically certified experimental farm, 288 piglets from 32 litters were allocated to three treatments with one iron injection on day 3, two injections on day 3 and 14 and three injections on day 3, 14 and 21 post natum, respectively. One injection resulted in the lowest hematocrit and serum iron levels until day 28 post natum and the lowest daily weight gains until weaning, while piglets receiving two or three iron injections did not differ from each other. Based on these observations, we conclude that one iron injection is not enough to ensure adequate iron supply and unimpaired growth of organically reared piglets, and additional iron supply is necessary. Full article
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16 pages, 2735 KiB  
Article
Uptake of Manganese from the Manganese-Lysine Complex in Primary Chicken Intestinal Epithelial Cells
by Shiping Bai, Keying Zhang, Xuemei Ding, Jianping Wang, Qiufeng Zeng, Huanwei Peng, Jie Bai, Yue Xuan, Zuowei Su and Bin Wu
Animals 2019, 9(8), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080559 - 15 Aug 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2970
Abstract
Organic manganese (Mn) sources can replace inorganic Mn as dietary Mn supplements in poultry. To compare the uptake of Mn from the Mn-lysine complex (MnLys) and MnSO4, we first established the primary chicken intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) model and used it [...] Read more.
Organic manganese (Mn) sources can replace inorganic Mn as dietary Mn supplements in poultry. To compare the uptake of Mn from the Mn-lysine complex (MnLys) and MnSO4, we first established the primary chicken intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) model and used it to determine Mn uptake. The MnLys increased the uptake of Mn compared to MnSO4. The uptake of Mn decreased in the IECs with Fe addition in the medium regardless of the Mn sources. The MnLys decreased the Mn2+ efflux transporter ferroportin 1 (FPN1) mRNA level but did not influence the Mn2+ influx transporter divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) mRNA expression when compared to MnSO4. The results above indicated that the increase of Mn accumulation for MnLys at least partly was due to the decrease of Mn efflux by reduced FPN1 expression. The addition of N-ethylmaleimide, an L-lysine transport system y+ inhibitor, decreased the uptake of Mn from MnLys but did not affect the uptake of Mn from MnSO4. The cycloheximide, as an L-lysine transport system b0,+ activator, increased the uptake of Mn from MnLys, whereas they did not influence the uptake of Mn from MnSO4. The MnLys increased the system y+ members cationic amino acid transporter (CAT) 1 and CAT2, and system b0,+ components rBAT and b0,+AT mRNA expression when compared to MnSO4. These results suggested that the uptake of MnLys complex might be transported by CAT1/2 and system b0,+, which was different from the ionized Mn2+ uptake pathway. In conclusion, the uptake of Mn from MnLys complex not only might be uptake through the ionized Mn2+ pathway, but also appeared to be transported through the CAT1/2 and system b0,+ in primary chicken IECs. Full article
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16 pages, 297 KiB  
Article
Dietary Zinc and Fibre Source can Influence the Mineral and Antioxidant Status of Piglets
by Monika Holodova, Klaudia Cobanova, Zuzana Sefcikova, Marcin Barszcz, Anna Tuśnio, Marcin Taciak and Lubomira Gresakova
Animals 2019, 9(8), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080497 - 29 Jul 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2999
Abstract
The study investigated the effect of dietary zinc glycine chelate and potato fibre on the absorption and utilisation of Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn; the activity of Zn-containing enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; alkaline phosphatase, ALP); and zinc transporter concentrations (metalothionein1, MT1; zinc transporter1, [...] Read more.
The study investigated the effect of dietary zinc glycine chelate and potato fibre on the absorption and utilisation of Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn; the activity of Zn-containing enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; alkaline phosphatase, ALP); and zinc transporter concentrations (metalothionein1, MT1; zinc transporter1, ZnT1) in tissues, with a special emphasis on the small intestine. Twenty-four barrows (Danbred × Duroc) were randomly allotted to four diets (supplemented with 10 g/kg of crude fibre and 120 mg Zn/kg) that consisted of cellulose and either zinc sulphate (C) or zinc glycinate (ZnGly), or contained potato fibre supplemented with ZnSO4 (PF) or ZnGly (PF + ZnGly). Feeding PF can influence the Zn absorption in the small intestine due to reduced zinc transporters MT1 and ZnT1 in the jejunum. The activity of antioxidant enzyme SOD and liver ZnT1, and duodenal iron concentrations were increased in the PF treatments. Dietary ZnGly did not significantly influence the Zn distribution, but it may alter the absorption of Fe and Mn. Given the elevated content of thiol groups and the Zn/Cu ratio in plasma, as well as the altered SOD activity and MT content in the tissues, we can conclude that feeding PF and ZnGly can influence the mineral and antioxidant status of growing piglets. However, further research is needed in order to elucidate the effect of both dietary sources on the transport systems of other minerals in enterocytes. Full article
12 pages, 248 KiB  
Article
The Influence of the Partial Replacing of Inorganic Salts of Calcium, Zinc, Iron, and Copper with Amino Acid Complexes on Bone Development in Male Pheasants from Aviary Breeding
by Marian Flis, Dariusz Gugała, Siemowit Muszyński, Piotr Dobrowolski, Małgorzata Kwiecień, Eugeniusz R. Grela and Ewa Tomaszewska
Animals 2019, 9(5), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9050237 - 13 May 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2786
Abstract
This study analyzed the effects of partial replacing of Ca, Fe, Zn, and Cu salts with glycine chelates on the measures of bones health in 16-week-old captive-reared male pheasants, allocated to one of the three experimental groups supplemented with Ca, Fe, Zn, and [...] Read more.
This study analyzed the effects of partial replacing of Ca, Fe, Zn, and Cu salts with glycine chelates on the measures of bones health in 16-week-old captive-reared male pheasants, allocated to one of the three experimental groups supplemented with Ca, Fe, Zn, and Cu in forms of inorganic salts (the control group) or groups receiving from the ninth week 25% and 50% of supplemented elements as glycine chelates. At the end of rearing birds receiving chelates were heavier (p < 0.001) and their tibia showed an increase of numerous mechanical parameters: yield and ultimate force (p = 0.028, p < 0.001, respectively), stiffness (p = 0.007), Young modulus (p < 0.001), compared to the control animals. The bones of birds receiving chelates in 50% were also heavier (p < 0.001) and longer (p = 0.014), with thinner cortical bone in midshaft (p = 0.027) and thicker proximal trabeculae (p < 0.001) compared to the control. While both doses of chelates increased mineral density in midshaft (p = 0.040), bone content of Cu and Zn decreased (p = 0.025, p < 0.001, respectively). The content of immature collagen in cancellous bone and articular cartilage increased in groups receiving chelates (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, glycine chelates probably enhanced development of the skeletal system in male pheasants as bones were denser and more resistant to mechanical damage. Full article
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