20 ANIMAL NUTRITION
TRACE MINERALS: HOW TO DO MORE WITH LESS? On the occasion of MINTREX® launch in Middle East, Aymen Elamri, Technical Manager for Novus North Africa and Middle East, explains why these trace elements in bis-chelated form have become essential for animals
Figure 1 : Molecular structure of MINTREX®.
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round the world, planned changes in regulations on the inclusion of trace elements in animal feed are shaking up historical approaches to mineral supplementation. This has led to questions not only about the quantity of minerals to be added to different feeds, but also about their source. Reduce inputs and Replace inorganic sources
When it is no longer possible to feed animals with more trace elements, the key is to use solutions that have a greater effect on the animal with less added minerals. Indeed, some sources allow
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greater availability of minerals at absorption sites. To do this, a mineral source must be resistant to changes in pH, less prone to antagonism, and deliver more minerals to absorption sites in the gut. Avoid dissociation
Low pH environments, such as in the gizzard, can cause dissociation, the process by which compounds separate into ions. This dissociation can cause the metal ion to react with antagonists such as phytates, calcium or phosphorus, which reduces the mineral available for absorption in the small intestine; it is then excreted. Some mineral sources
(sulfates, oxides) tend to dissociate quickly early in the gastrointestinal tract, leaving the metal ion exposed to antagonism. Fight against antagonisms
The unique chelated structure of MINTREX®, which binds each metal atom (Cu, Zn or Mn) to two molecules of hydroxy analogue of methionine, makes the mineral source more stable over a wide pH range (Figure 1). Increase intestinal absorption
The trace elements are absorbed throughout the small intestine by specific transporters located on the surface of the
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020
