Chapter 6 Inorganic feed additives

Abstract

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a study on inorganic feed additives. Essential trace elements are the most important inorganic feed additives for the nutrition of laboratory animals and livestock. Their function as integral parts of diverse proteins and enzymes involved in fundamental metabolic and protective (antioxidative) processes make them indispensable. This chapter focuses on describing the physiological functions fulfilled by the trace elements. The current recommendations of different national committees regarding trace element supply for laboratory animals (mouse, rat, and rabbit) and productive livestock (pig, beef cattle, dairy cow, goat, chicken, and turkey) have been presented and discussed with regard to the prevention of deficiency symptoms, as well as the toxicological features of oversupply. Aspects of the bioavailability of trace elements from natural and mineral sources are discussed, including an explanation of the problems of a reduced bioavailability caused by antinutritive feed components (for example phytic acid). The chapter presents both, an update on the impact of trace elements on the nutrition of animals and insight into recent research possibilities using new molecular biological methods. In animal nutrition, inorganic compounds are most frequently called minerals. According to the relative amounts needed in the diet minerals can be divided into two groups—namely macrominerals and microminerals or trace elements. In the body of humans and animals, iron is by far the most abundant trace element. Copper concentrations in animal feed exhibit great variation. Copper in feedstuffs for animals derives from two main sources: (1) protein-bound copper from plant and animal tissues, (2) inorganic forms of copper from mineral feed.