Supplementation of diets for Santa Ines sheep with organic and inorganic zinc sources

Flávio Garcia Vilela,Marcus Antonio Zanetti,Beatriz Conte Venturelli,Francisco Palma Rennó,Arlindo Saran Netto,José Esler De Freitas Júnior,Taissa De Souza Canaes

doi:10.1590/s1516-35982012000900023

Flávio Garcia Vilela, Marcus Antonio Zanetti + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s1516-35982012000900023

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Abstract

This research was conducted with objective to evaluate the effect of different zinc (Zn) sources and doses in the diet for Santa Ines sheep. Forty lambs at weaning, with 18.4 kg of body weight were supplemented with three different sources of zinc (zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc amino acid and zinc proteinate) and three doses of zinc (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg DM) added to the basal diet. At every 28 days, animals were weighted and blood samples were collected for analyses of zinc (Zn), alkaline phosphatase and immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M (IgM). At the end of experiment, liver samples were collected for determination of the hepatic zinc levels. Zinc was analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometer, while phosphatase alkaline and immunoglobulins G and M were analyzed using Laborlab and Bioclin kits, respectively. There was no effect of diets on phosphatase alkaline levels and hepatic zinc, but there was difference in the plasmatic zinc levels and IgG and IgM levels. Based on the accumulation of hepatic zinc, the estimate of the zinc bioavailability, through the regression equation, showed that supplementation with organic and inorganic sources of zinc did not differ in the diet of Santa Ines sheep.

Highlights

Minerals are present at variable amounts in feeds commonly offered to ruminants
Animals were supplemented with three different sources of zinc (zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc amino acid and zinc proteinate) and three doses of zinc (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg DM) added to the basal diet
Despite the higher plasma levels of zinc when supplementation with ZnO 600, ZnO 400 and Zn proteinate 600 was used (Figure 1), these levels did not reflect in increased activity of alkaline phosphatase

Summary

Introduction

Minerals are present at variable amounts in feeds commonly offered to ruminants (roughage and concentrates). The concentration of one or more minerals in feeds or in the diet often does not meet the nutritional requirements of animals for a specific productive purpose, which makes supplementation of the diet with sources of minerals necessary. Among the most common forms of supplementation is the ionic (chlorides, sulfates, oxides, hydroxides, carbonates). Some of these sources of minerals, especially trace elements, have low absorption in the animal organism or low bioavailability (Spears, 1996). Zinc is an essential trace element for normal development and function of immune cells such as neutrophils and natural killer cells, for the functions of T lymphocytes and cytokine production (Shankar & Prasad, 1998). Zinc deficiency can be demonstrated by decrease in the production of immunoglobulins (G and M)

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