HiZox®

The first article on zinc highlights the impact of zinc supplementation on bone zinc stores, emphasizing the solubility of zinc sources affecting zinc bioavailability. This second article focuses on the impact of zinc on bone phosphorus stores.

Feed intake & energy balance after weaning Weaning is a stressful event for the piglets, with a separation from the dam, a change of social environment and an abrupt transition from milk to solid feed. Consequently, 40-50% of piglets do not ingest any feed in the first 24h after weaning, and about 10% take 48h before eating their first meal. For all the piglets, the feed intake is initially low.

Zinc (Zn) is one of the major trace minerals supplemented in animal feed diets. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a form commonly supplemented and is sometimes wrongly considered to have a lower bioavailability than sulfates. In a recent trial, published in the British Poultry Science journal, researchers investigated the correlation between the physicochemical properties of different ZnO sources and their bioavailability in broilers

“In the animal nutrition industry, various chelated Zn sources have been marketed for their claimed superior bioavailability over traditional sulfates. However, it is crucial to highlight that EFSA's opinions have not definitively concluded on this matter. To date, EFSA's scientific evaluations consistently challenge these claims of higher bioavailability for chelated Zn sources compared to standard sulfates.”

Intestinal microbiota represents a huge metabolic potential and the knowledge about connections between metabolic energy and microbiota composition is growing. Certain micro-elements might influence this microbiota at the condition to be free (not bounded) in the intestinal tract.

Depending on the markets, the industry is using vitamin premix separately from mineral premix, while others are able to mix all micro-ingredients together. The art of premix consists in mixing all these ingredients homogeneously and to limit the interactions, selecting carefully the raw materials. Interactions between ingredients start at this step but can continue once the premix enter the feed and later when feed is ingested, in the proximal part of the digestive tract, affecting the digestion and metabolism of these ingredients

Zinc is an essential trace element in animal nutrition and plays an important role in several biological functions. But how does the absorption work in the gut and what are the major contributors for absorption? Here we shed light on how the pathways work.