Does Inclusion at Low Levels of Organically Complexed Minerals Versus Inorganic Forms Create a Weakness in Performance or Antioxidant Defense System in Broiler Diets?

Abstract

Inorganic trace mineral participates, like sulfate or oxide salts, are a critical component in commercial poultry feeds. However, inorganic trace minerals can suffer from high rates of loss due to dietary antagonism which cause a significantly reduce in their bioavailability. As a result, more inorganic trace minerals are supplied than are actually needed. An excess of supplemental inorganically complexed minerals leads to waste and environmental. The use of lower levels of organically complexed minerals in poultry diets has become a common method to solve this problem in recent years. Organically complexed minerals are biotechnological products which inorganic mineral integrated to organic structures such as protein or polysaccharide. Research regarding this kind of supplementation is still at a nascent stage, though and not enough data exists to determine optimal levels of organically complexed minerals and to quantify differences in excretion rates between inorganic and organic sources. In addition, it is unclear that using at lower levels of organically complexed minerals in diet whether creates a weakness on systems, in which the mineral plays an active role.