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The biological systems in livestock, poultry and aquatic animals require certain trace minerals for them to function optimally. Deficiency of trace minerals such as zinc, copper, manganese etc. can cause a host of problems ranging from poor growth performance and disease. While trace minerals are both inorganic and organic, the organic trace minerals have been found to be more readily bioavailable. Various types of organic trace minerals are available in the market such as (i) Metal propionates (ii) Metal proteinates (iii) Metal chelates (iv) Metal amino acid chelates and (v) Metal complex glycinates. It is important to understand the differences amongst the various types of organic trace minerals so that an informed decision can be taken by a nutritionist or feed miller. Learn more about organic trace minerals from our technical bulletin.

There are a multitude of toxic substances found in animal feeds and their concentrations vary across geographies. Some of the commonly occurring toxic substances are moulds, mycotoxins, fat rancidity, chemical residues and certain pathogenic microorganisms. Moisture is the single most important factor in determining if and how moulds grow. It is a common practice to add high-fat ingredients to feeds to provide energy. However, the benefits fat brings about can be negated by oxidative rancidity. Access this technical bulletin to learn how to control oxidative rancidity, mould growth and many other detrimental processes.

All key nutrients have to be made available as per the age and production stage of the bird as suboptimal nutrition can lead to a decline in growth and egg production. Learn more about balanced nutrition for different phases of chicken from our technical bulletin.

On average, feed accounts for 65-70% of the total cost in animal protein production. Therefore, the animal’s ability to absorb nutrients efficiently becomes an important factor in evaluating the overall performance of the animal. Nutrients obtained through feed have to be effectively digested and absorbed. Emulsifiers enhance the absorption of nutrients. The mechanism of nutrient absorption of phospholipids involves enhancing the flux rate of nutrients across the gut membrane, thereby improving the absorption and reducing the nutrient loss through feces. Phospholipids are amphipathic in nature which means that they have both hydrophilic and lipophilic properties. However, phospholipids have their own limitations as they have some effect on the emulsification of fats but have a minimal effect on the absorption of fats and other nutrients. An advanced molecule called Lysophospholipid has improved emulsification properties over phospholipid due to its lower CMC (critical micelle concentration) value and balanced HLB (hydrophilic lipophilic balance). Lysophospholipids also function as membrane fluidity modulators. They increase the number and size of the pores by altering the mechanical properties of the membrane. This results in enhancement of the flux rate at which the nutrients of various molecular sizes pass across the membrane of the gut. This enhances the absorption of breakdown products, such as amino acids, simple sugars, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other additives, which lead to increased efficiencies in production. Learn more about how Lysophospholipids functions from our technical bulletins