Novel source of zinc oxide for piglets launched at VIV Asia
New French trace minerals company Animine is launching a novel source of zinc oxide (ZnO) at VIV Asia in Bangkok, Thailand: ZinPot.
The company, headquartered in Sillingy, France, was founded last year and launched the product in November 2010. It is a standardised form of zinc oxide with an enhanced surface area and more importantly greater porosity (as much as ten times higher than normal ZnO).
This gives it even stronger efficacy than nanozinc as it further increases the possible sites of interaction among the molecules of ZnO, the animal, and microbes in the gastrointestinal tract.
Low temperature process
Usually, standard zinc oxide comes usually from recycled zinc (and as such it is often heavy in contaminant metals), and undergoes a high temperature metallurgic process with vaporisation. In contrast, the new product is made from high-grade zinc that undergoes a hydrometallurgic process without vaporisation. The low temperature in the process does not degrade the antimicrobial property of zinc oxide.
As a consequence, the novel, high porosity ZnO product has enhanced purity and guarantees much lower concentration in undesirable substances like heavy metals lead and cadmium.
In addition, its flowing characteristics are superior to normal zinc oxide, which is usually dusty and compact. The ZnO source is fine granular, with 75% of its particles between 100 and 200 microns, ensuring reduced risk of cross contamination and better distribution in premixes.
Lower dosages are required to bring about the same result as higher dosages of normal zinc oxide.
Practical experiences
Under practical conditions, the product fed at 150 ppm (as part of a normal premix) has supported equal performance to standard zinc oxide at 3 kg/MT and antibiotics (colistine/ lincomycine/ spectinomycine). In a commercial trial, 72 piglets weaned at 28 days of age were fed the above three regimens until 42 days of age, with four replicates per treatment.
At the end of the trial it was apparent that in all three treatment groups growth performance and diarrhoea score were similar, with pigs experiencing high growth and superior health.
In non EU countries where dietary Zn is not limited, and in less good hygiene conditions, the high porosity ZnO dosage can be doubled.
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