Study: Zinc source affects performances of pig
In order to determine the bioavailability of different zinc sources, a study comparing zinc sulfate, glycine zinc chelate (ZnGly), methionine zinc chelate (ZnMet), and zinc acetate (ZnAc) was recently conducted on piglets.
Zinc was supplemented at 70% of the recommended level (50 mg/kg of feed) in order to exacerbate differences due to bioavailability.©Thirty six piglets were weaned at 27 days of age (average weight 6.5 kg) and allocated to one of the four treatments.
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Feed intake was recorded daily, animals were weighed once a week, and blood samples were taken at beginning, 14 days later, and finally after 28 days, at the end of the trial. Weight gain was increased by 30% when comparing glycine zinc chelate to zinc sulfate (297 g/d vs. 227) while methionine zinc chelate©and zinc acetate gave intermediate results (253 and 278 g/d, respectively).
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Feed intake was also significantly improved for piglets receiving the feed supplemented with ZnGly when compared with zinc sulfate.©Feed conversion ratio was not affected by the treatments. Surprisingly, physiological parameters observed (except plasma zinc level) did not reflect those results.
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Source: Norel Animal Nutrition
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