Why inorganic minerals aren’t working for you?
Improved flock performance and/or flock longevity help offset the higher costs of organic minerals
By Lauren Nolan, PhD
When it comes to trace minerals, poultry producers have a variety of options. Trace minerals can be offered in the form of inorganic mineral salts, such as carbonates, sulfates and oxides. Alternatively, they can be offered as mineral salts bound to organic ligands, such as proteins or individual amino acids; these types of minerals are referred to as organic minerals (Concarr et al., 2021).
Organic and inorganic minerals differ in a variety of ways, including in their stability. This particular difference can be attributed to the bonding group of the mineral, as well as the process by which that mineral was produced (Nocek et al., 2006). Inorganic trace minerals are often byproducts from the mining industry and other industrial processes. They are also often more inexpensive than organic options — but that doesn’t always translate to cost-savings, as they must consequently be included at higher levels to meet the needs of poultry. However, providing higher levels of minerals does not always translate to an increase in the benefits they provide.
For instance, an increased mineral level does not necessarily mean that the mineral’s bioavailability will also be higher. The bioavailability of a mineral measures an animal’s ability to absorb the mineral offered to them, as well as how readily available the mineral is to be utilized by the animal’s body. Minerals that are not absorbed and utilized by the animal are excreted into the environment.
Many poultry producers own or sell manure to fertilizer companies, but producers also have to work within regulations around not only the nitrogen and phosphorus content of the manure, but its copper and zinc content as well. Additionally, poultry production that takes place near water sheds, where mineral leaching is highly regulated, is a concern for many producers. The inclusion of organic minerals at lower levels is beneficial for poultry production and decreasing the levels of minerals that are excreted into the manure.
Along with impacting the bioavailability of the mineral, the form in which a mineral is offered can also affect the efficacy of the vitamins, phytase and antioxidants provided through the premix.
Generally, of the different mineral forms that are available, inorganic trace minerals are used most commonly in poultry production due to their lower price point. But as mentioned above, while inorganic minerals may initially seem to cost less, they can lead to higher costs due to their inefficiencies — which raises an important question: Are cheaper inorganic minerals actually costing you more on some of your other, higher-priced ingredients, such as vitamins and enzymes?
One of the reasons inorganic minerals can end up costing producers more in the long run is because of their detrimental impact on the stability of the vitamins included in the premix compared to their organic counterparts. The stability of the vitamins in a premix can be affected by many factors, including exposure to light, heat and moisture, as well as contact with the other components of the premix (Kansas State, 2022). When studying the difference between inorganic and organic minerals, Concarr et al. (2021a) found that, after a two-week storage period, there was an average 4% reduction in the retinol acetate (vitamin A) in the premix that contained organic trace minerals, compared to a 20% reduction, on average, of the retinol acetate in the presence of inorganic minerals. Similar results were found for cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), with a 52% loss in its stability with inorganic minerals vs. a 7% reduction with organic minerals (Concarr et al., 2021a).
Phytases are the most widely used feed enzymes in the world, as they are utilized in more than 75% of all poultry production and are often added to vitamin and trace mineral premixes. Concarr et al. (2021b) studied the effect that mineral forms can have on phytase activity — and, particularly, the effect that a copper (Cu) source can have on that phytase activity. The results of the study revealed that, compared to inorganic copper sulfate, organic sources of copper were shown to exhibit significantly smaller losses (p < 0.05) than amino acid/copper complexes in two out of the three phytase sources that were tested. These results indicate that the source of the copper included in the premix can have an inhibitory effect on phytase activity.
Trace minerals are essential components of poultry production, as they participate in many different biological processes. Egg layers are being used for longer lay cycles and are being pushed by breeders to achieve better performance and hatchability. Can we support these efforts through the inclusion of organic minerals? Inorganic minerals are often utilized in poultry production at lower initial costs and higher inclusion rates than organic sources, but improved flock performance and/or flock longevity help offset the higher costs of organic minerals, which also offer added benefits in term of fertilizer application and usage.
Lauren Nolan, PhD, is a Poultry Technical Consultant with Ridley Feed Ingredients