February 7, 2017

Micronutrients presents research on "less reactive" trace minerals at IPPE

As poultry producers around the globe address the world's growing appetite for protein, new research demonstrates that supplementing poultry diets with IntelliBond^® mineral sources can maximise flock health and profitability.

Dr. Kurt Perryman, technical sales manager at Micronutrients, presented data supporting the use of IntelliBond minerals as a strategy for improving bird health, flock performance, and economic viability during a February 1 presentation at IPPE titled "New Frontiers in Trace Mineral Nutrition - Discover Innovative Solutions for Improved Performance."

Given that trace minerals represent a mere 0.1% of a typical broiler diet, their value is often overlooked. As the cost of production increases, even modest improvements in productivity can translate into a significant competitive edge for the producer. A conservative estimate places the ROI of IntelliBond mineral supplementation at US$0.01 per bird. "Given that approximately 170 million birds are marketed each week in the US, a penny per bird value proposition represents millions of dollars in additional revenue annually," said Perryman.

Perryman's presentation reinforced the idea that supplementation of poultry diets using a mineral source with lower reactivity in the GI tract, such as IntelliBond Copper, reduces oxidative stress and can prevent possible gastrointestinal tract damage observed when feeding copper sulphate. He also remarked on how the increased bioavailability of IntelliBond Zinc allows producers to maintain bird health while lowering the environmental impact of trace mineral feeding.

"Sulphate trace minerals present a dilemma for producers," said Perryman. "Although the low price of supplementing commodity copper to the diet is attractive to producers, sulphate minerals are highly soluble, and as such, their reactive nature can not only destroy other nutrients in the feed, but may also cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract." The reduced solubility of IntelliBond products prevents the rapid and detrimental release of mineral ions, thereby avoiding many of the negative attributes of feeding higher-solubility sources.

Insights from Perryman's presentation are available at http://micronutrients.net/ippe-2017/