Chapter 21: Nutritional Contributions of Minerals to Humans and Animals Chapter overview: –Chapter 21 presents the impacts of minerals on animal health: identification and major sources of minerals functions of minerals impacts of mineral deficiencies

General Comments: There appears to be little difference in requirements for the minerals between species Requirements can be significantly impacted by other organic or inorganic components of the diet –Example: phytin binds phosphorus and increases zinc requirement

General Comments: Minerals are abundant in many natural feedstuffs, but Supplementation of feeds and foods with common inorganic major sources of minerals is typical

The Minerals : Minerals are generally categorized as: –Macrominerals: those required in larger amounts, such as Ca, P, Mg, Na, Cl, K, S example: calcium requirement may be 0.5% in some diets –Microminerals: those required in very small amounts, such as Fe, Cu, I, Co, Zn, Mn, Se, Mo, F example: Zn requirement may be 50mg/kg (0.005%) in some diets

The Macrominerals:

Calcium (Ca): Functions - bone and tooth formation, blood clotting, muscle contraction Deficiency symptoms - rickets, slow growth, osteomalacia, tetany, thin-shelled eggs Major sources - milk, legumes, bone meal, dicalcium phosphate, limestone

Phosphorus (P): Functions - bone and tooth formation; part of DNA, RNA, and many enzyme systems Deficiency symptoms - rough hair coat, pica, slow growth Major sources - milk, eggs, oilseeds, cereal grains, bone meal, dicalcium phosphate

Magnesium (Mg): Functions - enzyme activator, component of skeletal tissue Deficiency symptoms - anorexia, hyperirritability, muscular twitching and tetany, profuse salivation Major sources - abundant in feeds, especially green, leafy vegetables and grains

Sodium (Na): Functions - muscle contraction, maintenance of osmotic pressure of body fluids Deficiency symptoms - loss of appetite and weight, salt craving, soil eating, Major sources - common salt added to supplements or in free-choice blocks

Chlorine (Cl): Functions - maintenance of osmotic pressure of body fluids, acid-base activity, production of HCl in stomach Deficiency symptoms - craving for salt, reduced appetite Major sources - common salt added to supplements or in free-choice block form

Potassium (K): Functions - maintenance of electrolyte balance, enzyme activator, muscle function Deficiency symptoms - heart lesions, weight loss, reduced appetite, muscle weakness, poor wool growth Major sources - widely distributed throughout feeds and foods

Sulfur (S): Functions - component of sulfur-containing amino acids Deficiency symptoms - slow growth, poor feed efficiency, slow wool growth in sheep Major sources - oilseed meals, forages, cereal grains

The Microminerals:

Iron (Fe): Functions - carrier of oxygen as a component of hemoglobin and myoglobin, component of many enzyme systems Deficiency symptoms - anemia, diarrhea, loss of appetite Major sources - eggs, forages and grains, soil (example: rooting by pigs in soil)

Copper (Cu): Functions - erythropoiesis, component of coenzyme system, hair pigmentation, collagen and elastin synthesis Deficiency symptoms - depraved appetite, stunted growth, diarrhea, bleached hair and wool, ataxic gait, anemia Major sources - common in normal grains and forages

Iodine (I): Functions - component of thyroxine Deficiency symptoms - goiter, hairless pigs and woolless lambs at birth, poor performance Major sources - added to almost all salt sources (“iodized salt”), cod-liver oil

Cobalt (Co): Functions - component of vitamin B12, red blood cell formation, rumen microorganism function Deficiency symptoms - loss of appetite and emaciation, weakness, rough hair coat, anemia Major sources - inorganic cobalt supplementation in the diet

Zinc (Zn): Functions - enzyme activator and component Deficiency symptoms - poor growth, feathering, and hatchability; anorexia; parakeratosis Major sources - widely distributed in feeds, with forages being major sources

Manganese (Mn): Functions - growth, bone formation, enzyme activator Deficiency symptoms - lowered egg shell strength and hatchability, perosis in poultry, lameness and stiffness Major sources - widely distributed in cereal grains, oilseeds, and legumes

Selenium (Se): Functions - related to vitamin E function, destroys peroxides (antioxidant) Deficiency symptoms - necrosis of liver, white muscle disease in ruminants Major sources - oilseeds and grains Note - excess is quite toxic

Molybdenum (Mo): Functions - component of enzyme systems Deficiency symptoms - deficiency relatively unknown Major sources - widely distributed in feeds and foods Note - deficiency of Mo accentuates Cu toxicity, excess Mo reduces Cu absorption

Fluorine (Fl): Functions - tooth enamel formation, prevention of tooth decay in humans Deficiency symptoms - poor enamel formation Major sources - fluoride added to water Note - narrow range of “requirement”; excess causes tooth enamel abnormalities

Other mineral considerations: Although only produced under laboratory conditions, deficiency symptoms can be created for: –Vanadium –Arsenic –Nickel –Tin