Category: IntelliBond

IntelliBond is a new generation micro additive created to supplement animal feed. When used correctly, IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals have the potential to improve the performance of production animals. IntelliBond can be fed to poultry, pigs, cattle and sheep. Six unique components of IntelliBond make it remarkable: the hydroxy trace minerals have high bioavailability, solubility, digestibility, palatability, traceability and stability. This article will discuss the solubility of IntelliBond, why the solubility of trace minerals is important and how improved solubility benefits your animals.

The importance of solubility?

When it comes to animal feed additives, lower solubility means that fewer trace minerals are available to form bonds with antagonists in the feed, as well as in the gastrointestinal tract. Antagonists hinder the absorption and utilization of minerals in the body. If the trace minerals are bound to antagonists, there is a reduction in the availability of these nutrients and minerals to the animal. Thus, the low solubility of IntelliBond trace minerals ensures higher bioavailability in the rumen.

As seen in the graphic below, the strong covalent bonds of IntelliBond keeps the atoms together, preventing disassociation when dissolved in water.

IntelliBond’s covalent bonds will only become soluble when reaching an environment with a low pH (<4), such as the abomasum. Therefore, the trace minerals are released slowly as they pass down the gastrointestinal tract, which increases the amount of available trace mineral for absorption in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

How does IntelliBond compare to other animal feed additives?

The graphs below illustrate the difference in rumen solubility of hydroxy trace minerals (IB) in comparison to sulphates. IntelliBond is significantly more stable in the rumen environment.

Nett effect of low solubility in IntelliBond

IntelliBond Z, IntelliBond M and IntelliBond C contain zinc, manganese and copper respectively. Production animals that have been exposed to a well-balanced diet supplemented with IntelliBond trace minerals were found to be healthier, stronger, and more fertile.

IntelliBond will only cost around 0.5-0.7% of your overall animal feed budget and it is therefore worthwhile investing in the micro additive . Start saving on those excessive vet bills and allow your animals to reach their full potential.

IntelliBond has many unique characteristics which make it an excellent choice when considering trace minerals for animal feed. choice when considering trace minerals for animal feed. Trace minerals are required by all animals and although some may be tempted to overlook their value, they are vital for upholding certain functions in animals. From oxygen transport in the bloodstream to reproductive functions trace minerals play a vital role in animal health, immunity, and production. This article explains the stability of hydroxy trace minerals used in IntelliBond.

How trace mineral stability affects animal feed additives.

How stability affects nutrient leaching

Copper sulphate and zinc sulphate have weak ionic bonds that lead to dissociation and high solubility when moisture is present. This results in the leaching of important nutrients from the feed, even before it reaches the animal. Feed rations that contain water soluble sources of trace minerals, absorb water more readily. This can be seen as clumping in the premix and feed. One of the key characteristics of IntelliBond is its low solubility making it less hygroscopic and less prone to clumping.

A 5-day experiment, in which rainfall was simulated, recorded the leaching of trace minerals from animal feed for sulphates, organic minerals and hydroxy trace minerals (IntelliBond). Rainfall occurred every other day in the experiment at 2, 4 and 6 inches respectively. Each rainfall experiment provided similar data (Wiebusch et al., 2015). From glancing at the graphs below, one can see how IntelliBond’s stability had a significant impact on the reduction of trace mineral leaching.

How the stability affects clumping

Premixes that use IntelliBond are less likely to form clumps than premixes that used sulphates and organic trace minerals. To test this hypothesis, premixes were weighed before and after being placed in a humid environment for 24 hours. IntelliBond had consistently absorbed less water than the organic trace minerals and sulphate sources. (Micronutrients trial #201 8BF 128USCZM).

How stability affects oxidation

The free copper ions in copper sulphate accelerates oxidation of lipids (Miles et al., 1998), vitamins (Lu et al., 2010; Luo et al., 2005) and enzymes (Liu et al, 2005; Pang and Applegate, 2006) because of their pro-oxidative characteristics. The stability of IntelliBond, results in less oxidation and therefore more of these vitamins and minerals are preserved in the feed. As seen below, the percentage of Vitamin E in the feed remained steady with IntelliBond, after 40 days in storage.

How stability affects probiotics

Trace minerals with lower stability release their metals in an ionized form (free-form). These free ions have antimicrobial effects that negatively affect rumen microbes. The experiment below shows how the copper sulphate affected the viability of probiotics in the animal’s duodenum compared to IntelliBond (Klasing, unpublished data).

Conclusion

There are many reasons why top nutritionists prefer IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals, with superior stability being one of these.

If you are interested in exploring the other characteristics of IntelliBond, have a look at our latest technical news.

Source, solubility and levels fed matter

~ by Alice Hibbert, Programme Manager Trace Minerals Selko,

Introduction

Researchers found that adding hydroxychloride copper (IntelliBond®) to swine diets could help improve growth performance and reduce negative interactions between copper and added vitamins or enzymes. The use of high levels of copper also was found to limit the overgrowth of unwanted bacteria helping to manage gut health, increasing average daily gain (ADG) throughout production and improving hot carcass weight.

The primary goal of adding trace minerals to swine diets is to fulfil animals’ nutritional requirements. Feeding the optimal amount of trace mineral allows animals to maintain positive homeostasis supports good performance. Trace minerals are required for important functions, such as optimal fertility and immunity, and are therefore essential nutrients to ensure optimal growth and performance. A poorly balanced trace mineral supply can have an increasingly negative influence on performance, etc. It is important to remember that the animal will choose how it utilises the nutrients it takes in, and therefore if there is a trace mineral deficiency, the animal’s system will divert the remaining supply to the ‘most vital’ body functions. Therefore, the first visual signs of a deficiency may be ‘less vital’ functions such as growth, reproductive performance and skin integrity. When supplementing diets with trace minerals, the source matters.

Mineral supplementation has evolved since the use of oxide-based trace minerals in the 1930s. Sulphate-based trace minerals were introduced in the 1940s followed by the development of organic trace minerals in the 1970s. Organic trace minerals improved mineral bioavailability and effectiveness but remained expensive. As it was not always economically viable to replace all sulphate and oxide forms, many producers only partially replaced the use of inorganic mineral sources. Hydroxy trace minerals, developed in the 1990s, provide a concentrated, bioavailable trace mineral source, and offer a way to entirely replace the use of inorganic mineral sources.

Source of Copper Affects Vitamin Stability

Copper is a catalyst of several important enzymatic reactions taking part in the antioxidant defence of the body, such as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). The nutrient supports the functioning of macrophages focused on combating infectious elements, and helps with the formation of collagen and elastin. However, the source of the copper added to diets can influence both its availability to the animal and the availability of other dietary nutrients. More soluble trace mineral sources (sulfates based trace minerals) can have a negative influence on vitamin stability in feed.

It is well established in the literature that retention of feed vitamins (such as E, A and certain B complex vitamins) over time will vary based on what type of trace minerals were included. For example, feeds containing chelated trace mineral sources retain more vitamin activity over six months, compared to sulphates. A trial carried out in 2010 examined the stability of vitamin E in feeds supplemented with no trace mineral, or 200ppm of either hydroxy copper or copper sulphate. Researchers found that during a 41-day window, feeds with no supplementation or supplementation with hydroxy-copper maintained similar amounts of vitamin E. Feed with copper sulphate lost about 69% of the vitamin by the end of the trial. Hydroxy copper does not interact with vitamins in feed, meaning more vitamins are left for the animal to use. Similarly, when chicks received diets supplemented with 100, 150 or 200ppm copper sulphate or hydroxy copper and vitamin E, the amount of vitamin E found in birds’ blood plasma was 11% higher for birds eating feeds with hydroxy copper.

Mineral Source and Phytase Function

Trace mineral copper source can alter how added enzymes, like phytase, function in diets. In an in vitro study completed in 2006, researchers examined the interaction between supplemental copper and phytase in feeds. The researchers looked at the use of copper citrate, copper chloride, organic copper or copper lysine, copper sulphate and hydroxy copper at levels including 0, 62.5, 125, 250 or 500ppm. As the amount of copper added to the feed increased, the amount of phosphorous hydrolysis (the amount of phosphorus released from the Phytate molecule) in the diet fell. However, the most extreme negative reactions followed the combination of phytase and copper chloride, copper sulphate and copper citrate. If a high level of one of these types of trace mineral is included in the diet, significantly less Phosphorus could be liberated from the phytate by the activity of the phytase enzyme. This is because Phytate has a high affinity for the soluble trace mineral ions (e.g. Cu2+) which easily dissociate from their ligands (e.g. sulphate) and bind to the phytate, blocking phytase activity. Phytase function remained highest when hydroxy copper was supplemented. Therefore, the use of a trace mineral source which remains insoluble in feed can minimise interference with phytase function.

Copper in Grow-finish Pig Diets

A trial at Kansas State University, tracked 1,143 swine for 111 days. Diets included a negative control and experimental diets comprised of the negative control feed with 75 or 150ppm copper from a Copper sulphate or hydroxy Copper source. When 75ppm Copper was added to swine diets, pigs receiving the hydroxy Copper gained more weight than those on the Copper sulphate diet. The difference seemed to peak when pigs reached about 90 kg. Pigs seemed to stop gaining at that point regardless of the type of Copper used in the diet. When 150ppm Copper was added to diets, pigs on the hydroxy Copper supplement continued to gain weight for longer (to around 110kg) through the production cycle than those fed sulphate trace minerals. This suggests that extra benefits for growth can be seen if high levels of Copper are fed from a hydroxy source compared to sulphate through the entire grow-finish period. Comparing pigs receiving diets with 150ppm from hydroxy copper and those on a Copper sulphate diet, there was a 2.1kg improvement seen in hydroxy-supplemented pigs.

Meta-analysis of Copper Trials in Swine

Trials conducted at Kansas State University sought to evaluate the influence of adding a high level of hydroxy Copper to the diets of grow-finish pigs compared to swine receiving nutritional levels of the mineral. Pigs were tracked for growth performance and carcass characteristics. Eight trials from 2013-2018 involved 6,790 swine. Diets included hydroxy Copper at high levels – 75, 150 or 200ppm copper, and the control groups were fed nutritional levels (13-20ppm) of copper from a basal premix.

Findings

The findings include:

• Looking at the hot carcass weight of pigs from individual studies based on their diet found that use of high levels of Copper increased weight in almost every trial. Increases ranged from +0.04 to +3.2kg.
• Overall, hot carcass weight for pigs on the high-Copper diets saw a significant improvement as weight grew by 1.31kg compared to results from swine receiving nutritional levels of the trace mineral.
• ADG increased during both the grower and finisher phases and average daily feed intake also improved during the grower phase. * Pigs receiving higher levels of copper saw bodyweight improvement during the grower and finisher phases.
• Swine on the high-Copper diets saw significant improvement to ADG and average daily feed intake. Swine performance showed benefits in both the grower and finisher phases.
• Improvements in hot carcass weight and growth performance occurred regardless of season.
• Adding high levels of Copper to swine diets increases feeding costs, but the additional weight can provide more benefit depending on the price per kilogram. In an economic analysis, the gain in improvement over feed cost was $0.56 (USD) per pig, showing a strong benefit to farm profitability of supplementing high levels of hydroxy copper source.

Considerations in Selecting Copper Source

Adding high levels of Copper to swine diets can bring weight and carcass improvement through the grow-finish phase and may provide additional economic returns to producers by managing the microbial population on the GIT, as well as impacting nutrient digestibility. Using a hydroxy Copper, with low solubility in feed means the trace mineral source will not interfere with vitamin stability, or reduce the effectiveness of added enzymes, like phytase. Instead, the mineral will be available to be absorbed in the small intestine, supporting the many important functions within the animal which rely on trace minerals.

You may be wondering what a bag of coffee has to do with animal nutrition!

It’s an appeal to your senses to reinforce the point that when it comes to your animals well-being (as with your own) ‘you get out as much as you put in.’ In the case of your animals we recommend IntelliBond, and for you, coffee! The coffee industry, as with animal nutrition has undergone substantial changes over the past 30 years. Since the 1980’s ‘new consumption patterns have emerged with the growing importance of specialty, fair trade, and organic coffees. Coffee bar chains have spread dramatically, although the relative coffee content of the final consumption ‘‘experience’’ in these outlets is extremely low. Coffee bar chains sell an ambience and a social positioning more than just ‘‘good’’ coffee. In short, the global coffee chain has gone through a ‘‘latte revolution,’’ where consumers can choose from (and pay dearly for) hundreds of combinations of coffee variety, origin, brewing and grinding methods, flavouring, packaging, social ‘‘content,’’ and ambience.’* The nett result is that over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every day!

The animal feed industry has also experienced a significant evolution on the back of substantial resources being invested in research and development and in response to the growing production demands on animals. For instance, when I started my career in the animal feed industry with Epol in Cape Town in 1980, Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN), Crude Protein (CP) and Crude Fibre (CF) were the accepted parameters used for formulating rations. Today, rations are formulated with much greater precision. Energy parameters include Net and Metabolisable Energy, starch, sugar, and FAs. Protein parameters include Metabolisable Protein & specific amino acids while the fibrous fraction is now described by measures such as peNDF and lignin. This is a reflection of the extent to which animal nutritionists have progressed in their ability to formulate ideal diets based on the value and proportion of nutrients that can be absorbed from the diet and used for optimal body functions in animals.

The same is true of trace minerals. ‘At least since the 1980’s nutritional sources of essential trace minerals such as iron, zinc, copper and manganese have been commonly described as being either organic or inorganic products. However, recent and more intensive research studies have shown that this distinction is of little value in revealing how a given metal source will perform in a biological system. Similarly, comparisons of relative bioavailability have been the primary focus when evaluating alternative sources of minerals. Today, newer published studies make it clear that the picture is more complex than previously believed. In addition to differences in efficiency of absorption of the target metal into the bloodstream, different sources can affect nutrition and animal performance in at least four other important ways:

• destruction of nutrients, including vitamins in a feed mixture,
• interactions with other nutrients in the digestive tract,
• direct influence on gut microbial ecology; and
• effects on the animal’s natural immune functions.

The common thread which links the mechanisms in all of these performance criteria is the speed with which the target metal is released in the feed mixture or in the gut. There are many possible chemical and biochemical reactions which are constantly competing for the supplemented metal. The main thing that differentiates how different mineral products perform is the strength of the bonds holding them in the source compound.’ *

[* From The “Latte Revolution” by Stefano Ponte of the Centre for Development Research, Copenhagen, Denmark]

IntelliBond is a new generation trace mineral source for animal feed. It contains hydroxy trace minerals with a distinctive crystalline structure and strong covalent bonds, making it the most stable form of trace minerals available on the market today. Through improved stability Intellibond achieves a slower dissociation rate in the abomasum and a higher mineral availability in the small intestine, when compared to sulphates. Our range of hydroxy trace minerals include IntelliBond C (copper hydroxychloride), IntelliBond Z (zinc hydroxychloride) and IntelliBond M (manganese hydroxychloride).

What is bioavailability in animal feed?

Bioavailability measures the rate and extent of nutrient absorption from the gastrointestinal tract into the systemic circulation and its availability thereafter at target tissue level. The limiting step for most minerals lies in the absorption across the intestinal wall, as minerals must be in their ionic form to be available for absorption.

Hydroxy trace minerals and bioavailability:

The goal of IntelliBond is to deliver more trace minerals to the small intestine to increase the amount of mineral available for absorption. This is achieved through strong covalent bonds and a distinctive crystalline structure which makes Intellibond less soluble in the rumen thereby decreasing the risk of adverse reactions with antogonists. IntelliBond trace minerals remain available in the small intestine for absorption.

IntelliBond vs Sulphates: Bioavailability

A study on the rumen of fistulated steers concluded that the trace minerals of copper and zinc were more available in IntelliBond than in sulphate sources (Caldera et al., 2019). This shows that the copper and zinc of the sulphates were instead bound to an antagonist. See the results of the study here.

Another study concluded that IntelliBond was a superior source of copper and zinc trace minerals to copper sulphate and zinc sulphate. In fact, the copper levels in the livers of steers fed IntelliBond C (with added antagonists) were higher than those of copper sulphate (Spears et al., 2004; Van Valin et al., 2019). And steers were able to retain more zinc from IntelliBond Z than from zinc sulphate when they were zinc depleted (Shaeffer et al., 2017).

How does IntelliBond offer higher bioavailability?

IntelliBond has the unique ability to only become soluble once it has reached a low pH environment such as the abomasum. Decreasing the extent of adverse reactions with antagonists in the rumen and other feed ingredients, IntelliBond guarantees a slow and stable release of available trace minerals throughout the gastrointestinal tract.

by dr. Noélle Steyn, Westside

Between 2009 and 2015 the Dutch have managed to decrease the use of antibiotics in the dairy sector with 47% (MARAN, 2012, 2016). Interestingly over the same period a reduction in the national average bulk tank somatic cell count (SCC) was also recorded. SCC is often used by veterinarians and farmers as a measure of udder health. Poor udder health affects SCC and milk yield and is correlated with the clinical incidence of mastitis within herds.

Mastitis, lameness, and fertility problems are conditions with a severe economical impact as they lead to poor production and reproduction, as well as increased management costs. These conditions generally require additional veterinary visits and are often treated with the help of antibiotics. With the ongoing pressure to reduce our usage of antibiotics, we should make use of other available resources to improve cow health and to reduce the incidence of these conditions.

Improved nutrition, hygiene, milking routine, management at calving and biosecurity all come to mind. However, for the purpose of this article we will focus on trace mineral nutrition only.

Trace Minerals

The value of supplying a good quality, highly available trace mineral shouldn’t be overlooked. Inclusion of Se, Mn, Cu and Zn, at the correct levels, is required to optimize health and production in lactating and periparturient cows. The transition period is a physiologically stressful time which affects the efficiency of the immune system, making cows more vulnerable to infections such as mastitis and metritis. Trace minerals are required to maintain proper immune function, mostly by acting as antioxidants. By reducing the amount of free radicals, antioxidants protect cells from damage. Free radicals are produced as part of normal physiological processes but production increases during times of increased metabolic demand, such as calving and peak lactation.

Selenium received much attention recently as a shift towards organic selenium yeast was seen in the market. Observed advantages of supplementing dairy cows with adequate organic selenium includes improved antioxidant status, reduction in occurrence and severity of mastitis and metritis cases, decreased udder oedema and fewer retained placentas.

The udder

If we want to prevent mastitis we should understand how the udder defence mechanisms work and what they require to function optimally. The first line of defence is the teat canal. The teat canal is lined by keratin which also has antibacterial properties. The teat canal can be thought of as a barrier to prevent bacteria from entering the udder. The second line of defence is the white blood cells (WBC), within the udder. WBCs remove bacteria by phagocytosis (ingesting bacteria) and killing bacteria inside the WBC. The amount of WBC and the ability of these cells to kill bacteria is influenced by trace mineral status.

Se, Cu and Zn

Selenium and vitamin E status will determine how many WBC reach the site of infection, in this case the mammary gland. Copper status then affects the number of bacteria that can be killed, through a process known as phagocytosis. Phagocytosis can be thought of as bacteria being eaten by WBCs, once inside the WBC a complex reaction takes place to kill the bacteria. During this killing reaction various enzymes, that require zinc and copper, remove harmful by-products, and convert them to less harmful products. Selenium is once again important in this final step where hydrogen peroxide, which can cause oxidative damage to cells, is converted to water. Zinc is also required to form the keratin lining in the teat canal. If we consider the function of these three elements within the udder, the importance of adequate trace mineral supplementation is evident.