Control of the bioavailability of iron in heavy veal production by different feeding management systems: Use of Ca–EDTA as an iron chelating agent

Abstract

Seventy male dairy black and white veal calves were allotted to five treatment groups: MILK, in which animals received exclusively milk replacer; MIX, in which animals received concentrates ad lib and milk replacer during the whole period, more specifically, 750 g of milk powder d−1 starting at week 4; GRAIN, in which animals received milk replacer during the first 4 wk and concentrates during the whole period; MIX+EDTA and GRAIN+EDTA, in which animals received the same diet as their respective controls plus 15 mg of EDTA mg−1 of Fe in the concentrates of the diet starting at week 4 of the experiment. MILK–fed calves had better average daily gains (ADG) than MIX–EDTA–fed or GRAIN+EDTA–fed calves (P < 0.001). However, GRAIN+EDTA–fed calves had lower ADG than GRAIN calves (P < 0.01). The EDTA treatments were without effect (P > 0.10) on feed efficiency and EDTA did not affect N digestibility (P > 0.10) or Fe retention (P > 0.10). Treatments with EDTA lightened the color of the meat (P < 0.01), reduced myoglobin and reduced muscle Fe (P < 0.01). Diet reduced carcass fatness in the following decreasing order: MILK, MIX, GRAIN. Treatments with EDTA had no effect on carcass composition. Key words: Veal, milk-replacer, grain, meat color, chelator

Effect of iron bioavailability on performance, feed digestibility, blood parameters, and carcass characteristics at slaughter of grain-fed veal calves

“…Duration of administration of EDTA had a slight but significant negative effect (P < 0.05); the interaction between EDTA dose and duration of administration was not significant (P > 0.05). This lack of an effect of EDTA on feed efficiency is consistent with the results reported by Pommier et al (1992Pommier et al ( , 1995.…”

“…This is probably because the duration of administration in their study was shorter than in the current study. However, the results of the current study are compatible with those of another experiment by the same researchers (Pommier et al 1995), in which they demonstrated that the administration of EDTA during the total production period (18 to 20 wk) reduced ADG in grain-fed veal calves. This decrease in ADG may be related to the reduction in blood Hb levels.…”

“…Pommier et al (1992) showed that administering 30 or 60 mg EDTA mg -1 Fe in the diet for 4 or 8 wk prior to slaughter decreased DMI in the last 4 wk of the production trial. However, in another experiment, these authors showed that inclusion of 15 mg EDTA mg -1 Fe in the feed of grain-fed veal calves tended to decrease daily DMI during the total production period (Pommier et al 1995). Taken together with the current data, these results demonstrate that the dose of EDTA has a greater effect on DMI than the duration of administration.…”

“…This decrease in ADG may be related to the reduction in blood Hb levels. Pommier et al (1995) observed that when Hb concentration dropped, there was a concomitant decrease in rate of gain. This explanation is supported by results reported by Morel (1996), who showed that blood Hb concentration decreased and the rate of gain of veal calves declined when the concentration of iron in supplemented hay decreased.…”

“…Although treatments had no effect on animal performance when either dose was given for 8 wk prior to slaughter, the meat produced was significantly paler. In a subsequent experiment, Pommier et al (1995) showed that while addition of 15 mg EDTA mg -1 Fe in the feed for approximately 16 wk prior to slaughter decreased myoglobin concentration in fresh muscle tissue and produced a paler meat in grainfed veal calves, this treatment also had a negative impact on animal performance. Although these studies demonstrated that addition of EDTA to the feed was effective in making grain-fed veal paler, neither one established a dose-response curve able to predict the optimum combination of dose and duration of EDTA administration.…”