Effect of Dietary Sodium Zeolite A on Zinc Utilization by Chicks

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted with chicks from 5 to 15 days posthatching to study the effect of sodium zeolite A (SZA) on Zn utilization. The corn-soybean meal basal diet was supplemented with ZnCO3 to provide three levels of dietary Zn (35, 40, and 85 ppm) in Experiment 1, and two levels of dietary Zn (85 and 4,000 ppm) in Experiment 2. Experimental diets also contained either 0 or .75% SZA, resulting in a 3 x 2 and a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. The tendency for increased growth, feed intake, and hematocrit in chicks fed Zn-supplemented diets in Experiment 1 suggests that the 35-ppm level of Zn in the basal diet was marginal for chicks. Both supplemental Zn and SZA increased (P < .02) hematocrit and plasma, pancreas, and tibia Zn and decreased (P < .02) tibia Cu. Sodium zeolite A increased (SZA by Zn, P < .03) tibia Al and tended to increase (SZA by Zn, P < .09) liver Fe in chicks fed either 35 or 85 ppm Zn, but SZA had no effect on tibia Al and liver Fe in chicks fed 40 ppm Zn. In Experiment 2, both SZA and excess dietary Zn decreased gain, feed intake, gain: feed, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and plasma alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, and increased tibia, liver, and pancreas Zn, and tibia Al. In addition, excess Zn increased (P < .05) plasma Zn and liver Al but decreased (P < .01) plasma, liver, and pancreas Cu and percentage of tibia ash. The addition of SZA enhanced the adverse effects of excess Zn by further decreasing feed intake, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and plasma AP and Cu and by increasing tibia Al and liver Zn. Sodium zeolite A increased pancreas (P < .09) and tibia (P < .03) Zn regardless of dietary Zn concentration; however, SZA increased plasma Zn only in chicks fed 85 ppm Zn (SZA by Zn, P < .03). Sodium zeolite A tended to improve Zn utilization in chicks fed inadequate Zn but exacerbated the adverse effects of feeding excess Zn. The addition of SZA to the diet of chicks fed inadequate, adequate, or toxic levels of Zn resulted in increased tissue Zn concentration.

Effects of diets supplemented with zinc and manganese on performance and related parameters in laying hens‡

“…No effect of Zn supplementation on AP activity was observed in the present study, in agreement with the observation of Watkins and Southern (1993) in 15‐day‐old chicks fed on diets containing 35, 40 or 85 mg/kg Zn. The absence of a response may result from the fact that a severe Zn deficiency is necessary to affect AP activity.…”

Effect of fortifying amaranth diets with amino acids, casein and ethylene diamine tetra acetate on broiler performance, amino acid availability and mineral utilisation

“…The amaranth diets, especially those of raw grain, might have provoked high losses of zinc through over-secretion of pancreatic enzymes associated with the presence of trypsin inhibitor in the grain. Despite the negative zinc balance, the levels of this mineral in the plasma and body tissues were normal and similar to those obtained by Watkins & Southern (1993) using maize-soyabean diets containing an adequate (85 mg/kg) zinc concentration. The mineral concentrations of various bodily tissues and blood plasma in Trial 2 were within the normal ranges (Scott et al, 1982) indicating that the availability of minerals in the grain amaranth diets was adequate for tissue utilisation (Table 8).…”

Effect of in-feed inclusion of a natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) on certain vitamin, macro and trace element concentrations in the blood, liver and kidney tissues of sows

“…Several studies conducted using lambs, growingfinishing pigs and broilers demonstrated contradictory results relating to the effect of zeolites on serum and tissue Zn content. (Pond 1989, Ward et al 1991, Watkins and Southern 1993. Nevertheless, the results obtained by an earlier study in growing±finishing pigs (Pond et al 1989) support the lack of an alteration response to CLI dietary supplementation on sow's liver and kidney Zn concentrations as demonstrated in our study.…”