What is Organic Trace Mineral?
What is Organic Trace Mineral? Trace minerals are essentially required by all animals, for example, Iron is responsible for oxygen binding in blood cells, Copper is important for the connective tissues, Manganese is for cartilage formulation and reproductive system and Zinc is important for collagen synthesis and keratin formation.
Trace minerals were added into the animal feeds for a very long time. In the past, only inorganic salts of minerals were available for the farmers, for example, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, etc. Problems occured when utilizing the inorganic salts because only a limited part of minerals were absorbed by the animals while the major part was excreted out. This caused not only big problem to our environmnet as soil pollution, but also hugh waste of minerals as financial loss.
Organic Trace Minerals, as the third generation of trace minerals, have been more and more widely used in the world. The advantage of organic trace mineral is contributed by the particularity of chemical structure of the chelates. Chelates are composed of central ions (or atoms) and ligands. The central ion is located in the center of the chelate compound while the ligands surround the central ion in a certain spatial configuration, they are connected by chemical bonds. The central ion is called the forming body (for example, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, chromium and other ions) and the substance used as a ligand is amino acid. This kind of molecular structure compound has stable properties and is not susceptible to chemical reactions with other chemical substances, and has excellent solubility in animals. It is easy to be directly absorbed through the small intestinal mucosa of animals due to its moderate stability constant.
Definition of Organic Trace Mineral
According to AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials), there are several types of organic trace minerals as below:
57.142 – METAL AMINO ACID CHELATE
It is the product from the reaction of a metal ion from a soluble metal salt with amino acids. It has a mole ratio with 1 mole of metal to 1-3 (preferably 2) moles of amino acid to form coordinate covalent bonds. The average weight of the amino acids must be approximately 150 daltons, and the resulting molecular weight of the chelate must not exceed 800 daltons. When used as a commercial feed ingredient, you must declare it as a specific metal amino acid chelate.
57.150 – METAL AMINO ACID COMPLEX
It is the product from complexing of a soluble salt, for example (such as potassium or manganese) with an amino acid(s). Minimum metal content must be clear. When used as a commercial feed ingredient, you must declare it as a specific metal amino complex, i.e. potassium amino acid complex; copper amino acid complex; zinc amino acid complex; iron amino acid complex; cobalt amino acid complex; calcium amino acid complex; manganese amino acid complex. (Adopted 1990)
57.151 – METAL (specific amino acid) COMPLEX
It is the product from complexing a soluble metal salt with a specific amino acid, but the minimum metal content must be declared. When used as a commercial feed ingredient, you must declare it as a specific metal, specific amino complex: i.e., copper lysine; zinc lysine; ferric methionine; manganese methionine and zinc methionine. (Adopted 1992)
57.23 – METAL PROTEINATE
It is the product from the chelation of a soluble salt with amino acids and/or partially hydrolyzed protein. And it must be declared as an ingredient as the specific metal proteinate: i.e., copper proteinate; zinc proteinate; magnesium proteinate; iron proteinate; cobalt proteinate; manganese proteinate; or calcium proteinate. (Amended 1987)
57.29 – METAL POLYSACCHARIDE COMPLEX
It is the product from the complexing of a soluble salt with a polysaccharide solution declared as an ingredient as the specific metal complex: i.e., copper polysaccharide complex; zinc polysaccharide complex; iron polysaccharide complex; cobalt polysaccharide complex; and manganese polysaccharide complex. (Adopted 1973)
57.28 – METAL METHIONINE HYDROXY ANALOGUE CHELATE
It is the product from the reaction of a metal salt with 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (HMTBa), having a chelated molar ratio of one mole of metal to two moles of HMTBa to form coordinate covalent bonds. This ingredient is intended to be used as a source of trace minerals. But you much declare the specific metal chelate for a metal methionine bydroxyl analogue chelate.
57.160 – METAL PROPIONATE
It is the product from the reaction of a metal salt with propionic acid. The metal propionates are prepared with an excess of propionic acid, at an appropriate stoichometric ratio. But you must declare it when using as an ingredient of the specific metal propionate.
What types of Organic Trace Mineral we make?
Currently, different types of organic trace minerals are commonly used in animal feeds because of their better bioavailability. Different companies are using different amino acids. The amino acid we used to chelate minerals is Glycine and Methionine. Glycine has the smallest molecular weight so that the formed organic mineral has smaller molecular weight too.
We are able to provide organic Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Se, Cr, Mg and also other ones. For some of them we use Glycine, including Zinc Glycinate, Copper Glycinate, Manganese Glycinate, Iron Glycinate. For some of them we use Methionine, including, Zinc Methionine, Copper Methionine, Manganese Methionine, Iron Methionine, Selenium Methionine, Chromium Methionine.For rest we make organic salts including Magnesium Aspartate, Calcium Pidolate, Magnesium Pidolate.