THE ROLES OF AMINO ACID CHELATES IN ANIMAL NUTRITION THE ROLES OF AMINO ACID CHELATES IN ANIMAL NUTRITION Edited by H. DeWayne Ashmead Albion Laboratories, Inc. Clearfield, Utah Reprint Edition NOYES PUBUCATIONS Westwood, NewJersey,U.S.A. Copyright © 1993 by Noyes Publications No partofthis book may be reproduced or utilizedin any form or by any means, electronicormechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any informa tionstorage and retrieval system, without permission in writingfrom the Publisher. Library ofCongress Catalog Card Number: 92-25242 ISBN: 0-8155-1312-7 Printed in the United States Published in the United States ofAmerica by Noyes Publications Fairview Avenue, Westwood, NewJersey 07675 10987 65432 Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Roles ofamino acid chelates in animal nutrition / edited by H. DeWayne Ashmead. p. em. Includes bibliographical references (p. )and indexes. ISBN0-8155-1312-7 1.Amino acid chelates in animalnutrition. 1.Ashmead, H. DeWayne. SF98.A38R64 1992 636.08'52--dc20 92-25242 CIP INTRODUCTION This book wi11 be of great interest to anyone concerned with animal feeds and feeding programs whether one is studying bovine, porcine, equine, avian or lower vertebrate (fish and eel) nutrition. This information is critical to the success of an animal feeding program. Sometimes the difference between a successful and a failing program can be traced to mineral deficiencies which cause either abnormal growth, reduced milk production, interrupted fertility and breeding, compromised immune system integrity and/or decrement in normal hemoglobin concentration. Increased morbidity/mortality rates can make a profitable animal feeding program into a financial failure overnight when the replacement costs for a prize animal are considered. These abnormalities, and others, are addressed in the pages that follow. From 25 controlled studies by 42 different authors in five different countries a diverse array of data is presented. These data val idate the effectiveness of mineral nutrients presented as amino acid chelates when compared with the ionic forms derived from the inorganic salts. These studies further support the resul ts of numerous laboratory experiments showing increased absorption, assimilation and reduced toxicity of the forms of minerals chelated to amino acids. With little cost and effort animals can be supplemented with amino acid chelates which will promote, with little risk of overdose, a fuller genetic potential achievement as far as mineral requirements are concerned. Results of this supplementation are reflected in increased growth, immunological integrity, and more consistent reproduction (increased ovulation and conception after first service) as a result of increased bioavailability of these chelated forms. v VI Introduction Of novel interest are the reports showing a protein sparing as a result of amino acid chelate supp1ementation. In the face of dwindl ing protein sources for animal feeds, this effect of chelated minerals needs further scrutiny in feeding programs in other species. Darrell J. Graff, Ph.D. Weber State University Ogden, Utah, U.S.A. A NOTE TO THE READER In the late 1800's, many of the fundamental concepts of che1ation chemistry were evo1ving. Chemists began to recognize that certain atoms could exist in more than one valence state, but could not comprehend how atoms with more than one valence could form a highly stable compound. Alfred Werner, a German chemist, was the first to break with traditional thinking and propose an entirely new molecular structure to describe these highly stable molecules. He noted that certain structural entities, which he called "complexes", remained intact through a series of chemical transformations. In 1893, Werner wrote, "If we think of the metal ion as the center of the whole system, then we can most simply place the mo1ecules bound to it at the corners of an octahedron."(1) For the first time a chelate had been described. Werner further refined this revolutionary concept in the succeeding years. He concluded that a metal ion was characterized by two valences. The first, which he called the "principal valency", is now termed the oxidation state, or oxidation number, of the metal. The second valency, which he called the "auxiliary valency", represents the number of ligand atoms associated with the central metal atom. This is the same as the coordination number of the metal. Werner's concepts (2-7) were fundamental to the comprehension of chelates. The term, "chelate", was finally used by Morgan and Drew, in 1920, to describe the molecular structure discovered by Werner. As noted above, the fi rst chelating molecules that had been discovered were those VII VIII A Note to the Reader with two points of attachment. It was this caliper-like mode of attaching the ligand (the chelating molecule) to the metal atom that led Morgan and Drew to suggest the word "chelate" to describe the molecule.(8) The word is derived from the Greek word "chele", meaning lobster's claw. The word, IIchelatell was originally used as an , adjective. It later became a more versatile word and today is used as an adjective, adverb, or noun. The ligands are chelating agents, and the complexes they form are metal chelates. Because the claw, or ligand, held the cation, the metal was no longer free to enter into other chemical reactions. Thus it quickly became evident that when a metal was che1ated, the chemical and physical characteristics of the constituent metal ion and ligands were changed. This had far reaching consequences in the realms of chemistry and general biology. In spite of the knowledge of what chelation could do to and for a metal ion, it was not until the early 1960's that anyone thought seriously about using this molecule for nutritional purposes. At that period, a handful of investigators, independent of each other, each conceived the idea that if a metal ion could be chelated before feeding it to animals, the ligand would sequester the cation and prevent it from entering into various absorption inhibiting chemical reactions in the gut. The theoretical consequence was greater nutritional uptake of the ions. Two schools of thought quickly developed. One, led by the pioneering research of Albion Laboratories, Inc., proposed that amino acid chelates were the proper chelates to enhance mineral absorption. As attested by a large number of research reports, lectures, and publications based on the research efforts both A Note to the Reader IX coordinated and conducted by this organization, the use of amino acid chelates in animal nutrition were both positive and highly encouraging. At that point in time these amino acids were called "metal proteinates" instead of chelates. Concurrently, with the development of the amino acid chelates, a second school of thought approached animal nutrition with synthetic chelates based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EOTA). The theory was the same as before. The EOTA ligand would chelate the cation and protect it from chemical reactions in the gut. While it successfully accomplished its mission in terms of protection, it genera11y fai1ed to enhance mineral nutrition because it formed chelates that were too stable. The biological ligands in the animals' bodies were incapable of extracting the cations from the EOTA chelates, even after they were absorbed into the blood. Thus, the EOTA chelates were returned to the lower bowels or excreted into the urine still protecting the cations that the animals were supposed to have utilized. As Bates, et li., concluded, even though chelation plays a dominant role in mineral absorption, "chelation does not, in itself, insure efficient uptake because the absorption of the ferric chelates of EOTA, NTA, and gluconate were not significantly different than that of ferrous sulfate. ,,(9) These synthetic chelates were heavily promoted in the decade of the 60's and the early part of the 70's. When they could not deliver the enhanced mineral nutrition promised by the chelation concept, all nutritional products using the word "chelation" lost favor with most animal nutritionists. The "c" word became a word to avoid if one wished to amicably discuss animal nutrition.
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