Trace elements are not only essential for maintaining health and immunity for human beings, but also for animals. This short passage will tell you why trace elements are important to animal, though required in minute quantities. They are involved in growth, production and reproduction. Hope this article can help you learn that animals really need trace elements for better growth.
Here are main points of the article
What are trace elements
A trace element is a chemical element whose concentration is very low. In biochemistry, an essential trace element is needed in very minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of the body. Examples of essential trace elements in animals include Fe (hemoglobin), Cu (respiratory pigments), Co (Vitamin B12), Mn and Zn (enzymes). Although they are essential, they become toxic at high concentrations. Elements such as Ag, As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Sn have no known biological function, with toxic effects even at low concentration. More trace elements and their functions are as follow.
Phosphorus. The key functions in metabolic pathways and physiological functions, such as development and maintenance of skeletal tissue, energy utilization and transfer, protein synthesis, transport of fatty acids, and amino acid exchange, growth and cell differentiation, appetite control, efficiency of feed utilization and fertility.
Potassium. It works alongside Sodium, Chlorine and Bicarbonate ions in Osmotic regulation. An important role in the nervous system, muscle functions, and carbohydrate metabolism.
Sulphur. It assists in Microbial digestion and protein synthesis as Sulphur occurs in proteins which contain the amino acids Cystine, Cysteine, and Methionine.
Magnesium. It is linked closely to Calcium and Phosphorus. 70 % of Magnesium is found in the skeleton and the remainder is utilized in soft tissues and fluids. Magnesium plays a vital role in cellular respiration, cellular biochemistry and function, active transport system and the nervous system. Also helps with prevention of grass tetany (Hypomagnesaemia) and milk fever.
Why are trace elements important to animal
Trace elements requirements in animals are variable and depend on age, sex, stage of growth or production breed and genotype. They contribute to maintaining proper health and immunity.On the contrary human beings, standard diets usually do not contain enough quantities of trace minerals naturally present in feed ingredients to satisfy the physiological needs of modern genetics of farm animals. So supplementation is practiced in routine in order to prevent any clinical deficiency. Adding trace minerals sources in the diet will fulfill the basic animal requirements for their maintenance, their growth and their specific needs for production.
1. Trace elements are essential for health and immunity. They are important for functioning of various components of the immune system. Their deficiency reduces disease resistance and increases the susceptibility to diseases.
2. Trace elements improve growth and production. They improve feed intake, digestibility and feed conversion thereby improving milk production following trace mineral supplementation. For example, Zinc has a catalytic, coactive, or structural role in a wide variety of enzymes that regulate many physiological processes including metabolism and growth.
3. Trace elements are essential for reproduction. Because their supplementation improves reproduction. Studies show that the ovarian activity of ruminants is influenced by mineral deficiency. They are involved in synthesis of hormones that are important for reproduction.
Trace element deficiency and toxicity in animals induces a wide variety of clinical effects although few are sufficiently specific to permit diagnosis without supporting investigation of changes in tissue trace element content or of the activity of metabolic processes influenced by trace element supply. Study of such trace element dependent processes has shown that extensive changes often arise before overt signs of disease appear.
This short article have introduced what trace elements are and the reasons why trace elements are essential for animals. Various trace elements are beneficial for animals so that farm products can be good for human beings. Trace elements are so important that they can improve health, immunity, growth,production and reproduction.