Adding organic trace minerals to animal diets has to be done carefully. This is what professor Josef Kamphues from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover said at the minerals forum, organised by Novus during EuroTier.

The minerals forum was organised to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Mintrex, the chelated trace mineral range from Novus. Prof. Kamphues was invited to the meeting to explain the current issues with supplementing trace minerals and questioned if we are giving the animals enough of them?

According to Kamphues, it is important to have the adequate supplementation of trace minerals. "There are differences regarding the effects within animals or products that are related to the source (organic or inorganic) of trace elements. Trace elements have to be dosed carefully, as a lot of scientific literature indicates the toxic capacity of some elements," he said. He named algae powder as an example. At the same time, he mentioned that trace element supply exceeding 'normal' requirements may result in marked positive effects (benefits) for the animals' health.

On top of the effects of trace minerals supplementation across species, Prof. Kamphues also covered the differences between trace elements (organic or inorganic) in terms of digestibility, absorption and bioavailability. Kamphues: "Trace elements bound to amino acids can result in elevated trace element absorption and accumulation in body tissues (muscles) and/or products (eggs and milk)."