Safety and efficacy of Availa®Cr (chromium chelate of DL‐methionine) as a feed additive for dairy cows

Abstract

Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of Availa®Cr (active compound: chromium chelate of DL‐methionine) as a feed additive for dairy cows. The EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) Panel was assigned to this mandate. The tolerance study did not show adverse effects with respect to body weight, milk yield, haematology and blood biochemistry up to the 10‐fold overdose of chromium from Availa®Cr; however, owing to deficiencies in design and reporting of the study, it provided only supportive evidence on the safety of the additive. A safe level for dairy cows could be derived from a toxicological study with laboratory rodents. Taking all together, the FEEDAP Panel considers the maximum recommended use level (8 mg Cr from Availa®Cr/cow per day; about 0.4 mg Cr/kg complete feed) as safe. Chromium DL‐Met shows a genotoxic activity in vitro that is not expressed in vivo after systemic exposure; although no data on genotoxicity at the site of contact are available, the Panel notes that chromium(III) is not carcinogenic and concludes that chromium DL‐Met is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk at levels occurring in the diet. The use of Availa®Cr in feed of dairy cows up to the recommended supplementation level would not measurably increase consumer exposure to chromium(III), and therefore is safe for consumers. The additive poses a risk to users by inhalation, it is not an irritant to skin and eyes and should be considered a sensitiser. The use of the additive is not expected to pose a risk to the environment. Since only one study could be considered for the efficacy assessment, and three studies are required, the FEEDAP Panel cannot conclude on the efficacy of Availa®Cr for dairy cows.

Chocolate Byproducts and Protected Fats Enriched with Chromium to Replace Corn in Diets of Early Lactation Holstein Cows: Feed Utilization, Blood Profile, and Lactational Performance

“…The EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed Panel stated that the maximum recommended use level of 8 mg/day of chromium from Availa ® Cr/cow as the safe level (Bampidis et al, 2020). In the present experiment, chromium was supplemented at 1 mg/cow daily.…”

“…In diet 2, the control diet was supplemented with chromiummethionine containing chromium at 0.1% (Availa ® Cr 1000, ZINPRO, Eden Prairie, MN, USA) at 1 g daily (Chromium diet). The maximum recommended safe level of chromium from Availa ® Cr/cow per day is 8 mg according EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed Panel (Bampidis et al, 2020). In the other three diets, 1 kg of crushed corn grain was replaced with 600 g chocolate byproducts (6 October city, Giza, Egypt) (CH diet), 400 g protected fats (Magnapac, Norel, Madrid, Spain) (PF diet), or 500 g of chocolate byproducts and protected fats mixture (1:1 DM basis) (CHPF diet), DM basis, and each of the diets was supplemented with same dose of chromium used in diet 2 (Chromium diet).…”

Influence of Haemolysis on the Mineral Profile of Cattle Serum

“…Regarding Cr, when present as Cr (III), it constitutes an essential mineral with beneficial influence on immune and antioxidative activity and energy metabolism [ 30 , 31 ] and is transported in serum due to its inability to penetrate red blood membranes [ 32 ]. By contrast, the hexavalent form Cr (VI) is highly toxic and carcinogenic [ 33 ] and has a high affinity for erythrocytes, where it is reduced to Cr (III) and bound to the β-chain of Hb [ 32 ]. In the present study, the higher Cr concentration in the whole blood samples than in the serum probably reflected a slight exposure of the subjects to environmental Cr (VI).…”

Efficacy of Availa®Cr (chromium chelate of dl‐methionine) as a feed additive for dairy cows (Zinpro Animal Nutrition (Europe), Inc)

“…The additive was fully characterised in the previous opinion of the FEEDAP Panel (EFSA FEEDAP Panel, 2020). The additive is intended to be used in feed for dairy cows at a minimum supplementation rate of 0.3 mg Cr/kg complete feed, up to a maximum of 0.5 mg Cr/kg complete feed (with 88% DM), corresponding to 300 and 500 mg Availa®Cr/kg complete feed, respectively 7 .…”

“…In the past years, the FEEDAP Panel delivered two scientific opinions on the safety and efficacy of this product when used in feed for dairy cows (EFSA, 2009 ; EFSA FEEDAP Panel, 2020 ).…”