Supplementation With Zinc Proteinate Increases the Growth Performance by Reducing the Incidence of Diarrhea and Improving the Immune Function of Dairy Calves During the First Month of Life

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to identify the optimal dose of zinc proteinate (ZP) in the diet for dairy calves and then to compare early supplementation with the ZP or zinc methionine (ZM) on the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, antioxidant status, and immune function of dairy calves during their first month of life. In Experiment 1, forty newborn female Holstein dairy calves were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10): a control group (without ZP supplementation, ZP0) or groups that received ZP supplementation at 40, 80, and 120 mg zinc/day, respectively (ZP40, ZP80, and ZP120). The experiment lasted 14 days, and the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, and serum zinc concentration were analyzed. In Experiment 2, thirty-six newborn female Holstein dairy calves were randomly allocated to three groups (n = 12): a negative control group (without zinc supplementation, CON), a positive control group (supplemented with 80 mg zinc/day in the form of zinc methionine, ZM), and a ZP group (supplemented with 80 mg zinc/day in the form of ZP). The experiment lasted 28 days, and the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, serum zinc concentration, serum antioxidant indicators, and concentrations of plasma immunoglobulins and cytokines were determined on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. Results showed that in Experiment 1, supplementation with ZP to yield 80 mg zinc/day increased the ADG (P < 0.01) and serum zinc concentration (P < 0.01), and decreased the F/G (P < 0.01) and the incidence of diarrhea (P < 0.05) during days 1–14. In Experiment 2, compared with the CON group, ZP increased the ADG (P < 0.01), serum zinc concentration (P < 0.01), and plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG; P < 0.01) and IgM (P < 0.01) concentrations, but reduced the incidence of diarrhea (P < 0.01), serum malondialdehyde (P < 0.01), and plasma interleukin-1β (P < 0.01) concentrations during days 1–28. Overall, ZP supplementation to yield 80 mg zinc/day improves the growth performance and immune function, and decrease the incidence of diarrhea of dairy calves, which was comparable to the same dose of zinc in the form of ZM.

Early supplementation with zinc proteinate does not change rectal microbiota but increases growth performance by improving antioxidant capacity and plasma zinc concentration in preweaned dairy calves

“…Zinc is an essential trace mineral for humans and animals with effective antidiarrheal and growth promotion activities ( 28 , 29 ). Lower doses of zinc, especially in organic forms, can reduce diarrhea and promote the growth of young animals ( 10 , 15 , 25 ). In agreement with these findings, the present study found that dietary supplementation with ZnP linearly increased total DMI, ADG, and feed efficiency, thus increasing the final BW of preweaned dairy calves.…”

“…The calves were randomly allocated to 5 groups of 12 using a random number generator (Microsoft Corp., WA, n = 12 each): a negative control group without extra zinc supplementation (CON group); three groups supplemented with 261 (L-ZnP group), 523 (M-ZnP group), and 784 (H-ZnP group) mg/day ZnP, equivalent to 40, 80, and 120 mg/day zinc, respectively; and one group supplemented with 232 mg/d ZnO, equivalent to 180 mg/day zinc (ZnO group). These doses were based on previous studies ( 15 , 22 , 23 ). The ZnP ( Q f = 327) was donated by the Mineral Nutrition Research Division, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Beijing, China).…”

“…Ma et al ( 14 ) suggested that zinc methionine supplementation lowers the incidence of diarrhea in postnatal Holstein dairy calves by reducing intestinal permeability, which confirms the effectiveness of organic zinc as a potential treatment for diarrhea during early life calf rearing. Comparable to the same dose of zinc from zinc methionine, our previous study showed that supplementation with ZnP to yield 80 mg/day zinc also reduced the incidence of diarrhea and increased the growth performance and immune function of dairy calves ( 15 ). It is known that ZnP is a novel form of organic zinc prepared from soybean protein isolate and feed-grade inorganic zinc ( 16 ).…”

Effect of dietary supplementation with zinc-methionine on ruminal enzyme activities, fermentation characteristics, methane production, and nutrient digestibility: An in vitro study

“…Trace minerals, including zinc (Zn), play essential roles in animal feed due to their physiological functions, impact on immune and reproductive systems, and overall animal performance [1 – 1 ]. Zn, in particular, is involved in crucial physiological processes such as cell division, proliferation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, gene expression, and enzyme cycles.…”

Zinc methionine improves the lipid metabolism that is associated with the alteration of intestine mucosal proteomes and microbiota of newborn Holstein dairy calves

“…Zinc methionine (ZM), a chelate of inorganic zinc and methionine, is composed of zinc sulfate complexed with methionine in a 1:1:1 ratio of zinc, methionine, and the sulfate anion [8]. It has been demonstrated that early supplementation with ZM could reduce diarrhea incidence and promote the growth performance of dairy calves [9][10][11]. Furthermore, ZM also has beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and shows a high level of bioavailability [12,13].…”