Content and distribution of macro- and micro-elements in the body of pasture-fed young horses.
Abstract: To determine the content and distribution of Na, K, Ca, P, Mg, S, Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn in the body of pasture-fed young horses and then use a factorial model to calculate the dietary mineral requirements for growth. Methods: Twenty-one foals were killed at about 150 days of age and the organs, soft tissues, skin and bones and a sample of muscle were dissected out and weighted. The mineral concentrations of elements in all soft tissues and bones were measured by inductively coupled emission spectrometry. The total mineral element composition associated with a tissue was determined from the weight of tissue and its mineral element concentration. Results: Expressed as a percent of total body mineral elements, muscle contained 20% Na, 78% K, 32% Mg, 62% Cu, 36% Mn and 57% Zn, bone contained 47% Na, 99% Ca, 81% P, 62% Mg, 30% Mn and 28% Zn while the organs accounted for a smaller percentage ranging from 0.06% for Ca to 26% for Fe. In liver Cu accounted for 9.2% of total body Cu. Each kilogram of empty body weight was associated with 1.0 g Na, 2.5 g K, 17.1 g Ca, 10.1 g P, 0.4 g Mg, 1.1 mg Cu, 0.39 mg Mn, 52.5 mg Fe and 21.4 mg Zn. Conclusions: The mineral element content of body weight gain is a component used in the factorial model to determine dietary mineral element requirements for growth. The calculated dietary mineral requirements, expressed per kg dry matter, for a 200 kg horse gaining 1.0 kg/day were 1.0 g Na, 2.1 g K, 4.6 g Ca, 3.5 g P, 0.7 g Mg, 4.5 mg Cu and 25 mg Zn.
Publication Date: 1999-04-10 PubMed ID: 10197246DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1999.tb11228.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article explores the distribution and content of macro- and micro-elements in young, pasture-fed horses, with a view to understanding their dietary mineral requirements for growth.
Research Methodology
- The team of researchers used twenty-one foals for the study, euthanizing them when they reached around 150 days of age.
- The organs, soft tissues, skin, bones, and a sample of muscle from each foal were carefully dissected and weighed.
- Subsequently, these samples were analysed using inductively coupled emission spectrometry to determine the concentration of several key minerals in both soft tissues and bones.
- The total composition of each mineral within a tissue was obtained by multiplying the weight of the tissue by the concentration of the mineral element.
Research Findings
- The team noted a wide distribution of minerals across various tissues. For example, muscle contained significant portions of sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, and zinc, all elemental minerals, as compared to their total body presence.
- Bones held a large percentage of sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and zinc out of the total body presence of these minerals.
- On the other hand, organs had a lesser share of these minerals, with calcium registering the least at 0.06% and iron at a higher 26%.
- The liver was a significant reservoir of copper, contributing to 9.2% of the total body copper.
- Every kilogram of the horse’s body weight was associated with certain quantities of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, and zinc.
Conclusions and Recommendations
- The mineral content of a foal’s body weight gain reveal the amount of dietary mineral element required for growth. This information is used in a factorial model that computes the dietary mineral requirements for growth.
- For a young, 200 kg horse gaining 1.0 kg/day, the computed dietary mineral requirements, as per the kg of dry matter, would be 1.0 g of sodium, 2.1 g of potassium, 4.6 g of calcium, 3.5 g of phosphorus, 0.7 g of magnesium, 4.5 mg of copper, and 25 mg of zinc.
Cite This Article
APA
Grace ND, Pearce SG, Firth EC, Fennessy PF.
(1999).
Content and distribution of macro- and micro-elements in the body of pasture-fed young horses.
Aust Vet J, 77(3), 172-176.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1999.tb11228.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Feed
- Animals
- Calcium / analysis
- Calcium / metabolism
- Copper / analysis
- Copper / metabolism
- Female
- Horses / metabolism
- Iron / analysis
- Iron / metabolism
- Magnesium / analysis
- Magnesium / metabolism
- Male
- Manganese / analysis
- Manganese / metabolism
- Minerals / analysis
- Minerals / metabolism
- Phosphorus / analysis
- Phosphorus / metabolism
- Poaceae / metabolism
- Potassium / analysis
- Potassium / metabolism
- Reference Values
- Sodium / analysis
- Sodium / metabolism
- Spectrophotometry, Atomic / veterinary
- Sulfur / analysis
- Sulfur / metabolism
- Zinc / analysis
- Zinc / metabolism
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Cappai MG, Taras A, Cossu I, Cherchi R, Dimauro C, Accioni F, Boatto G, Deroma M, Spanu E, Gatta D, Dall'Aglio C, Pinna W. Effects of Dietary Zn/Se and α-Tocopherol Supplementation on Metabolic Milieu, Haemogram and Semen Traits of Breeding Stallions. Biol Trace Elem Res 2021 Sep;199(9):3287-3296.
- Ribeiro DM, Mourato MP, Almeida AM. Assessing mineral status in edible tissues of domestic and game animals: a review with a special emphasis in tropical regions. Trop Anim Health Prod 2019 Jun;51(5):1019-1032.
- Zhu N, Han S, Yang C, Qu J, Sun Z, Liu W, Zhang X. Element-tracing of mineral matters in Dendrobium officinale using ICP-MS and multivariate analysis. Springerplus 2016;5(1):979.
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