Precision Nutrition          by Heinri Spangenberg (Ph.D.) 
            Includes Trace               (Pr.Sci.Nat. Reg.no. 400005/00)
            Minerals                     Westside Enterprises (Pty) Ltd
           IntelliBond
          Precision                                       “[Nutritionists] are often much 
          Nutrition Includes                              more lenient regarding trace 
                                                          mineral nutrition and more often 
          Trace Minerals                                  than not just include the feed 
                                                          concentration levels in parts per 
                                                          million (ppm) recommended by 
                                                          the NRC or the premix house. 
                                                          However, these recommendations 
                                                          are often exceeded because raw 
                                                          material (RM) contributions are 
                                                          not taken into account and are 
                                                          therefore further escalated “to 
                                                          make sure” there is adequate 
                                                          supply without any substantial 
                                                          reason.” 
                                                          “ [when deciding] which 
                                                          available source of Zn, Mn and 
                                                          Cu to use for supplementing 
                                                          the calculated requirement, it is 
                                                          fair to assume that cost and 
                                                          bioavailability will be the major 
                                                          issues influencing this decision 
                                                          BUT, it is also important to 
                                                          ensure that the chosen source 
                                                          does not harm the other 
                                                          additives in the premix, the 
                                                          ingredients in the feed, the 
                                                          microorganisms in the rumen 
                                                          and the animals general health 
                                                          and well-being. “
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                                                                                    IntelliBond
          “It is important to analyse RM for 
          trace mineral content in order to 
          have a firm grip on basal 
          contribution in total trace mineral 
          supply (to ensure adequate and 
          not excessive TM supply).”                   “We now know that sulphates 
                                                       may cause more harm to 
                                                       ruminant performance than 
          “…dietary trace mineral                      previously realised. As shown 
          contribution and efficiency of               in this article, a well formulated, 
          absorption has been taken into               high-quality premix containing 
          account with the NRC, 2001                   IntelliBond TM’s will contribute 
          recommendations. It is therefore             4% to the RM cost of a high-end 
          very important to take raw material          dairy meal. The IntelliBond TM’s 
          trace mineral content into account           will contribute 18% to the total RM 
          in diet formulation in order to              cost of the premix and 0.75% to 
          ensure adequate and not                      the total RM cost of the dairy 
          excessive supply in the quest for            meal. Therefore, backed by solid 
          precision nutrition.”                        research and at a fraction of the 
          “The mineral requirement in most,            total feed cost comes complete 
          if not all, U.S.-based nutrition             peace of mind in terms of the 
          models come directly from the                optimal health, production and 
          NRC. Because of the potential                reproduction of the herd.
          problems associated with both                 So, why compromise?”
          under and over supplementation 
          of trace minerals, most diets 
          should not deviate greatly from 
          NRC requirements.”  
          - Dr Bill Weiss
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        IntelliBond 
        Precision Nutrition 
        Includes Trace Minerals
        Claims such as “This feed is optimally formulated for or to supply the correct balance of minerals and trace 
        minerals” is often seen in brochures, advertisements and promotional articles. But is it really? Many articles have 
        been published about precision farming, including precision nutrition. As nutritionists, we spend a lot of time 
        developing and improving nutrition models in an effort to perfect animal production predictions with actual 
        on-farm performance. This focuses mainly on the evaluation of protein and energy systems in all its complexity 
        within digestion physiology. 
        Nutritionists are often much more lenient regarding trace mineral nutrition and more often than not just 
        include the feed concentration levels in part per million (ppm) recommended by the NRC or the premix house. 
        However, these recommendations are often exceeded because raw material (RM) contributions are not taken 
        into account and are therefore further escalated “to make sure” there is adequate supply without any 
        substantial reason. 
        We need to supply adequately, not excessively, otherwise it might cause more problems if not justified by factors 
        that will be explained in this article. It is important to follow the same disciplined process of supplying the required 
        amount of trace elements for specific animals and performance targets after RM contribution is taken into 
        account. It is also important to supply the required amount using a trace mineral source that do not harm the 
        other additives in the premix, the ingredients in the feed, the microorganisms in the rumen and the animals 
        general health and well-being. 
        Trace Mineral Function 
        The role of trace minerals in animal nutrition is extremely important as functional components of 
        numerous metabolic events. According to Underwood and Suttle (1999) trace mineral functions can be 
        categorized into four broad types of functions, namely structural, physiological, catalytic and regulatory.
        Structural function refers to minerals forming structural components of body organs and tissue. An example is 
        the contribution of zinc to molecular and membrane stability. 
        Physiological function occurs when minerals in body fluids and tissues act as electrolytes to maintain osmotic 
        pressure, acid base balance, and membrane permeability. 
        Catalytic function refers to the catalytic role of metalloenzymes in enzyme and hormone systems and is probably 
        the largest category for trace minerals. Trace elements serve as structural components of metalloenzymes and 
        when trace elements are removed or deficient, the enzyme activity is lost. Numerous metalloenzymes are required 
        for a wide range of metabolic activities such as energy production, protein digestion, cell replication, antioxidant 
        activity and wound healing.
         
        Regulatory function, such as the influence on transcription by zinc, and iodine serving as a constituent of 
        thyroxine, which is a hormone associated with thyroid function and energy metabolism.
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