1. Calcium:
Role of Calcium:
• 99% of the calcium in the body is present in the bones and teeth.
• Calcium controls the excitability of nerves and muscles.
• Calcium is required for normal clotting of blood.
• Calcium is necessary for activation of enzymes like trypsin, adenosine triphosphatase.
Clinical signs:
• In young animals calcium deficiency causes rickets, characterised by misshapen bones, enlargement of the joints, lameness and stiffness.
• In adult animals calcium deficiencies produces Osteomalacia, characterised by weak bones, fragile and are easily broken.
• Enlargement of the osteochondral joints in the ribs produces a condition called as Rickety Rosary.
• Pigeon chested appearance is a symptom due to enlargement of sternum.
• Milk fever which is characterized by lowering of the serum calcium level, muscular spasms, and in extreme case paralysis and unconsciousness.
Supplementation:
• Ground limestone
• Steamed bone meal
• Dicalcium phosphate and
• Green leafy crops, especially legumes, are good sources of calcium.
2. Phosphorus:
Role of Phosphorus:
• Phosphorus occurs in close association with calcium in bone.
• Phosphorus plays a vital role in energy metabolism in the formation of sugar-phosphates and adenosine di- and triphosphates. (ADP & ATP)
• Phosphorus plays a key role in metabolic reaction of carbohydrate, protein and lipids which occurs through phosphorylated intermediate compounds.
• Phosphorus is constituent of RNA and DNA.
• Phosphorus is a component of many enzyme systems.
Clinical signs:
• In young animals phosphorus deficiency causes rickets, characterised by misshapen bones, enlargement of the joints, lameness and stiffness.
• In adult animals phosphorus deficiencies produces Osteomalacia, characterised by weak bones, fragile and are easily broke.
• Pigeon chested appearance is a symptom due to enlargement of sternum.
• ‘Pica’ or depraved appetite has been noted in cattle when there is a deficiency of phosphorus in their diet; the affected animals have abnormal appetites and chew wood, bones, rags and other foreign materials.
• In chronic phosphorus deficiency animals may have stiff joints and muscular weakness.
• Low dietary intakes of phosphorus have also been associated with poor fertility, apparent dysfunction of the ovaries causing inhibition or depression and irregularity of oestrus.
Supplementation:
• Cereal grains
• Meat products
• Fish meal
3. Magnesium:
• Essential constituent of bone and teeth.
• Magnesium is the commonest enzyme activator.
• Magnesium plays a role in oxidative phosphorylation leading to ATP formation
• Magnesium is necessary in metabolism of carbohydrate, lipids and in the biosynthesis of proteins.
Clinical signs:
• In adult ruminants low blood levels of magnesium (hypomagnesaemia) causes a condition known as hypomagnesaemia tetany /magnesium tetany /lactation tetany / grass staggers.
• It is characterized by nervousness, tremors, twitching of the facial muscles, staggering gait and convulsions.
Supplementation:
• The mineral supplement most frequently used is magnesium oxide, which is sold commercially as calcined magnesite.
• Wheat bran
• Dried Yeast
• Cottonseed cake
• Linseed cake
4. Sodium
• Maintains Osmotic pressure
• Neural and Muscular conduction and transmission.
• Control water metabolism in the tissue.
• Main cation of Extracellular fluid
• Essential for the operation of enzyme systems
•
Clinical signs:
• A deficiency of sodium in the diet leads to a lowering of the osmotic pressure, which results in dehydration of the body.
• Symptoms of sodium deficiency include poor growth and reduced utilization of digested proteins and energy.
5. Potassium:
• Maintains Osmotic pressure
• Control water metabolism in the tissue.
• Regulates acid-base equilibrium in body
• Essential for the operation of enzyme systems.
• Potassium is the main cation of intracellular fluid.
Clinical signs:
Diets low in potassium results in retarded growth, weakness, tetant and ultimately death
6. Chlorine:
• Maintains Osmotic pressure
• Control water metabolism in the tissue.
• Essential for the operation of enzyme systems.
• Regulates acid-base equilibrium in body
• Neural and muscular conduction and transmission.
• Chlorine plays an important part in the gastric secretion, where it occurs as hydrochloric acid as well as chloride salts. Stored largely in body fluids and soft tissues.
Deficiency:
A dietary deficiency of chlorine leads to an abnormal increase of the alkali reserve of the blood (alkalosis).
Excess:
• Excess of sodium chloride in the diet leads to salt toxicity.
• It is characterized by excessive thirst, muscular weakness and oedema
Micro minerals:
1. Iron
Role of Iron
• More than 90 per cent of the iron in the body is combined with proteins, the most important being hemoglobin and myoglobin.
• Iron also occurs in blood serum in a protein called transferrin, which is concerned with the transport of iron from one part of the body to another.
• Ferritin, is a protein containing iron, is present in the spleen, liver, kidney and bone marrow and provides a form of storage for iron.
• Hemosiderin is another storage form of iron.
• Iron has a major role in many of biochemical reactions, particularly in connection with enzymes of the electron transport chain (cytochromes).
• Electrons are transported by the oxidation and reduction activity of bound iron.
• Enzymes containing or activated by iron are catalase, peroxidases, phenylalanine hydroxylase and all the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes.
Clinical signs
• Anaemia due to iron deficiency occurs most commonly in rapidly growing suckling animals, since the iron content of milk is usually very low.
• Iron deficiency anaemia is not common in calves because in practice it is unusual to restrict them to a milk diet without supplementary feeding.
Supplementation:
• Legume and Oilseed meal
• Cereals straw and bran
• Ferrous sulphate salts
• Iron dextran
2. Copper:
Role of Copper
• Copper is the integral component of enzymes namey Ceruloplasmin (ferrooxidase), Erythrocuprein, Cytochrome oxidase, Lysyl oxidase, Tyrosinase.
• Copper is the integral component Turacin, a pigment of feathers.
• Copper is required for maintenance of crimp of wool.
Deficiency
• Bone disorders.
• Poor absorption of iron
• Scouring
• Infertility
• Depigmentation of hair and wool,
• Lesions in the brain stem and spinal cord. The lesions are associated with muscular Inco-ordination, and occur especially in young lambs – swayback condition also known as ‘enzootic ataxia’ or neonatal ataxia.
• The signs range from complete paralysis of the newborn lamb to a swaying staggering gait, which affects, in particular, the hind limbs.
• Loss of ‘crimp’ in wool – ‘stringy’ or ‘steely’ wool
• ‘Falling disease’ – sudden death due to rupture of major blood vessels Copper deficiency also leads to reproductive problems in cattle.
Excess
• Continuous ingestion of copper in excess of nutritional requirements leads to an accumulation of the element in the body tissues, especially in the liver. Hence copper can be regarded as a cumulative poison.
• Loss of apetite
• Chronic copper poisoning results in necrosis of the liver cells,
• Jaundice
• Death from hepatic coma.
Source
• Seeds and seed by-products
• Application of copper containing fertilizer to lands
• Provision of copper containing salt licks
• ingestion of organic complexes of Copper
3. Zinc:
Role of Zinc
• A high concentration of zinc is present in the skin, hair and wool of animals.
• Several enzymes in the animal body are known to contain zinc; these include carbonic anhydrase, pancreatic carboxypeptidase, lactate dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and thymidine kinase.
• In addition zinc is an activator of several enzyme systems
Clinical signs:
• Deficiency of Zinc causes subnormal growth, depressed appetite, poor feed conversion and leads to reproductive disorders in farm animals.
• Symptoms of zinc deficiency, in calves include inflammation of the nose and mouth, stiffness of the joints, swollen feet and parakeratosis characterized by Reddening of the skin followed by eruptions, which develop, into scabs.
Requirement
Cattle require 30 mg/ kg of feed.
Source
• Yeast
• Bran and germ of cereal grains.
• Animal protein by-products such as meat meal and fishmeal are usually richer sources of the element than plant protein supplements.
4. Manganese:
Role of Manganese
• An activator of many enzymes such as hydrolases and kinases.
• As a constituent of enzymes such as arginase, pyruvate carboxylase and manganese superoxide dismutase.
• Manganese through its activation of glycosyl transferases is required for the formation of the mucopolysaccharide which forms the organic matrix of bone.
• Manganese containing Superoxide dismutase catalyses the reactions that promote immunity in animals.
Clinical signs:
• Deficiency of Manganese causes retarded growth, skeletal abnormalities and ataxia of the newborn and reproductive failure.
• Low manganese diets for cows leads to depress or delay oestrus and conception, and to increase abortion.
Requirement:
Cattle: 25 mg/Kg of feed
Source
• Bran and wheat bran, offals.
• Most green foods contain adequate amounts.
• Manganese Salts: Oxide, chloride, carbonate