MINERALS UPDATED

• Calcium (Ca)

  Functions: 

  • Structural material for bone and teeth (w/ phosphorus and magnesium) 
  • Transmission of nerve impulses 
  • Muscle contraction 
  • Necessary for blood clotting 
  • Controls permeability of cells
• Calcium (Ca)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Tetany and milk fever 
  • Rickets 
  • Osteomalacia
• Phosphorus (P) 

  Functions: 

  • Formation of teeth and bone. 
  • Blood buffering. 
  • Carbohydrate metabolism (hexose and triose-phosphates or as inorganic phosphates) 
  • Component of phospholipid, nucleic acids and nucleotides.
  • Transfer of energy in muscular contraction (AMP, ADP, ATP - provide available energy to muscles).
• Phosphorus (P) 

  Deficiency symptoms:

  • With Ca, it is involved in rickets, osteomalacia 
  • Depraved appetite - bone and wood chewing 
  • Poor feed utilization
  • Low feed consumption 
  • Emaciation 
  • Reproductive failures and less production
• Potassium (K)

  Functions:

  • electrolyte and in water balance; found as an intracellular ion.
  • w/ magnesium, it is an activator for the metabolic enzyme pyruvic kinase and used to activate choline acetylase in resynthesis with acetylcholine
  •  In muscle contraction and transmission of nerve impulses
• Potassium (K)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Difficult to describe, other than effects on growth rate and production of spasms or tetany experimentally.
• Sodium (Na)

  Functions: 

  • Osmotic pressure regulation 
  • prevent the inward flow of its pure solvent across a semipermeable membrane
  • Basic element in regulating neutrality of blood 
  • Promotes feed consumption 
  • Control of water metabolism 
  • Transmission of nerve impulses
• Sodium (Na)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Retarded growth, loss in weight, appetite, rough coat, dull eyes 
  • Reproductive failures 
  • Decreased protein and energy utilization 
  • Cannibalism in hens 
  • Reduce urine excretion and plasma volume; increased blood viscosity, peripheral circulation collapse 
  • Craving for salt indicated by licking wood, eating soil or sweat
  • Pica- eating things not considered as food
• Chlorine (Cl)

  Functions:

  • w/ sodium, involved in regulation of osmotic pressure and acid base balance 
  • Chief anion in gastric juice 
  • Chloride shift - important in the carriage of CO2, in the blood
  • Major electrolyte in controlling the solubility of proteins such as globulin
• Chlorine (Cl)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Abdominal cramps 
  • Weakness Rapid weight loss 
  • Cardiovascular disturbances 
  • Cerebral edema which causes mental confusion and collapse of circulatory function
• Magnesium (Mg)

  Functions: 

  • Required for bone formation 
  • Activation of enzymes concerned in carbohydrate metabolism. 
  • In extracellular fluids, it complements with calcium for formation of choline esterase and function in muscle contraction
• Magnesium (Mg)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Grass tetany (hypomagnesemia) or grass staggers; head retraction 
  • Due to low Mg content in grass fed to animals
  • Reddening of the skin
  • Loosening of teeth and changes in gums
• Sulfur (S)

  Functions: 

  • Component of chondroitin sulfate which with protein is the cement substance of bone and cartilage - the requirement is rather large 
  • Component of methionine, cystine and cysteine
  • Biotin and thiamine contain sulfur
• Sulfur (S)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Poor appetite
  • Loss of wool
  • Lacrimation 
  • Salivation 
  • Weakness 
  • Emaciation
• Microminerals

  • Co, I, Mn, Zn, F, Se, Fe, Cu, Mo, Cr, Ni, V, Si
• Macrominerals

  • Ca, P, K, Na, Cl, Mg, S
• Cobalt (Co)

  Functions: 

  • Part of the molecule of vitamin B12. 
  • Activator of peptidases
• Cobalt (Co)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Loss of appetite 
  • Propionic acid accumulation due to lack of vitamin B12. 
  • Reduced production 
  • Dry, harsh and lusterless coat 
  • Pale mucous membranes 
  • Rapid pulse and breathing upon exercise 
  • Constipation in some cases and diarrhea in others 
  • General emaciation
  • Anemia
• Iodine (I)

  Functions: 

  • Necessary for the formation of thyroxine (tetraiodothyronine) 
  • Necessary for the proper development of the thyroid gland in developing fetus
• Iodine (I)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Enlarged thyroid gland 
  • Slowing of metabolism, development and maturation of all tissues is affected 
  • Development of hair, fur and feathers is decreased. 
  • Abnormal fetal development and may result in stillborn (dead at birth) that are hairless 
  • Reproduction performance in adults is affected by degeneration of testis or lack of sperm production. Fetus may be resorbed.
  • The production of eggs is reduced with low hatchability.
• Manganese (Mn)

  Functions: 

  • many enzyme systems such as bone phosphatase and decarboxylase 
  • Activator for some peptidases, muscle ATPase, arginase and choline esterase (stops acetyl coA)
• Manganese (Mn)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Affects reproduction by delayed sexual maturity, irregular ovulation, young born weak or dead with little milk production in the dam. 
  • Is a factor in the slipped tendon syndrome noted in young chicks in which the hock joint swells and tendon slips from the groove pulling the leg to one side. 
  • Bone defects have been noted in other animals as well, resulting in crooked and poorly deformed Timbs, knuckled-over shoulders
• Zinc (Zn)

  Functions: 

  • Has a wide role in many enzyme systems:
  • carbonic anhydrase (in red cells) 
  • Carboxypeptidase (in pancreas) 
  • alcohol and glutamic dehydrogenase ( in pancreas and liver)
  • lactic dehydrogenase (in the muscles) 
  • Constituent of insulin
• Zinc (Zn)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Poor growth of animal and of hair, wool or feathers Alopecia or parakeratosis
  •  Dermatitis 
  • Thickening of hocks and bones 
  • Sterility of males and testicular degeneration 
  • Respiration may be abnormal 
  • Appetite may be depressed or abnormal such as wool eating in sheep (trichophagia)
  • Anemia
• Fluorine (F)

  Functions: 

  • Levels of 1.0-1.5 ppm are considered helpful for development of teeth and bone with lowest incidence of dental caries.
  • The beneficial effect of fluorine in preventing dental caries is attributed to the inhibition of acid- forming enzymes or in making enamel (hardest substance in the body) more resistant to bacterial attack.
• Fluorine (F)

  Deficiency symptoms:

  • Excessive intakes are more of a concern than are deficiencies in livestock production because of its presence in high levels in the drinking water and forages of certain areas 
  • If present in excess, teeth and bones become brittle.
• Selenium (Se)

  Functions: 

  • Assists in preventing muscular dystrophy 
  • Curing some symptoms of exudative diathesis in chicks. 
  • Component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase.
• Selenium (Se)

  Deficiency symptoms:

  • Similar to those of vit E deficiency 
  • White muscle disease in lambs and calves
  • Retained placenta in cows 
  • Heart failure 
  • Paralysis
  • Poor growth
  • Low fertility
  • Liver necrosis
  • Pancreatic fibrosis
• Iron (Fe)

  Functions: 

  • Component of hemoglobin and myoglobin
  • Component of many enzymes especially those acting in transfer of hydrogen or electrons such as cytochromes, cytochrome oxidase, some flavoproteins and xanthine oxidase
• Iron (Fe)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Nutritional anemia 
  • Thumps in swine, heartbeat rapid, run-down condition with swelling and head, shoulders, wrinkled flabby skin.
  • Less cytochrome C, myoglobin, ferritin in tissues.
  • Pale mucous membranes, loss of pigment in feathers. 
  • Poor disease resistance.

  Cement disease - iron deficiency in pigs with no access to dirt.
• Copper (Cu)

  Functions: 

  • Along with iron, copper is essential for hemoglobin formation 
  • Function in some of the enzyme systems. 
  • Prosthetic group of the respiratory pigments hemocyanins - for marine forms of life. 
  • Component of plants and animal enzymes and proteins such as the flavo-proteins involved in electron transfer.
• Copper (Cu)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Steely string in sheep - characterized by loss of crimp and breaks in fleece, no elasticity. 
  • Swayback disease - incoordination in locomotion, especially hind legs. 
  • Scours - complicated with excess molybdenum.
  • Sudden death - falling disease in Australia, calves appear to stand on toes, fibrosis of myocardia, less cytochrome oxidase. 
  • Depigmentation of hair - no conversion of tyrosine to melanin
• Molybdenum (Mo)

  Functions: 

  • Component of some enzyme systems (e.g. phosphate metabolism)
• Molybdenum (Mo)

  Deficiency symptoms: 

  • Scours 
  • Weight loss
  • Disturbed metabolism
  • Reproductive failure 
  • Bone abnormalities
• Chromium (Cr)

  Functions:

  • Involved in glucose metabolism; enhances action of insulin\
• Nickel (Ni)

  Functions: 

  Glucose metabolism; factor for the activity of dehydrogenases, transaminases and alpha-amylase
• Vanadium (V)

  Functions:

  • Lymphocyte activation
  • Glucose metabolism (increase insulin sensitivity)
  • Amino acid metabolism 
  • Calcium influx associated with the beat to beat control of the force of contraction in atria. 
  • Body enzymes - activation of adenylate cyclase.
• Silicon (Si)

  Functions: 

  Involved in bone and cartilage formation; collagen and glycosaminoglycan formation