A recent study by De Grande et al. (2020), entitled: “Dietary zinc source impacts intestinal morphology and oxidative stress in young broilers“, was published in Poultry Science. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the effect of an amino acid-complexed zinc source versus an inorganic zinc source on poultry intestinal health using a performance and digestibility trial.
The trial was conducted using a wheat–rye based diet and one of two supplemental zinc sources at 60 ppm: a zinc amino acid complex or zinc sulphate. The parameters measured were broiler performance, intestinal morphology, microbiota composition, and oxidative stress.
The researchers found the following benefits of supplementation with the zinc amino acid complex:
- improved zinc digestibility;
- a reduction in feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the starter phase of broilers;
- improvements in gut morphology;
- positive changes in the gut microbiota composition; and
- improved oxidative status in broilers.