Effects of Different Trace Elements and Levels on Nutrients and Energy Utilization, Antioxidant Capacity, and Mineral Deposition of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of inorganic trace elements (IEs) and sucrose chelated trace elements (SEs) on the growth performance, nutrients and energy utilization, antioxidant capacity, and mineral deposition in broiler chickens, and the efficiency of IEs replaced by SEs at different levels was also evaluated. A total of 448,21-day-old male Arbor Acres broiler chickens with similar body weights were randomly assigned into 6 dietary treatments (8 cages/treatments) in a complete randomized design. Treatments were a basal diet including 2.0 g/kg of IE (IE-2.0) premix, and SE-2.0, SE-1.5, SE-1.0, SE-0.5, and SE-0 were basal diets in which IEs were replaced by SE premix at 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5, and 0 g/kg, respectively. In general, there was a linear and quadratic decrease in growth performance including average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG), apparent and true availability of nutrients (DM, OM, and CP), GE, trace elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, I, and Se), essential AA (Lys, Met, Arg, His, Phe, Thr, and Val), non-essential AA (Asp, Ser, Glu, Gly, and Cys), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and trace elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn) in the liver, and an increase in feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) and liver malondialdehyde (MDA), with decreasing SE levels (p < 0.05). In conclusion, under the conditions of this experiment, using half of the sucrose chelated trace elements (Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn) instead of inorganic trace elements did not affect the growth performance, nutrients and energy utilization, antioxidant capacity, and liver trace element deposition in broiler chickens.