Following a request
from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances
used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the
potential reduction of the currently authorised maximum zinc content in
complete feed (250 mg Zn/kg for pet animals, 200 mg Zn/kg for fish and milk
replacer and 150 mg Zn/kg for other animal species).
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| Two Cows (Photo credit: Martin Gommel) |
To improve the
available information on the use of zinc in animal nutrition, EFSA launched a
call for data to EU Member States and EEA/EFTA countries and to stakeholders.
The data submitted were used in the current Scientific Opinion.
Zinc in the form of
its divalent metal ion, Zn2+, is nutritionally essential for all
living organisms. The total amount of zinc in the human body is 2-3 g and its
concentrations in tissues are about the same in all mammals. Virtually all its
functions are in proteins, in which it is a catalytic, structural, or
regulatory cofactor.
A critical review
of (i) the zinc requirements of food-producing and pet animals, (ii) the zinc
concentration of feed materials and (iii) the calculated background zinc
concentration of complete feed supports the possibility of a considerable
reduction of the currently authorised maximum concentration for total zinc in
feed. The FEEDAP Panel developed, based on an approximation using zinc
requirements and background data, potential new maximum contents, which could
replace the current ones. The newly proposed total maximum contents are: 150 mg
Zn/kg complete feed for piglets, sows, rabbits, salmonids, cats and dogs; 120
mg Zn/kg complete feed for turkeys for fattening; 100 mg Zn/kg complete feed
for all other species and categories. The use of phytase, either from
endogenous source or from a feed additive, in feeding piglets, pigs for
fattening and sows would allow a further reduction of the newly proposed total
maximum contents by 30 % (from 150 to 110 mg Zn/kg feed for piglets and sows
and from 100 to 70 mg Zn/kg feed for pigs for fattening).
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| Portrait of a tabby queen (Domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The newly proposed total maximum contents
ensure health, welfare and productivity of the target species. The newly
proposed total maximum contents do not affect consumer safety. The FEEDAP Panel
expects that the introduction of the newly proposed total maximum contents,
provided they are applied in feeding practices, would result in an overall
reduction of zinc emissions from animal production of about 20 %.
Read more here ...
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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