Prevention of Zinc Deficiency in Swine by Feeding Blood Meal

Abstract

Two experiments involving 76 weanling pigs were conducted to determine the effect of a histidine-rich protein (blood meal) on the zinc-deficiency syndrome in weanling pigs. A high-calcium, corn-soybean meal diet produced severe zinc deficiency. Twenty percent blood meal added at the expense of corn prevented substantial skin lesions, maintained normal serum alkaline phosphatase activity and maintained normal serum, bone and liver zinc concentrations. Blood meal did not increase the zinc content of the diet (i.e., it contained about the same amount of zinc as did corn). Ten percent blood meal caused a response in the same direction as 20% blood meal, but its effect was not as pronounced. One hundred ppm supplemental zinc prevented all signs of zinc deficiency except mild, transient skin lesions. The zinc present in the blood meal diets appeared to be more available than the zinc present in the non-blood meal diets. However, high histidine content of blood meal diets may have alleviated certain signs (parakeratosis) of zinc deficiency by a mechanism other than increasing zinc availability. Copyright © 1972. American Society of Animal Science. Copyright 1972 by American Society of Animal Science.