Bone zinc

Tibia bone is one of the most mineralized bones in the skeleton. Tibia zinc concentration is considered as the most appropriate biomarker of Zn status in animal studies. It is less exposed to fluctuation from inflammatory reactions than blood zinc, and more reflective of mineral repletion than liver zinc concentrations. However, experiments to assess the bioavailability of dietary zinc require some methodological constraints. Supplementation levels should be below or at requirements so that homeostatic regulation applies. One first trial supervised by INRAE in Nouzilly (France) showed significantly superior bioavailability of HiZox® compared to zinc sulfate and conventional zinc oxide products (https://animine.eu/research-science-4/ ). These differences were explained by physico-chemical features of ZnO sources (https://animine.eu/research-science-8/ ). Another study with broilers confirmed significant differences in bioavailability between zinc sources.

Source: Cardoso et al, Effect of the physicochemical properties of zinc oxide sources on their bioavailability in broilers, Br Poult Sci 2021 Jun 25;1-6