Synthesis and identification of zinc-methionine and its effect on performance, blood metabolites, tibia characteristics and small intestine morphology of broiler chickens

In this experiment, the effect of two types of zinc-methionine (Zn-Met) chelate on performance and bone characteristics of broiler chickens were considered in a completely randomized design, using 490 Ross-308 broiler chickens (one-d-old, mixed sexes) with 7 treatments, 5 replicates and 14 birds in each replicate. Treatment consisted of: 1) control (basal diet), 2-4) control + 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg Zn-Meth of Zin-Pro® respectively and 5-7), control + 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg zn-Met synthetized by Ilam University. Results showed that as compared to group, none of zn-Met source had significant effect on broiler chickens feed intake, body weight, FCR and EPEF, carcass and breast and thigh percentages, serum glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and Ca concentrations, activity of Alkaline phosphatase, Aspartate transaminase and Alanine aminotransferase enzymes and tibia characteristics including weight, dry matter and ash percentages, length, width and diameter and P and Ca percentages (P < 0.05) while broilers fed diet containing Zn-Meth had higher serum and tibia Zn concentration, higher villous height and villous height to crypt depth ratio and lower villous width in ileum and jejunum as compared to negative control group (P < 0.05). Generally, both of the chelates had similar effects on broiler chicken’s performance, small intestine morphology and tibia traits and Iranian kind of Zn-Meth has capability to substitution with foreign source of it although needs to further investigations.