Iron (Fe) is a vital trace mineral essential for hemoglobin synthesis, allowing red blood cells to bind oxygen and deliver it throughout the body. This oxygen supply supports energy production, growth, stress response and immune function, including antibody formation to fight infections.
While iron plays many key functions in maintaining animal health and performance, it’s often associated with having pro-oxidant effects on different essential feed components (e.g. vitamins, fatty acids and astaxanthin), affecting fish performance, health and organoleptic properties. Furthermore, iron oversupply in chemical forms that become readily available in the gut can also promote growth of pathogenic bacteria, and compete with other trace minerals for absorption. By choosing iron amino acid complexes, namely Zinpro® Availa® Fe or Zinpro® ProPath® Fe, one can effectively mitigate oxidation of essential nutrients in feed and its sequestration by pathogenic bacteria in the gut.
Boost Productivity with Superior Fe Sources
Recent studies confirm that the source and level of iron included in aqua diets matters, as these considerations can significantly impact animal performance, health and end-product quality.
- Tilapia: A study evaluating diets with 60 or 85 ppm inorganic iron or Zinpro iron showed positive results for tilapia consuming 85 ppm of Zinpro iron. The more bioavailable iron source resulted in a 55% (+20 g) increase in final body weight compared to fish receiving iron sulfate, and greater hemoglobin levels in tilapia fed Zinpro iron.
- European Sea Bass: Multiple studies confirm that balancing diets with Zinpro® Performance Minerals®, including iron, allows for the reduction of fish meal inclusion by 50% (from 20% to 10%). This strategy has shown feed cost savings up to 8%, while maintaining fish performance.
- Shrimp: Substituting inorganic minerals with Zinpro Performance Minerals, including iron significantly improved shrimp performance when included in diets containing 5 or 10% fish meal. The inclusion of Zinpro Performance Minerals instead of inorganic minerals in 5% fish meal diets resulted in a 13% economic advantage. Moreover, adding Zinpro iron solutions to shrimp diets has also been shown to improve shrimp coloration.
Optimizing Iron in Aqua Diets: A Delicate Balance
Maintaining the right balance of iron in aqua diets is essential for optimal health and performance. Too little iron can impair hemoglobin synthesis and weaken immune function. Conversely, excessive iron, especially from lower-quality sources, can promote oxidation of key feed components, negatively affecting fish health, growth and end-product quality. For example, heme-iron rich bloodmeal offers reasonable bioavailability, but it may also contribute to the oxidation of essential nutrients in feed such as vitamins.
Unabsorbed iron in the gut can fuel the growth of pathogenic bacteria, disrupting the microbial balance and compromising animal health.
Inorganic iron sources, such as ferrous sulfate, can also interfere with the absorption of other essential trace minerals, such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn). These minerals often share transport pathways in the intestine, and an excess of inorganic iron can outcompete them, leading to deficiencies even when dietary levels appear sufficient.
Overcoming Iron Formulation Challenges with Performance Minerals
While traditional iron sources often come with trade-offs—oxidative stress, gut microbiome disruption and nutrient antagonism—Zinpro Performance Minerals offer a proven solution that addresses these challenges head-on.
1. Minimizing Pro-Oxidant Effects
Unlike inorganic iron salts, Zinpro Availa Fe and Zinpro ProPath Fe are designed for high bioavailability and stability. Their unique amino acid complexed structure reduces the likelihood of free iron catalyzing oxidation reactions in feed or within the digestive tract.1 This helps preserve sensitive nutrients and ingredients, such as vitamins, fatty acids and pigments such as astaxanthin, ultimately protecting feed quality and fish performance.
2. Supporting a Balanced Gut Microbiome
Because Zinpro iron is efficiently absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract, less unbound iron remains downstream to fuel pathogenic bacteria, which reduces the risk of bacterial overgrowth and inflammation. Zinpro iron solutions have been shown to positively modulate the intestinal microbiome. Nile tilapia research demonstrated that diets supplemented with Zinpro iron significantly increased beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bacillus) by up to 126% while reducing harmful strains like Streptococcus by as much as 96%. This microbial balance supports better nutrient absorption, immune function and overall gut health.2
3. Alleviating Nutrient Antagonism
Zinpro Performance Minerals including Zinpro Availa Fe and Zinpro ProPath Fe are specifically designed to overcome challenges from nutrient antagonism. Their patented amino acid complexed structure allows them to bypass competitive absorption pathways in the gut. This means that Zinpro iron is absorbed more efficiently and with less interference than other trace minerals, ensuring a more balanced and bioavailable mineral profile.
Are You Getting the Full Benefits of Iron in Your Operation?
Whether specifically addressing iron deficiency in your aquatic species or seeking to improve performance with cost-effective nutritional strategies, Zinpro Availa Fe and Zinpro ProPath Fe can help. Our performance iron solutions are backed by more than 50 years of research and trace mineral expertise to help your business grow. To find the right iron source for your system, contact a Zinpro aqua team member today.
FAQ
Not all products are available in all markets. Contact your Zinpro representative for more information.
1 Shurson et al, 2011
2 El-Sayed et al., 2023
