The presence of calcium and phosphorus is very important for the animal body since the first mineral represents about 99% of the concentration in bones and the second corresponds to about 80%. It is noteworthy that these minerals also perform important functions in other tissues of the body. Animal organisms primarily require minerals in their diet to maintain their growth and biological functions.
Minerals are present in food and are considered indispensable in the animal body, having structural functions in organs and tissues. Additionally, they can be catalysts and cofactors in hormone and enzyme systems. They are classified into macrominerals and microminerals, the difference being the amount required by the animal's body.
The body needs high amounts of macronutrients to function properly. On the other hand, microminerals are required by the body in smaller amounts.
In this article, you will learn all about calcium and phosphorus. You will also learn what other macro and micro minerals are, apart from the symptoms of calcium and phosphorus deficiency in the body, their important functions, and their interactions. Find out more about the proper relationship. Both are important for the animal's performance. Check this out!
Mineral sources
Before reaching the sources, it is necessary to understand which minerals comprise the macrogroup, that is, those minerals that are required in larger quantities to maintain the proper functioning of the organism. Are they:
Calcium (Ca)
Phosphorus (P)
Potassium (K)
Sodium (Na)
Sulfur (S)
Chlorine (Cl)
Magnesium (Mg)
Microminerals are required by the body in smaller amounts. Find out what they are.
- Iron (Fe)
- Zinc (Zn)
- Copper (Cu)
- Iodine (I)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Cobalt (Co)
- Selenium (Se)
There are three main sources of minerals: animals, vegetables, and rocks. Minerals from animal and vegetable sources are called food, while those from rock sources are called mineral supplements. However, the concentration of minerals in food can vary depending on the soil where the crops were grown and the fertilization that occurred.
Animal calcium sources are restricted in ruminant diets, although among the most well-known are meat and bone meal, poultry viscera, fish, calcined bones, and oysters. When it comes to rock sources, the most well-known are monocalcium, monodicalcium, dicalcium, and tricalcium phosphate.
Both animal and rocky sources of minerals are allowed to be used in the formulation of animal feed for monogastrics, where the amounts to be added vary due to the differences in minerals depending on the source's physical and chemical forms.
Phosphorus supplies are concentrated in Florida, South and North Carolina, the United States of America, Morocco, Israel, and other less typical sources in South America.
Dietary phosphorus of vegetable origin can be consumed in the form of phytic acid, phospholipids, nucleic acids, and other compounds.
The highest concentration of phosphorus is found in the seeds (50 to 70% of the total plant phosphorus) of the plants when compared to the leaf and stem components. The variation in the amount of P depends on factors such as soil, forage species, state of maturity, yield, pasture management, and climate.
Animal byproducts include bone meal, meat meal, fish meal, milk, and its byproducts.
P is mostly found in rocks, and the type most typically utilized in the manufacture of animal supplements in the USA is dicalcium phosphate. However, the palatability of this mineral added to feed should be considered because it varies depending on the source; for example, minerals of animal origin are more palatable than those of stone-like origin.
Due to contamination by other minerals, mainly fluorine, it is recommended that phosphorus from rocky sources be used only for plant production and not for animal production. However, currently, the production of dicalcium phosphate uses phosphoric acid of rock origin, which was previously purified, resulting in acceptable levels of fluorine for addition to animal diets.
What are the effects of a calcium shortage in animals?
If young animals don't get enough calcium, it can lead to problems with bone development, including rickets and slowed growth. Clinical signs can vary widely, from painful and swollen joints to an arched back, lameness, and swelling of the bones at the costochondral junctions (rachitic rosary).
In cows, lower milk production is observed. This may be because the animal is not getting enough calcium, as calcium levels in the plasma should be at 8 mg%. However, studies have shown that giving the cow calcium supplements above its requirements can improve gain or feed efficiency by reducing changes in ruminal pH.
You can still observe hypocalcemia in dairy cows, which results in milk fever or labor paresis. The symptoms of these include excitement, tetany, muscle tremor, food disgust, sternal recumbency, a mucus-free and dry snout, a lower body temperature, and cold extremities with a weak pulse.
What are the effects of phosphorus deficiency?
Cattle, especially grazing cows, are the species that most suffer from phosphorus deficiency. However, poultry and pigs, among non-ruminants, are the most susceptible. In cattle, the categories most sensitive to phosphorus deficiency are young cows with a calf at the foot (they have higher phosphorus requirements), followed by adult cows, growing animals (male and female), animals in finishing, and, finally, animals recently born and weaned (these still have P reserves during lactation).
Weight loss, less appetite, changes in eating habits with a tendency to depravity of appetite, and consumption of unusual food and objects are the main symptoms of phosphorus deficiency in animals, in addition to fractures and bone malformations. More obvious signs can also be observed, such as brittle bones, joint thickening, bent long bones, and thoracic deformities due to severe demineralization. Authors report that loss of appetite is the first sign of P deficiency, resulting in less energy for metabolism, which leads to weight loss, reduced production of meat, milk, and eggs, and lower fertility rates.
The majority of Brazilian soils are poor in phosphorus available for plant production; that is, pastures with P content do not meet the requirements of the plants, which is more pronounced in periods of drought. An example of this is the brachiaria, which in the rainy season have concentrations of 0.13% of P on average, and in the dry season average concentrations of 0.05% to 0.07% in dry matter are observed. P concentrations considered normal are greater than 4.5 mg%.
Animals with phosphorus deficiency have a depraved diet, hence the recommendation to remove corpses or bones present in pastures, as animals, when in contact, can contract toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum and become intoxicated, causing downed cow syndrome. The disease has already caused considerable mortalities and losses in beef cattle.
Importance of controlling the calcium and phosphorus ratio in the diet of animals?
Calcium and phosphorus are the most abundant macrominerals in the animal body; hence, the interaction between these two minerals is critical because calcium concentrations in the diet can interfere with phosphorus metabolism.
Calcium and phosphorus are interconnected in the intestinal tract, in cellular fluids, and in the bone-blood system, so that their metabolisms present similar biological behaviors. For example, when dietary intake of calcium is low, phosphorus absorption from the intestine increases, and vice versa. Calcium and phosphorus are essential for the development and maintenance of bones and teeth.
Cattle have different nutritional requirements depending on what production system they are in, whether it is for maintenance or gain. It is important to know these requirements so that mineral supplement formulations can improve reproductive and productive indices in livestock.
For minerals to be used by the animal body, they must be balanced and provided in adequate amounts in diets, as excesses or deficiencies of minerals can negatively affect the absorption of other nutrients.
Calcium and Phosphorus's Main Functions
The abundance of Ca present in the animal body, around 1.5 to 2.0%, makes it one of the most important minerals. Its highest concentration is found in skeletons, also serving as a calcium reserve in cases of calcemia. This mineral is also found in the intracellular environment, in blood plasma bound to proteins, and in eggs and animal milk. In blood plasma, its ionized form is the most abundant, participating in ossification, enzymatic actions, and neuromuscular excitation.
Ca is related to other minerals that have important functions in the body; for example, when they are combined with phosphorus and magnesium, they participate in plastic functions, that is, they form bone tissue. which involves the conversion of soft tissue into bone tissue. through the accumulation of minerals.
Other important functions of calcium are related to muscle contraction through the coupling of actin and myosin and assisting in the coupling of cardiac electrical and mechanical events (considered a stimulus in the heart's pacemaker cells, which depolarize and are able to do so autonomously).
The control of the entry and exit of substances in the cell is due to the presence of calcium (Ca) in the body, which helps the plasmatic intermembrane transport and maintenance of their stability by binding to transport proteins. Calcium and phosphorus together make up more than 70% of the total mineral matter in the animal body, with 80% of all phosphorus located in the bones and teeth of animals and the other 20% located in red blood cells, muscles, and nervous tissue.
In soft tissues, phosphorus (P) is an important mineral for animal growth. Most of the P present is in organic form, as part of phosphoproteins, phospholipids, and nucleoproteins. Phosphocreatine is an energy deposit, and phosphate hexoses are a constituent of carbohydrate metabolism.
Thus, energy production, hormonal responses, and stimuli for the synthesis and secretion of certain cells and organs involved in reproductive activities are due to the presence of P.
In bone, the participation of P is related to the stiffness of the supporting structures for muscles, and it serves as an important reservoir of calcium and phosphorus in the body, which can be removed during periods of high demand or hypophosphatemia.
Large amounts of phosphorus are needed by the cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen in order to ensure the proper functioning of the digestive system of ruminants. This mineral is also essential for the production and secretion of milk in farm animals, and in birds, it is necessary for the formation of eggs.
Cattle calcium-phosphorus ratio
The relevance of the calcium and phosphorus ratio in the absorption of the two minerals by the body is well established; nevertheless, this ratio is less crucial for beef cattle than for other kinds of animals.
Research has indicated that beef cattle tolerate a Ca:P ratio of up to 7:1 with no harmful effects between them. However, insufficient calcium intake can lead to high levels of metabolic phosphorus excretion due to a lack of calcium for bone calcification, resulting in excess P in the body and the loss of this mineral, as shown by research.
In animal metabolism, phosphorus and dietary calcium are absorbed in a ratio of 2:1 (calcium:phosphorus). This is the most efficient absorption rate and ensures the homeostasis of the two components.
According to NRC (2000) recommendations, calcium and phosphorus requirements are calculated based on daily protein intake, with a protein-to-protein ratio of 7.1 g per 100 g recommended. Calcium and phosphorus: 3.9 g of calcium and phosphorus per 100 grams of protein is recommended. HAPPY FARMING
