ANC uses OPTIMIN chelated trace minerals in our vitamin/trace mineral products. Chelated trace minerals are more costly than regular trace minerals, however, the benefits they provide are worth the extra cost. The following is an explanation of the features and benefits of chelates in terms we can all relate to.

There's one minute left in the basketball game, your star player has just fouled out and you have a 1 point lead. You have 3 subs that are eligible to replace your star player. Sub 1 is an inorganic mineral (oxide or sulfate). He's your best ball handler, versatile but has bad eyesight. He often passes the ball to the wrong player. Sub 2 is a complexed mineral. He's well known, protective of the ball, but has small hands. When he stops dribbling, he always palms the ball and it's easy to knock the ball from his hands. Sub 3 is an OPTiMIN® chelated mineral. He's aggressive and he protects the ball well. When he has the ball, he always keeps two hands on it and only releases it to score. When he does release the ball, it ends up in the basket over 87% of the time. Who are you putting into your game?

In the game of dairy nutrition, making a pound of milk is very similar to scoring points. The roster of the team and how they handle the ball (nutrient) is critical to the team's success. We must put the nutrients in the hands of the right player in order to improve the probability that they will be absorbed and utilized. Research has shown that essential trace elements like zinc, manganese and copper dramatically impact profitability by enhancing reproduction, immune function and hoof health.

Our goal is to provide nutrients in the ration through feed and supplements that meet the performance requirements of the animal. The most common sources of trace elements used are oxides and sulfates. However, the odds of these sources consistently improving biological function are less than with organic sources. So what happens when these inorganic minerals are consumed?

Essential trace elements that we supplement exist as ions, complexes or chelates during the digestion process. Inorganic minerals ionize/disassociate very quickly in a fluid environment such as the rumen. When you have free ions/nutrients, they immediately look to react (pass) with the first thing they attract to. If this player (compound) they pass to is digestible to the animal, then that nutrient can go on and be absorbed (score) and utilized by the animal. However, many of the players they will pass to are not digestible to the animal (bad pass). So these reactions just create fertilizer (fouled out of the game). Our goal in dairy nutrition is to make as little fertilizer as possible (fouls) and have as much of the dietary nutrients absorbed and utilized by the animal (points) as possible. Because inorganic trace minerals are so inefficient (bad passers), more are needed to reach our desired performance (win the game). Often times inorganic trace minerals are so inefficient they cannot overcome digestive obstacles and they don't get utilized (score enough) and lose the game.

Organic trace minerals are prepared in such a manner as to pre-bond the essential element to something we know will improve the availability of the mineral. This bond (grip on the ball) helps prevent the nutrient from reacting to something that will tie it up (steal) and contribute to expensive fertilizer. Therefore the animal is more efficient in utilizing (scoring) these nutrients. This allows us to use fewer nutrients (shots) and still perform (3 pointers).

The difficulty in complexing or chelating nutrients is establishing a bond that can survive the harsh environment of the digestive tract. A simple complex like zinc methionine is bonded by a single point of attachment (palming). A chelate, on the other hand has two or more attachment points (two hands) per organic partner. It doesn't take much to knock the basketball free when palming it. However, when you hold onto it with two hands, it's harder to knock loose. It works the same with organics. It takes more energy to free the chelated zinc than it does the complexed zinc (see the diagrams). The end result is a better probability of scoring with OPTiMINS® (higher odds the nutrient will be absorbed and utilized properly).

What does this mean to you? Mississippi State showed 27 fewer days open ($3.00/day x 27 = $81/cow). University of Illinois showed stronger hooves with greater elasticity. University of Florida reduced somatic cell counts by 50% (2 x SCC = 1.5 lbs. milk/day x 305 days x $.12/lb. = $55/cow). To sum up the dairy record of OPTiMINS®: 7 trials averaging 21% improvement in services/conception; 8 trials reducing days open an average of 19.6%; 5 trials improving conception rates an average of 20%; 5 trials reducing somatic cell counts an average of 38.5%. (Slam Dunk). OPTiMINS®, the #1 Chelated Trace Mineral in the animal feeding industry!!!
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