The chemical characteristics of different sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetate sources and their relative bioavailabilities for broilers fed with a conventional corn-soybean meal diet

Abstract Background Our previous studies demonstrated that divalent organic iron (Fe) proteinate sources with higher complexation or chelation strengths as expressed by the greater quotient of formation (Q f ) values displayed higher Fe bioavailabilities for broilers. Sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetate (NaFeEDTA) is a trivalent organic Fe source with the strongest chelating ligand EDTA. However, the bioavailability of Fe when administered as NaFeEDTA in broilers and other agricultural animals remains untested. Herein, the chemical characteristics of 12 NaFeEDTA products were determined. Of these, one feed grade NaFeEDTA (Q f = 2.07 × 10 8 ), one food grade NaFeEDTA (Q f = 3.31 × 10 8 ), and one Fe proteinate with an extremely strong chelation strength (Fe-Prot ES, Q f value = 8,590) were selected. Their bioavailabilities relative to Fe sulfate (FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O) for broilers fed with a conventional corn-soybean meal diet were evaluated during d 1 to 21 by investigating the effects of the above Fe sources and added Fe levels on the growth performance, hematological indices, Fe contents, activities and gene expressions of Fe-containing enzymes in various tissues of broilers. Results NaFeEDTA sources varied greatly in their chemical characteristics. Plasma Fe concentration (PI), transferrin saturation (TS), liver Fe content, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activities in liver, heart, and kidney, catalase (CAT) activity in liver, and SDH mRNA expressions in liver and kidney increased linearly ( P < 0.05) with increasing levels of Fe supplementation. However, differences among Fe sources were detected ( P < 0.05) only for PI, liver Fe content, CAT activity in liver, SDH activities in heart and kidney, and SDH mRNA expressions in liver and kidney. Based on slope ratios from multiple linear regressions of the above indices on daily dietary analyzed Fe intake, the average bioavailabilities of Fe-Prot ES, feed grade NaFeEDTA, and food grade NaFeEDTA relative to the inorganic FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O (100%) for broilers were 139%, 155%, and 166%, respectively. Conclusions The bioavailabilities of organic Fe sources relative to FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O were closely related to their Q f values, and NaFeEDTA sources with higher Q f values showed higher Fe bioavailabilities for broilers fed with a conventional corn-soybean meal diet.