Inorganic and Organic Minerals Supplementation on Growth Performance, Blood Parameters and Growth-Related Gene Expression In Friesian Steers

This study evaluated the effects of inorganic and organic minerals supplementation (Zn, Cu, Mg) on growth performance, serum biomarkers, and growth-related gene expression in Friesian calves. Twenty-four calves (120–150 kg) were divided into four groups: control (G1, basal diet), 100% inorganic minerals (G2), 50% organic/inorganic minerals (G3), and 100% organic amino acid-bound minerals (G4). The experiment continued from the age of 11 months and the experiment continued until the age of 18 months., body weight, average daily gain (ADG), serum hormones (GH, IGF-1, T3), and gene expression [growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), IGF2, and myosin heavy chain (MHC)] were analyzed. Calves receiving 100% organic minerals (G4) had recorded the highest final body weight (486.67±10.5 kg) and cumulative ADG (1.444±0.05 kg/day), surpassing the control (G1) by 17.7% and 31.9%, respectively (p<0.05). G3 closely matched G4 in weight (470.00±9.8 kg) and ADG (1.363±0.05 kg/day), demonstrating 94% efficacy relative to G4 (p>0.05). G2 showed intermediate gains but lagged behind organic groups. Serum IGF-1 and GH concentrations were recorded the highest value in G4 (236.5±4.9 ng/mL; 36.28±1.2 ng/mL), correlating with reduced urea-N (34.2±1.3 mg/dL) and beta-hydroxybutyrate (0.65±0.007 mmol/L), indicative of enhanced metabolic efficiency (p<0.05). Gene expression analysis revealed hierarchical up regulation of growth-related genes (G4 > G3 > G2 > G1). G4 had exhibited the highest fold increases in GH, IGF1, and MHC. These findings demonstrated that the organic minerals supplementation enhances growth performance. The 50% organic/inorganic strategy offers a viable, economical alternative for optimizing ruminant productivity.