Studies on Safety and Efficiency of the Dietary Use of Natural Zeolite in Animal Nutrition

Zeolites are crystalline, hydtared aluminosilicates of alkali and alkaline earth cations, consisting of three-dimensional frameworks of SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedra linked through the shared oxygen atoms. Both naturaland synthetic zeolites are porous materials, characterized by the ability to lose and gain water reversibley, to adsorb molecules of appropriate cross-sectional diameter and to exchange their constituent cations without major change of their structure (ion-exchange property). The exploitation of these properties underlines the use of zeolites in a wide range of industrial and agricultural applications and particularly in animal nutrition since mid-1960s. The wide range of application of zeolites is based on their physicochemical properties. In particular, the basis of interest in the biological effects of zeolites concerns characteristics such as ion exchange capacity, adsorption and related molecular sieve properties. The first review on the effect of natural zeolites on animal production was presented by Mumpton and Fishman (1977)[1]. Research data reported in the published literature provide evidence of a growth promoting effect when zeolites are used as additives in animal nutrition [2]. The extent of these beneficial effects seems to be related to the species and the geographical sources of the involved zeolites, its purity and physiochemical properties, as well as the supplemental level used in the diets

کلیدواژه ها:

Natural zeolite ، Safety ، Animal ، Nutrition ، Efficiency