• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.12
• /
• pp.1885-1895
• /
• 2020

Vitamins and minerals categorized as micronutrients are the essential components of animal feed for maintaining health and improving immunity. Micronutrients are important bioactive molecules and cofactors of enzymes as well. Besides being cofactors for enzymes, some vitamins such as the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin A and D have been shown to exhibit hormone-like functions. Although they are required in small amount, they play an influential role in the proper functioning of a number of enzymes which are involved in many metabolic, biochemical and physiological processes that contribute to growth, production and health. Micronutrients can potentially have a positive impact on bone health, preventing bone loss and fractures, decreasing bone resorption and increasing bone formation. Thus, micronutrients must be provided to livestock in optimal concentrations and according to requirements that change during the rapid growth and development of the animal and the production cycle. The supply of nutrients to the animal body not only depends on the amount of the nutrient in a food, but also on its bioavailability. The bioavailability of these micronutrients is affected by several factors. Therefore, several technologies such as nanoparticle, encapsulation, and chelation have been developed to improve the bioavailability of micronutrients associated with bone health. The intention of this review is to provide an updated overview of the importance of micronutrients on bone health and methods applied to improve their bioavailability.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.340-345
• /
• 2001

High rates of nitrogen fertilization dangerously increase the nitrate content of vegetable crops, and the accumulation of nitrate in edible crops is undesirable because of potential risks to human health. Micronutrient solution containing Cu, Mn, Mo, Zn was tested for the suppression of nitrate accumulation in lettuce grown in pots treated with Mg fertilizer under a greenhouse condition. The micronutrient solution was sprayed on leaves at 3 and 4 weeks after transplanting of 20-day old seedlings. Plants were harvested after 5-week growth, and yield, contents of chlorophyll, sugar, micronutrient and nitrate, and also nitrate reductase activity were measured. Fresh weight of lettuce was significantly increased by the application of Mg and micronutrients, and the effect was the most significant in the Mg+micronutrient treatment. Also contents of chlorophyll and micronutrients were higher in the plants of micronutrient treatments. Contents of nitrate were reduced by about 14-18% in lettuce with Mg and/or micronutrient applications. Compared to the plants of control treatment, nitrate reductase activity was also higher in those plants treated with micronutrients, and in the treatment of Mg+micronutrients the enzyme activity was six times as high as that of control treatment. Although the effect of mineral nutrients on the suppression of nitrate accumulation in lettuce was relatively small in this study, an appropriate supply of mineral nutrients could be one of the solutions for the nitrate accumulation in vegetables.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.207-217
• /
• 2015

Skin is the first line of defense for protecting our bodies against external perturbations, including ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, mechanical/chemical stress, and bacterial infection. Nutrition is one of many factors required for the maintenance of overall skin health. An impaired nutritional status alters the structural integrity and biological function of skin, resulting in an abnormal skin barrier. In particular, the importance of micronutrients (such as certain vitamins and minerals) for skin health has been highlighted in cell culture, animal, and clinical studies. These micronutrients are employed not only as active compounds in therapeutic agents for treating certain skin diseases, but also as ingredients in cosmetic products. Here, the author describes the barrier function of the skin and the general nutritional requirements for skin health. The goal of this review is to discuss the potential roles and current knowledge of selected micronutrients in skin health and function.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.240-245
• /
• 2001

Suppression of nitrate accumulation in vegetables through foliar application of micronutrients was investigated. Spinach and lettuce were grown in pots under greenhouse condition. Micronutrient solutions containing Cu, Mn, Mo, and Zn were used; chitosan was added into one and the other contained chitosan oligomers. The micronutrient solutions were sprayed on the leaves at 3 and 4 weeks after transplanting of 20-day-old seedlings. Plants were harvested at 5-weeks after transplanting. Yield, contents of chlorophyll, Brix value, micronutrient, and nitrate, and nitrate reductase activity were measured. Fresh weights of lettuce and spinach were significantly increased by the foliar application of micronutrients. Contents of chlorophyll and micronutrients were higher in micronutrient-treated plants, while those of nitrate were reduced by about 10 and 14-23% in lettuce and spinach, respectively. Compared to the control plants, nitrate reductase activity was higher in plants treated with micronutrients. Results of this study indicate the effect of micronutrients on the suppression of nitrate accumulation was relatively small in comparison to the contents of nitrate in leaves of spinach and lettuce. To maximize the effect, nutrient composition in solution, application time, and frequency should be further examined, taking into consideration nitrogen level in soil and other environmental factors including light condition.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.429-434
• /
• 2018

Extractable iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) contents and their distribution with depths in soils of forested and adjacent deforested areas at Jahazpura, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar of Bangladesh were studied. The soils under forest showed higher levels of DTPA-extractable micronutrients in all three layers of soil in comparison to those of the deforested areas. The differences between forested and deforested sites were, in most cases, significant.. The top soils of forested sites had the higher contents of micronutrient and generally decreased with depth in forested soils, while there was no regular trend of distribution in deforested soils. The study also revealed that contents of extractable Fe, Mn and Cu were sufficient in all depths and sites but Zn was deficient in bottom layer of forested and all three layers of deforested sites. The results suggested that organic matter, clay and soil pH could play important roles in concentrations and distributions of micronutrients in soils of the study areas.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.259-268
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Zinc deficiency can induce serious clinical problems in the gastrointestinal (GI) system and immune system and can affect growth and development. It is more severe in younger patients. Chronic zinc deficiency is reflected more precisely in hair than in serum. We studied hair zinc levels and other hair and serum micronutrients in chronic malnourished children to identify which micronutrients are affected or correlated with the other ones. Methods: Hair mineral analyses were performed in 56 children (age, 1-15 years) presenting with malnutrition, poor growth, poor appetite, anorexia, with/without other GI symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation) from August 2012 to March 2015. Biochemical studies for macronutrients and major micronutrients were also conducted. Results: Hair zinc deficiency was diagnosed in 88%, and serum zinc deficiency was diagnosed in 55% of the children. There was no statistical correlation between serum and tissue zinc level. Hair zinc levels were highly correlated with serum vitamin D (r=-0.479, p=0.001), which also showed correlation with hair levels of magnesium and calcium. (r=0.564, 0.339, p=0.001, 0.011). Hair calcium level was correlated with serum pre-albumin (r=0.423, p=0.001). These correlations may explain the phenomenon that the major clinical manifestation of zinc deficiency is poor body growth. Clinical symptoms were resolved in most children after zinc supplementation. Conclusion: Hair zinc and mineral analyses are useful as a therapeutic guide in the clinical investigation of children with malnutrition and poor growth.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.85-95
• /
• 1995

This study was conducted to investigate the immune response of layers fed diets supplemented with excess micronutrients, i.e., vitamin A, methionine, Zn, Cu, and Fe to the inoculation of Newcastle disease vaccine(NDV) or infectious bronchitis vaccine(IBV). The antibody titer against the NDV increased immediately after the inoculation and stayed high during the next 6 wk. On the other hand, The antibody titer against the IBV increased after 4 wk of inoculation The IgM level increased rapidly after 1 wk of NDV inoculation, however, it decreased after 5 wk of inoculation. The IgA displayed similar pattern to that of IgM in response to NDV inoculation. The pattern of IgM change after IBV inoculation was similar to that when layers were treated with NDV. However, IgA level changed earlier than did IgM. The IgG response to the NDV and IBV was very weak compared to the other immune responses. The excess supplementation of micronutrients to the diets of layers inoculated with NDV elicited favorable antibody titer and immune response compared to the layers fed the control diet. The excess Zn, however, allowed the layers to have higher antibody titer for the 4-wk period after NDV injection: after that they showed no effect of extra-Zn. The immune responses of layers fed excess vitamin A, Cu, methionine, and Fe were markedly higher in IgA and IgG than the control layers. The excess Zn, however, did not bring about any favorable result. No difference was detected in IgG level between control and micronutrients-treated groups.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.128-134
• /
• 2009

For children, voluntary addition of micronutrients to foods must be done without health risk to any of them. This study examined safe maximum levels of vitamin A and C, and calcium for children based on nutrient intake data from the 2001-2002 and 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in Korea, while using the safe strategy for addition of micronutrients to foods suggested by EU. For the respective 2001-2002 and 2005 NHANES data proportions of potentially fortifiable energy intake ranged 0.36-0.40 and 0.31-0.34 and the $95^{th}$ percentile intake of energy were 2,325-3,296 kcal and 2,286-3,814 kcal depending upon age groups. Ninety-fifth percentile intake levels of vitamin A were over or close to UL, even without considering supplement intake for some age groups, which suggest that vitamin A fortification to foods required further consideration. For calcium, 12-14 year old children were the most sensitive group for excessive intake and nutrient fortification to foods. In these children, maximum levels for fortification were 242-290 mg and 484-580 mg with 0.135 and 0.068 proportions of fortified food (PFF) assumed, respectively, without considering calcium intake from supplements. With consideration of calcium intake from both diet and supplement, the maximum levels for fortification were 20-36% of those without supplement intake. The maximum fortification levels of vitamin C were the lowest in 3-5 year old children, showing 77-187 mg and 68-164 mg with and without supplement intake, respectively. These results suggest that the model used for risk assessment in this study can be used to help risk managers to set maximum levels for safe addition of micronutrients to foods.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.385-397
• /
• 2012

A pot experiment was carried out to examined the effect of electrolyzed micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Sr, Se, Sn, Co, Ti, and V) solution treatments with nutrient solution and SCB slurry on the mineral content and growth of tomato in cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). The treatment of nutrient solution (NS)+micronutrients solution (MS) significantly increased the concentrations of Li, Zn, Sr, Se, Ti as compared with that of NS alone in the cherry tomato fruits, and SCB+MS solution treatment significantly increased Li, Zn, Se, Co, Sr, and Ti contents as compared with SCB treatment. The micronutrient contents of MN+SCB+MS treatment were significantly higher in Li, Zn, Se, Co and in Ti than those of SCB and NS treatment, respectively. The growth and yield of cherry tomato fruits was highest with NS treatment. The yield indices of cherry tomato treated with NS+MS treatment and SCB+NS+MS were 97% and 94% of NS treatment. In conclusion, it seems to be possible to produce micronutrient-fortified cherry tomato by the mixed treatment of electrolyzed micronutrients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.387-393
• /
• 2012

Objectives: Even though several epidemiological studies have observed positive associations between blood lead levels and homocysteine, no study has examined whether this association differs by the levels of micronutrients, such as folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, which are involved in the metabolism of homocysteine. In this study, we examined the interactions between micronutrients and blood lead on homocysteine levels. Methods: This study was performed with 4089 adults aged ${\geq}20$ years old in the US general population using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004. Results: There were significant or marginally significant interactions between micronutrients and blood lead levels on mean homocysteine levels. Positive associations between blood lead and homocysteine were clearly observed among subjects with low levels of folate or low vitamin B6 (p-trend <0.01, respectively). However, in the case of vitamin B12, there was a stronger positive association between blood lead and homocysteine among subjects with high levels of vitamin B12, compared to those with low levels of vitamin B12. In fact, the levels of homocysteine were already high among subjects low in vitamin B12, irrespective of blood lead levels. When we used hyperhomocysteinemia (homocysteine>15 ${\mu}mol/L$) as the outcome, there were similar patterns of interaction, though p-values for each interaction failed to reach statistical significance. Conclusions: In the current study, the association between blood lead and homocysteine differed based on the levels of folate, vitamin B6, or vitamin B12 present in the blood. It may be important to keep sufficient levels of these micronutrients to prevent the possible harmful effects of lead exposure on homocysteine levels.