If you’ve ever bought mineral supplements for your cattle, you’ve probably seen some minerals described as “chelated.” You might have also associated those descriptions with a higher price tag. So, what’s the big deal?
Put simply, a chelated mineral is thought to be more bioavailable to livestock, meaning the body can use it better. This sometimes gets called “protected” in product literature.
Chelated chemicals have been chemically bound into a specific ring structure on the atomic level. These ring structures are called ligands. When chemicals are not chelated, they have open connection points at the molecular level.
These open connections allow other molecules to bind with them. This can happen in the cattle rumen. Depending upon what other molecules bind with the desired mineral, it can be rendered unabsorbable in the small intestines where the animal needs it. These unwanted molecules that can bind with desired minerals are often called antagonists.
The ligand structure, particularly if organic—involving carbon—is thought to improve the absorption rate of trace minerals in ruminants by preventing antagonists bonding to the mineral in the rumen, allowing it safe passage into the small intestine. — WLJ
