Magnesium Deficiency, Requirement and Toxicity in the Young Japanese Quaill B . F . HARLAND, M .
R. SPIVEY F O X AND B . E .
FRY, JR.
Division of Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C. 20204 (Received for publication May 20, 1975)
POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 359-364,
INTRODUCTION
of factors that may influence ItheN studies utilization of an element, it is important to know the animal's requirement and the responses to deficiency and toxicity. In the case of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), most workers have utilized salt mixtures adequate for the chick. Although they were also adequate for the quail, they may have supplied unknown excesses of individual elements. Vohra (1972) recently reported that 150 p.p.m. magnesium was adequate for growth of the young quail and that 500 p.p.m. magnesium was toxic. Both of these levels were considerably lower than corresponding values for the chick (N.R.C., 1971). The characteristic signs of magnesium deficiency vary with species, as reviewed by Scott et al. (1969). When newly hatched 1. Part of this work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association, Morgantown, West Virginia, August 5-9, 1974 (Poultry Sci. 53: 1932, 1974).
1976
chicks received a magnesium deficient diet, they grew slowly, were lethargic and often panted and gasped (Almquist, 1942). They sometimes had convulsions, went into a comatose state and died. Mortality was usually high. A level of 6,000 p.p.m. magnesium in the diet caused reduced growth in young chicks (Chicco et al., 1967) while 6,400p.p.m. caused reduced growth and high mortality (Nugara and Edwards, 1963). Gardiner et al. (1960) obtained no adverse effect with 4,058 p.p.m. magnesium in the diet. The purpose of the present study was to extend the observations of Vohra to additional responses that might be useful for development of a bioassay of magnesium in foodstuffs. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Day-old quail of both sexes from our stock colony were maintained in continuously lighted, heated batteries under conditions to minimize environmental mineral contamination (Jacobs et al., 1969). The birds were
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Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at New York University on May 15, 2015
ABSTRACT Studies of magnesium deficiency, requirement and toxicity in the young Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were conducted. Day-old birds were fed an adequate purified diet containing 35% soy protein to 2 weeks of age. Residual magnesium in the diet without any added magnesium salts was 21 p.p.m. Magnesium was supplied by graded amounts of MgS0 4 to a total of 11 levels ranging from 125 to 2,000 p.p.m. Deficiency signs included poor growth, and occasionally excitability, gasping and convulsions. Most mortality occurred during the first 7 days. The maximum dietary magnesium concentrations that produced the minimal significant deviation from normal values for mortality, body weight, hemoglobin and tibia ash were 225, 200, 250 and 250 p.p.m., respectively. Based on these measurements, 300 p.p.m. magnesium is considered adequate to meet the young quail's requirement under the conditions of these experiments. With 2,000 p.p.m. magnesium, the only adverse effect was an increase in mortality. Between 200 and 1,000 p.p.m. magnesium there was a linear relationship between concentration of magnesium in the tibia and the log of the concentration of dietary magnesium. This suggests that tibia magnesium concentration might be useful for bioassay of magnesium in foodstuffs.
360
B. F. HARLAND, M. R. S. FOX AND B. E. FRY, JR.
Zinc, iron, copper, manganese and magnesium were determined in dietary components. Zinc, iron, manganese and magnesium were determined in tibias that had been wet ashed. To suppress anion interference, the final sample dilutions contained (v./v.) 10% glycerine and 0.7% perchloric acid. By these procedures, values for these elements in the National Bureau of Standards Liver Reference Material fell within the sampling error certified for the liver. The data were statistically evaluated by Student's ttest (Steel and Torrie, 1960).
TABLE 1.—Composition of the magnesium deficient diet1 Amount Ingredient g/kgSoybean protein2 350.0 Glycine, N.R.C.3 5.0 3 DL-methionine 6.0 Salts (no Mg salt)4 57.0 Choline chloride3 2.0 Corn oil5 40.0 Ethoxyquin6 0.1 Glucose monohydrate7 539.9 'The B vitamins were mixed with 10 g. glucose/kg. diet and the fat-soluble vitamins were mixed with 5 g. corn oil/kg. diet. Vitamins were present (mg./kg. diet) as follows: thiamine• HO 8, riboflavin 8, D-calcium pantothenate 40, nicotinic acid 100, pyridoxine • HC1 8, folic acid 3, cyanocobalamin 0.02, biotin 0.6, retinyl acetate 6, menaquinone 1, cholecalciferol 0.02, DL-a-tocopheryl acetate 25, and DL-a-tocopherol 25. 2 One lot of Purina Assay Protein, RP-100, Ralston Purina Co., St. Louis, Mo. 3 General Biochemicals, Inc., Chagrin Falls, Ohio. 4 Except for Mg, the macroelements and I were supplied according to Fox-Briggs Salts (1960). For other elements, the amount added and the dietary total (p.p.m.), respectively, were: Zn 19 and 30; Fe 44 and 100, Cu 0 and 5, Mn 10 and 12 and Se 0.2 and unknown. The Mg-deficient diet contained 21 p.p.m. Mg. Individual powders were prepared from glucose monohydrate and zinc carbonate, ferric citrate (
R. SPIVEY F O X AND B . E .
FRY, JR.
Division of Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C. 20204 (Received for publication May 20, 1975)
POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 359-364,
INTRODUCTION
of factors that may influence ItheN studies utilization of an element, it is important to know the animal's requirement and the responses to deficiency and toxicity. In the case of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), most workers have utilized salt mixtures adequate for the chick. Although they were also adequate for the quail, they may have supplied unknown excesses of individual elements. Vohra (1972) recently reported that 150 p.p.m. magnesium was adequate for growth of the young quail and that 500 p.p.m. magnesium was toxic. Both of these levels were considerably lower than corresponding values for the chick (N.R.C., 1971). The characteristic signs of magnesium deficiency vary with species, as reviewed by Scott et al. (1969). When newly hatched 1. Part of this work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association, Morgantown, West Virginia, August 5-9, 1974 (Poultry Sci. 53: 1932, 1974).
1976
chicks received a magnesium deficient diet, they grew slowly, were lethargic and often panted and gasped (Almquist, 1942). They sometimes had convulsions, went into a comatose state and died. Mortality was usually high. A level of 6,000 p.p.m. magnesium in the diet caused reduced growth in young chicks (Chicco et al., 1967) while 6,400p.p.m. caused reduced growth and high mortality (Nugara and Edwards, 1963). Gardiner et al. (1960) obtained no adverse effect with 4,058 p.p.m. magnesium in the diet. The purpose of the present study was to extend the observations of Vohra to additional responses that might be useful for development of a bioassay of magnesium in foodstuffs. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Day-old quail of both sexes from our stock colony were maintained in continuously lighted, heated batteries under conditions to minimize environmental mineral contamination (Jacobs et al., 1969). The birds were
359
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at New York University on May 15, 2015
ABSTRACT Studies of magnesium deficiency, requirement and toxicity in the young Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were conducted. Day-old birds were fed an adequate purified diet containing 35% soy protein to 2 weeks of age. Residual magnesium in the diet without any added magnesium salts was 21 p.p.m. Magnesium was supplied by graded amounts of MgS0 4 to a total of 11 levels ranging from 125 to 2,000 p.p.m. Deficiency signs included poor growth, and occasionally excitability, gasping and convulsions. Most mortality occurred during the first 7 days. The maximum dietary magnesium concentrations that produced the minimal significant deviation from normal values for mortality, body weight, hemoglobin and tibia ash were 225, 200, 250 and 250 p.p.m., respectively. Based on these measurements, 300 p.p.m. magnesium is considered adequate to meet the young quail's requirement under the conditions of these experiments. With 2,000 p.p.m. magnesium, the only adverse effect was an increase in mortality. Between 200 and 1,000 p.p.m. magnesium there was a linear relationship between concentration of magnesium in the tibia and the log of the concentration of dietary magnesium. This suggests that tibia magnesium concentration might be useful for bioassay of magnesium in foodstuffs.
360
B. F. HARLAND, M. R. S. FOX AND B. E. FRY, JR.
Zinc, iron, copper, manganese and magnesium were determined in dietary components. Zinc, iron, manganese and magnesium were determined in tibias that had been wet ashed. To suppress anion interference, the final sample dilutions contained (v./v.) 10% glycerine and 0.7% perchloric acid. By these procedures, values for these elements in the National Bureau of Standards Liver Reference Material fell within the sampling error certified for the liver. The data were statistically evaluated by Student's ttest (Steel and Torrie, 1960).
TABLE 1.—Composition of the magnesium deficient diet1 Amount Ingredient g/kgSoybean protein2 350.0 Glycine, N.R.C.3 5.0 3 DL-methionine 6.0 Salts (no Mg salt)4 57.0 Choline chloride3 2.0 Corn oil5 40.0 Ethoxyquin6 0.1 Glucose monohydrate7 539.9 'The B vitamins were mixed with 10 g. glucose/kg. diet and the fat-soluble vitamins were mixed with 5 g. corn oil/kg. diet. Vitamins were present (mg./kg. diet) as follows: thiamine• HO 8, riboflavin 8, D-calcium pantothenate 40, nicotinic acid 100, pyridoxine • HC1 8, folic acid 3, cyanocobalamin 0.02, biotin 0.6, retinyl acetate 6, menaquinone 1, cholecalciferol 0.02, DL-a-tocopheryl acetate 25, and DL-a-tocopherol 25. 2 One lot of Purina Assay Protein, RP-100, Ralston Purina Co., St. Louis, Mo. 3 General Biochemicals, Inc., Chagrin Falls, Ohio. 4 Except for Mg, the macroelements and I were supplied according to Fox-Briggs Salts (1960). For other elements, the amount added and the dietary total (p.p.m.), respectively, were: Zn 19 and 30; Fe 44 and 100, Cu 0 and 5, Mn 10 and 12 and Se 0.2 and unknown. The Mg-deficient diet contained 21 p.p.m. Mg. Individual powders were prepared from glucose monohydrate and zinc carbonate, ferric citrate (
