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Micronutrients
TBZC (Tetrabasic Zinc Chloride)
Technical Bulletin |
Zinc is an important essential trace mineral, needed for virtually
all forms of plant and animal life. Basic zinc chloride has
attractive fundamental chemical properties for use in food
and animal feed applications. It is insoluble in water, non-hygroscopic,
unreactive in most foods or feedstuffs, and yet highly bioavailable.
Heritage Technologies, LLC invested three years in research
and development on the applicability of basic zinc chloride
as a source of zinc in nutrition. An important first step
was to develop a robust manufacturing process that would produce
material with:
- A consistent chemical structure
- Consistent chemical and physical properties, and
- Particle size suitable for blending as a food or feed
additive.
Basic
zinc chlorides are normally formed by hydrolysis and precipitation,
resulting in an impure, amorphous product, that is difficult
to wash. Since they are insoluble in water, crystallization
of these salts can only be done from special solvents. Heritage
has developed a crystallization process that results in a
pure, washed, granular product with good handling and blending
properties.
The second product development step involved animal feeding
trials and in vitro tests on how the salt would behave in
use. The enclosures describe several of these studies.
The Micronutrients process produces a crystalline form of
the compound represented by the following empirical formula:
Zn5Cl2(OH)8
This compound is identified as CAS Number 11073-22-6 in its
dehydrated form. A similar monohydrate form of the compound
(CAS 12167-79-2) is stable at low temperature and/or high
humidity and the water is reversibly gained or lost rather
easily. In the field of minerology, the class of similar chemical
compounds is often called zinc hydroxy chloride (hydrate).
Our product name, Micronutrients TBZC refers to a pure, crystalline
form of the specific compound from this class that can be
called Tetrabasic Zinc Chloride.
The following data compares Micronutrients TBZC to reagent
grade zinc sulfate heptahydrate and zinc chloride:
| |
TBZC |
ZnSO4·7H2O |
ZnCl2 |
| Hygroscopicity1
(%wt. Gain in 24 Hrs.@90%RH) |
4.65% |
36.1% |
126.5% |
| Water
Solubility |
0.015 |
21.9 |
201 |
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The
zinc assay of TBZC will range from 58 to 61% depending
on the relative amount of the monohydrate form
in a particular specimen.
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Since the compound is neutral and water insoluble, it has
excellent palatability and very low interaction with other
ingredients in a food mixture compared to zinc chloride, zinc
sulfate or chelated forms of the metal. It has high relative
bioavailability, giving results for RBV in the range of 102
to 107% that of analytical grade zinc sulfate heptahydrate.
Testing in vitro and in weanling pigs has shown better antimicrobial
activity than both zinc sulfate and zinc oxide.
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