Table 5. Effects of different dietary copper (Cu) sources and levels on mineral concentrations (mg/L) in serum of growing pigs (n = 6/treatment).
| Cu source | Added Cu level (mg/kg) | Cu | Fe | Zn | P | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CuSO4 | 0 | 1.49 | 2.04 | 0.53a | 123.81b | 883.80c |
| 50 | 1.64 | 2.50 | 0.52a | 119.97b | 904.06c | |
| 100 | 1.64 | 1.81 | 0.50ab | 125.54b | 907.96c | |
| CuAA | 0 | 1.49 | 2.04 | 0.53a | 123.81b | 883.80c |
| 50 | 1.68 | 1.14 | 0.45b | 125.99b | 927.88c | |
| 100 | 1.56 | 2.06 | 0.48ab | 133.53b | 941.55bc | |
| CuHMB | 0 | 1.49 | 2.04 | 0.53a | 123.81b | 883.80c |
| 50 | 1.70 | 2.26 | 0.45b | 162.38a | 1,067.39b | |
| 100 | 1.70 | 1.17 | 0.46b | 182.12a | 1,206.14a | |
| SEM | 0.09 | 0.43 | 0.02 | 5.30 | 28.96 | |
| p-value for source × level | 0.255 | 0.287 | 0.002 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | |
| Main effect of source | ||||||
| CuSO4 | 1.59 | 2.12 | 0.52 | 123.11b | 898.60b | |
| CuAA | 1.57 | 1.71 | 0.49 | 127.78b | 917.74b | |
| CuHMB | 1.63 | 1.81 | 0.48 | 156.10a | 1,052.44a | |
| SEM | 0.05 | 0.26 | 0.01 | 4.49 | 24.55 | |
| p-value for source | 0.729 | 0.520 | 0.097 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | |
| Main effect of level | ||||||
| 0 | 1.49b | 2.04 | 0.53a | 123.81b | 883.80b | |
| 50 | 1.67a | 1.97 | 0.47b | 136.11ab | 966.44ab | |
| 100 | 1.63ab | 1.66 | 0.48b | 147.06a | 1,018.55a | |
| SEM | 0.05 | 0.25 | 0.01 | 5.23 | 26.40 | |
| p-value for level | 0.026 | 0.558 | 0.004 | 0.011 | 0.003 | |
Values with different superscripts in the same column are significantly different (p < 0.05).
CuSO4, copper sulfate; CuAA, Cu-amino acid complex; CuHMB, Cu-hydroxy-4-methylthio butanoate chelate complex.