MoorMan’s®* leadership in high performance mineral products has long been recognized. What makes MoorMan’s Minerals the “elite” of mineral products? Attention to detail is the key. Analyzing every detail of mineral product production gains the confidence and respect of horse owners. Those details include:

• Physical characteristics of individual mineral sources and the finished product.

• Testing and selection of mineral sources.

• Quality assurance and research.

These factors are all vital for making high performance, yet economical mineral products.

Physical Characteristics

Particle size: Physical characteristics are far more important than just making products look good. Paying attention to the physical qualities of mineral products is an important aspect of their feeding success. The particle size of free-choice minerals should be larger than minerals designed only for inclusion in a ration (mixing minerals). A larger particle size reduces the amount of mineral loss caused by wind. It also helps prevent caking in the feeder.

Uniformity: Another important factor in producing quality mineral products is uniformity of particle size. It is important to purchase major minerals which meet designated particle size specifications. This will result in a uniform product and helps prevent separation during handling. If some minerals are very coarse while others are very fine, the fine particles will sift to the bottom, while the coarse particles will accumulate on the top, yielding a non-uniform product. Therefore, horses might not consume the proper balance of minerals.

Blending: Mixing is important. The mixing system used should allow for effective blending of mineral ingredients and liquid additions. Mixers should be capable of allowing the addition of cane molasses to dry minerals without causing formation of “molasses balls” or lumping. The result is uniform, free-flowing products. It is also important to produce water-resistant products. Both loose and block minerals should be treated to repel rain and prevent leaching of important nutrients.

Block quality: Block hardness should be tested for all block mineral products. Proper hardness is critical for adequate, but not excessive mineral consumption. Blocks should be monitored for hardness as they are being made and then again after they have cured. The ability to control block hardness through the right binders, certain mineral sources, and the correct blocking pressure is the result of years of testing and experience.

Selection of Mineral Sources
Types of mineral ingredients and ingredient suppliers should be carefully selected. Many mineral sources exist for each nutrient. For example, phosphorus can be supplied by soft rock phosphate, low fluorine ground rock phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, defluorinated phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, or one of several other salts of phosphoric acid. Based on the product to be manufactured, mineral sources should be selected to best serve their intended purpose. Selection is based on several criteria.

One of the most important criteria is bioavailability of nutrients in the mineral source. Based on university work and private research, sources of ingredients should be chosen for high nutrient bioavailability to the horse. A mineral source high in a nutrient does not necessarily mean it is available to the horse.

One needs to be especially concerned about the amount of heavy metals, such as lead, in mineral sources and fluorine in phosphate sources. Only those mineral sources low in heavy metals and fluorine should be deemed satisfactory for use. All minerals from potential suppliers should be subjected to lab analysis before use.

Physical characteristics of the ingredients should be checked to ensure that they blend well with other ingredients. The source must be uniform in physical appearance and in nutrient content. It must also meet nutrient specifications. The source must be from a dependable supplier, readily available, and reasonably priced.

Quality Assurance and Research
Continuous scrutiny, by a team of nutritionists, feed technologists, and lab personnel, is vital to ensure mineral products are the best possible. Nutritionists should constantly test mineral and vitamin amounts to ensure proper nutrients are provided to horses. Feed technology personnel need to test mixers for proper mixing and work to improve the physical qualities of mineral products. Lab personnel should test incoming mineral ingredients and finished mineral products for critical nutrients.

Quality mineral products are formulated with proven mineral ingredients. Some minerals require an ingredient to maintain proper consumption. The use of a high-quality ingredient, such as soybean meal as an intake enhancer, provides an additional benefit to the horse. Some mineral brands may use either roughage products or grain by-products as fillers.

Good palatability of mineral products is vital for horses to consume proper mineral amounts. Mineral products made with good ingredients are useless if horses refuse to consume them. While two different brands of minerals may appear similar, it is not unusual for horses to consume proper amounts of one and excessive, wasteful amounts of the other.

Making Minerals that hold up in wet, windy weather

Water Loss
ADM Alliance Nutrition’s Research team conducted a series of rainfall tests to determine mineral leaching during simulated one-inch and five-inch rains. Mineral products were also placed outdoors, where 0.7 inches of rain fell during a two-week period. Researchers measured the amount of minerals remaining after the rainfall tests.  Results are shown in Table 1. The amount of salt remaining after rain varied widely among mineral products. The proper salt content is crucial in maintaining the correct  mineral intake of free-choice mineral products.

 

Wind Loss
In a test comparing six free-choice mineral products, ADM Nutrition researchers exposed one pound samples of each mineral product to a 14 to 18 mph wind for one minute. A 14 to 18 mph wind speed is typical of a breezy day. This test graphically demonstrated the difference among brands (see figure 1). Losses in one minute ranged from 0% to 43%, with 0% being MoorMan's brand and 43% brand E.

Conclusion
Making mineral products takes more know-how than simply mixing together various mineral sources. The result of paying attention to every aspect of mineral production will deliver usable nutrients in an economical and convenient form. By following a commitment to provide the best products possible, ADM Alliance Nutrition™ is able to produce a variety of mineral products designed to fit horse nutrient needs. Our commitment is to remain an industry leader through continued research for new and better products.

* MoorMan’s is a registered trade name of ADM. MoorMan’s brand products are manufactured by ADM Alliance Nutrition, Inc.

 

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