Preliminary Physico-Chemical Investigation of Local Binding Agents in Mineral Salt Licks Production for Ruminants

Adegun Maria Kikelomo Department of Animal Production and Health Sciences, Ekiti State University, P M B 5363, Ado- Ekiti. Nigeria, International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-1, Issue-4, Nov-Dec- 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/1.4.52 ISSN: 2456-1878

Investigation of the minerals, anti-nutrients as well as compactness and hardness of mineral saltlicks produced using cement, termite mound and clay mud as binders were compared with a commercial lick in a completely randomized design of four treatments and three replicates each was conducted. The sodium content of commercial salt lick (treatment 1) was significantly higher (p<0.05) at 15.53 mg 100 ml -1 than the sodium content of all other treatments. The values of zinc, copper, chromium, magnesium, iron, manganese, potassium, and cobalt were increased significantly (p<0.05) in treatment 2 (termite mound, bone meal and common salt) at 0.08, 0.25, 0.25, 0.65, 0.26, 0.23, 175.93, 0.19 mg 100ml1 respectively. Significantly higher but increasing (p<0.05) values of calcium were obtained for treatment 2, 3(cement, bone meal and salt) and 4 (clay mud, bone meal and salt) while commercial lick's calcium content was 13.0 mg 100ml-1 . The composition of tannin, phenol and phytate (1.24 mg 100g-1, 0.75 mg 100g-1 and 4.43 g 100g-1 respectively) were increased significantly (p<0.05) in treatment 2, while treatment 1 had lowest values of tannin and phytate (0.33mg 100g-1 and 0. 18 g 100g-1). The commercial salt block was the most compact and hardest of the mineral salt blocks while the salt block produced using cement, termite mound and clay mud as binders had good consistencies two weeks after demoulding. Mineral salt licks produced using different binder agents possessed higher mineral contents except sodium than commercial salt licks and have considerable binding property.

Keywords— Geophagy, binders, licks, ruminants, physicochemical