Glucose addition and oven-heating of pork stimulate glycoxidation and protein carbonylation, while reducing lipid oxidation during simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

In the present study, it was investigated if glucose addition (3 or 5%) to pork stimulates glycoxidation (pentosidine, PEN), glycation (Maillard reaction products, MRP), lipid oxidation (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 4-HNE; hexanal, HEX; thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), and protein oxidation (protein carbonyl compounds, PCC) during various heating conditions and subsequent in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. An increase in protein-bound PEN level was observed during meat digestion, which was significantly stimulated by glucose addition (up to 3.3-fold) and longer oven-heating time (up to 2.5-fold) of the meat. These changes were accompanied by the distinct formation of MRP during heating and digestion of the meats. Remarkably, stimulated glyc(oxid)ation was accompanied by increased protein oxidation, whereas lipid oxidation was decreased, indicating these reactions are interrelated during gastrointestinal digestion of meat. Glucose addition generally didn't affect these oxidative reactions when pork was packed preventing air exposure and oven-heated until a core temperature of 75 °C was reached.

Using simulation to teach nursing students how to deal with a euthanasia request.

Nursing students are confronted with euthanasia during their internship and certainly during their later career but they feel inadequately prepared in dealing with a euthanasia request. This study presents a simulation module focused on euthanasia and evaluates nursing students' perceptions after they have completed the simulation practice. The 'euthanasia module' consisted of a preparatory online learning module, a good-practice video, an in-vivo simulation scenario, and a debriefing session. The module's content was validated by four experts in end-of-life care. The module was completed by three groups of students from two different University Colleges (n = 17 in total). The students were divided into three groups: one with no previous simulation education experience, one with all students having previous experience, and another with a mix of experiences. After completing the entire module, each group had a discussion regarding their perceptions and expectations concerning this simulation module. Thematic content analysis was conducted on audio-recorded group interviews using NVIVO® software, involving initial open coding, transformation into specific themes and subthemes through axial coding, and defining core themes through selective coding, with data analysis continuing until data saturation was reached. Students generally found the online learning module valuable for background information, had mixed perceptions of the good-practice video, and appreciated the well-crafted scenarios with the taboo of euthanasia emerging during simulations, while the debriefing process was seen as enhancing clinical reasoning abilities. Students considered the simulation module a valuable addition to their education and nursing careers, expressing their satisfaction with the comprehensive coverage of the sensitive topic presented without sensationalism or taboos. This subject holds significance for nations with established euthanasia laws and those lacking such legal frameworks. The findings of this study can aid teachers in developing and accessing euthanasia simulation training programs, contributing to broader education's emphasis on integrating euthanasia-related knowledge and skills.

Data driven prediction of dairy cattle lifetime production and its use as a guideline to select surplus youngstock.

The lifetime production of dairy cows is a complex trait influenced not only by genetics, but also by the environment in which a cow lives and the management practices of the farmer. Moreover, these influential factors show complex interactions with each other, making it difficult to reliably predict the lifetime production of individual animals at birth. However, since well managed dairy farms often have a surplus of youngstock, reliable lifetime production predictions would offer the opportunity to make more substantiated decisions when selecting calves or heifers to sell. Therefore, using data from Dutch herds, we constructed a data set capturing information on genetics, environment and management practices to develop multiple machine learning models capable of predicting the lifetime production of dairy cattle soon after birth. We found that a coupling of trends observed at the country level with farm-specific models largely outperforms off-the-shelf approaches. At birth, our best model could explain up to 47% of the variance in lifetime production, a considerable improvement in comparison with linear regression on the breeding values supplemented with the average lifetime production at farm level, which could only explain 21.7% of the variance in lifetime production. Moreover, we demonstrated surplus youngstock selection according to our model could more than double the surplus animal selection effect in comparison with the benchmark methodology, offering opportunities to increase the average (future) potential lifetime production of the retained heifers significantly. Assuming a static 20% surplus liveborn heifer scenario and random surplus animal selection as the default, our best model for surplus animal selection resulted in a 9.4% greater lifetime production in the retained animals compared with the current Dutch average lifetime production.

Early life jumping traits: Are they good proxies for success in show jumping competitions in Belgian warmblood horses?

The main goal of the Belgian Warmblood horse studbook (BWP) is to breed successful competition horses, with emphasis on show jumping. However, competition results are only available later in life and competition traits are lowly heritable. Hence, the use of phenotypes that record performance-related traits at an early life stage could help increase genetic progress. In this study, we evaluated the potential of eleven linear scored early life jumping traits assessed during jumping in freedom (2-5 years old) or under the saddle (4-6 years old) as proxies for later success in show jumping competitions. To this end, we estimated their heritabilities and genetic correlations with the competition trait, adjusted fence height, by using 2170 free jumping records, 1588 jumping under saddle records, 674,527 show jumping competition records and almost 81,000 informative horses in the pedigree. As participation of young horses in these contests is on a voluntary basis, a pre-selection most probably exists. To verify this hypothesis, we investigated the association between participation to young horse contests and participation to show jumping competitions later on (called here start status phenotype). We also estimated heritabilities for "start status in free jumping contest", "start status in jumping under saddle contest" and "start status in free jumping or jumping under saddle contest" by fitting threshold models. Furthermore, we calculated genetic correlations between these traits and adjusted fence height and calculated the correlations between EBVs for start status in young horse contests and EBVs for success in competitions. Estimated heritabilities of early life jumping traits ranged between 0.05 and 0.30. Their genetic correlations with adjusted fence height were moderate to high (rg = 0.37-0.63). Relatively more horses that participated in young horse contests competed later on compared to horses that did not participate in young horse contests (p-value < 0.001). They were also significantly more successful in show jumping competitions. Furthermore, start status in young horse contests was moderately heritable in BWP horses (h2 = 0.56-0.65) and moderately to highly correlated with later success in competitions (rg = 0.30-0.77). Hence, we showed that ELJ traits are good proxies for later success in competitions and that a pre-selection of horses occurs in young horse contests. It is suggested to stimulate participation to young horse contests to achieve a more representative sample of the population. Early life jumping traits can therefore optimize the genetic progress for show jumping performance.

Exploration and optimization of extraction, analysis and data normalization strategies for mass spectrometry-based DNA adductome mapping and modeling.

Although interest in characterizing DNA damage by means of DNA adductomics has substantially grown, the field of DNA adductomics is still in its infancy, with room for optimization of methods for sample analysis, data processing and DNA adduct identification. In this context, the first objective of this study was to evaluate the use of hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) vs. reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and thermal acidic vs. enzymatic hydrolysis of DNA followed by DNA adduct purification and enrichment using solid-phase extraction (SPE) or fraction collection for DNA adductome mapping. The second objective was to assess the use of total ion count (TIC) and median intensity (MedI) normalization compared to QC (quality control), iQC (internal QC) and quality control-based robust locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) signal correction (QC-RLSC) normalization for processing of the acquired data. The results demonstrate that HILIC compared to RPLC allowed better modeling of the tentative DNA adductome, particularly in combination with thermal acidic hydrolysis and SPE (more valid models, with an average Q2(Y) and R2(Y) of 0.930 and 0.998, respectively). Regarding the need for data normalization and the management of (limited) system instability and signal drift, QC normalization outperformed TIC, MedI, iQC and LOESS normalization. As such, QC normalization can be put forward as the default data normalization strategy. In case of momentous signal drift and/or batch effects however, comparison to other normalization strategies (like e.g. LOESS) is recommended. In future work, further optimization of DNA adductomics may be achieved by merging of HILIC and RPLC datasets and/or application of 2D-LC, as well as the inclusion of Schiff base stabilization and/or fraction collection in the thermal acidic hydrolysis-SPE sample preparation workflow.

Using Simulation to Help Health Professions Students Learn to Talk to Clients About Suicide.

Background: Because of the high prevalence of suicide, health-care professions students need training in recognition of clients' suicidal thoughts, assessment of suicide risk, and specific narrative techniques. This study explores health-care professions students' perceptions of and feedback on a simulation module on suicidal behavior. Methods: Thematic analysis was conducted on feedback from group interviews with participants. Results: Students valued the reassuring effect of a best practice video. The sense of reality in the simulation scenarios was highly appreciated. Although being filmed was stressful for some students, reviewing and discussing key moments in the recordings appeared a major advantage. Debriefing was essential to discuss and emotionally discharge the experiences of role players and observers. Conclusions: Simulation training for caregivers on suicidal behavior can be designed and evaluated on other mental health topics as well.

Effects of the dietary zinc source and vitamin E level on live weight and carcass yield and meat quality in male broilers reared under chronic cyclic heat stress conditions in the finisher phase.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the interaction of the zinc source (ZnSO4 vs. zinc amino acid complex) and vitamin E level (50 IU/kg vs. 100 IU/kg) on meat yield and quality in broilers subjected to chronic cyclic heat stress in the finisher phase. A total of 1224 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly distributed among four dietary treatments. Each treatment contained nine replicates of 34 birds, housed in floor pens in a temperature- and lighting-controlled room. Treatments were organized in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: two sources of zinc, 60 mg/kg of Zn as ZnSO4 or 60 mg/kg of Zn as zinc amino acid complexes (ZnAA), combined with two levels of vitamin E (50 or 100 IU/kg). From day 28 until day 37 (finisher phase), all birds were subjected to chronic cyclic heat stress (32 ± 2°C for 6 h daily). In the present study, it was observed that replacing ZnSO4 with ZnAA increased breast meat weight and yield of broilers reared under chronic cyclic heat stress conditions, whereas total slaughter yield was not affected. Moreover, it was observed that replacing ZnSO4 with ZnAA resulted in breast meat with a lower drip and thawing loss and a higher marinade uptake. In conclusion, replacing ZnSO4 with more readily available ZnAA can improve breast meat yield and increase the water-holding capacity of breast meat of broilers exposed to chronic cyclic heat stress at the end of the production cycle. However, as no thermoneutral group was included in the present study, the observed effects of the zinc source cannot be generalized as a solution for heat stress. Moreover, the beneficial effects of ZnAA on breast meat yield and quality seem to be independent of the vitamin E level, and increasing vitamin E level has no additional beneficial effects.

Tocopherol more bioavailable than tocopheryl-acetate as a source of vitamin E for broilers.

Vitamin E is typically supplied in the form of tocopheryl-acetate (T-Ac) since tocopherol (T) has stability issues. Tocopheryl-acetate, however, must be hydrolyzed in the intestines before it can be absorbed, a step that is purportedly rate-limiting for its bioavailability. The objective of this study was to compare the efficiency of absorption of T-Ac and T in broilers. In addition, two test procedures were evaluated in which animals received the test substances for either 2 or 4 days only. Animals were adapted to diets without supplemental vitamin E (feedstuffs contributed 14±1 ppm natural vitamin E (RRR-tocopherol)) till the age of 25 d (individual housing) or 28 d (group housing). Subsequently, they were fed T-Ac at 80, 53, 36, 24, or 16 ppm or T at 80, 40, 20, 10, or 5 ppm for a period of 4 d (4-di) or 2 d (2-dg), after which serum and liver were collected for analysis of vitamin E. Measured feed vitamin E levels were used for the data analysis; the recovery of T-Ac was 85%, and that of T was 39%. Both test procedures (2 or 4 days) yielded good quality data. Based on linear regression analysis, the relative efficiency with which T-Ac raised tissue levels as compared to T was 0.24 (2-dg) to 0.37 (4-di), with liver and serum yielding similar results. Analysis using more complex dose response models imply that the hydrolysis of T-Ac was strongly dose-dependent and that it could be saturated at doses above approximately 50 ppm in animals only briefly fed T-Ac; for T there was no evidence of saturation. These data imply that T, provided that stable forms can be developed, has the potential to be much more efficient at providing vitamin E to the animal, and on top, can yield much higher tissue levels, than T-Ac.

Analysis of the Cultured Meat Production System in Function of Its Environmental Footprint: Current Status, Gaps and Recommendations.

Cultured meat has been presented as an environmentally friendlier option to conventional meat, but due to the limited data, the studies related to its performance are scarce and based on hypothetical production processes. This work provides a short literature review of the published environmental assessments of cultured meat. The main findings of this critical analysis showed that the lack of real data related to cultured meat decreased the level of accuracy of each study. The missing environmental profile of the process itself, including the proliferation and differentiation phases in bioreactors, along with key ingredients such as growth factors and other recombinant proteins, increase the difficulty of achieving reliable conclusions. In order to bridge the highlighted gaps, a complete production system is modelled and analysed from an engineering and life-cycle perspective. Furthermore, an overview of the supply chains of different products used in the process is provided, together with recommendations on how they should be considered in future life-cycle assessments. In essence, this work provides a structured pathway for upcoming consistent environmental assessments in this field, with the objective of setting the basis to understand the potential of cultured meat.

The Influence of Butter and Oils on Oxidative Reactions during In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion of Meat and Fish.

Oxidative reactions during cooking and gastrointestinal digestion of meat and fish lead to the formation of various lipid- and protein oxidation products, some of which are toxic. In the present study, it was investigated how the addition of 3% butter or oils affect lipid- and protein oxidation during cooking and in vitro digestion of meat (chicken thigh, chicken breast, beef) and fish (mackerel, cod). These muscle foods were selected based on their differences in heme-Fe and PUFA contents, and n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, and therefore varying potential to form oxidation products during digestion. Without additional fat, mackerel digests displayed the highest n-3 PUFA oxidation (4-hydroxy-2-hexenal, propanal, thiobarbituric reactive acid substances), and chicken digests the highest n-6 PUFA oxidation (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, hexanal), whereas both lipid- and protein oxidation (protein carbonyl compounds) were low in cod and beef digests. Lipid oxidative reactions were generally not altered by the addition of butter to any muscle matrix, whereas the addition of fish oil and safflower oil in different ratios (3:0, 2:1, 1:2, 0:3) as n-3 PUFA and n-6 PUFA source respectively, stimulated oxidative reactions, especially during digestion of beef. Since beef was considered the muscle matrix with the highest potential to stimulate oxidation in the added fat substrate, in a second experiment, beef was cooked and digested with 3% butter or seven commercial vegetable oils (sunflower-, maize-, peanut-, rapeseed-, olive-, rice bran- or coconut oil), all labeled 'suitable for heating'. No relevant oxidative reactions were however observed during digestion of beef with any of these commercial vegetable oils.

In vitro and in vivo digestion of red cured cooked meat: oxidation, intestinal microbiota and fecal metabolites.

Mechanisms explaining epidemiological associations between red (processed) meat consumption and chronic disease risk are not yet elucidated, but may involve oxidative reactions, microbial composition alterations, inflammation and/or the formation of toxic bacterial metabolites. First, in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of 23 cooked beef-lard minces, to which varying doses of nitrite salt (range 0-40 g/kg) and sodium ascorbate (range 0-2 g/kg) were added, showed that nitrite salt decreased protein carbonylation up to 3-fold, and inhibited lipid oxidation, demonstrated by up to 4-fold lower levels of 'thiobarbituric acid reactive substances', 32-fold lower 4-hydroxynonenal, and 21-fold lower hexanal values. The use of ascorbate increased the antioxidant effect of low nitrite salt levels, whereas it slightly increased protein carbonylation at higher doses of nitrite salt. The addition of a low dose of ascorbate without nitrite salt slightly promoted oxidation during digestion, whereas higher doses had varying antioxidant effects. Second, 40 rats were fed a diet of cooked chicken- or beef-lard minces, either or not cured, for three weeks. Beef, compared to chicken, consumption increased lipid oxidation (2- to 4-fold) during digestion, and gut protein fermentation (cecal iso-butyrate, (iso-)valerate, and fecal indole, cresol), but oxidative stress and inflammation were generally not affected. Cured, compared to fresh, meat consumption significantly increased stomach protein carbonylation (+16%), colonic Ruminococcaceae (2.1-fold) and cecal propionate (+18%), whereas it decreased cecal butyrate (-25%), fecal phenol (-69%) and dimethyl disulfide (-61%) levels. Fecal acetaldehyde and diacetyl levels were increased in beef-fed rats by 2.8-fold and 5.9-fold respectively, and fecal carbon disulfide was 4-fold higher in rats consuming cured beef vs. fresh chicken. Given their known toxicity, the role of acetaldehyde and carbon disulfide in the relation between meat consumption and health should be investigated in future studies.

Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Elevated L-Carnitine Metabolism in Pig and Rat Colon Tissue Following Red Versus White Meat Intake.

SCOPE: The consumption of red and processed meat, and not white meat, associates with the development of various Western diseases such as colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes. This work aims at unraveling novel meat-associated mechanisms that are involved in disease development. METHODS AND RESULTS: A non-hypothesis driven strategy of untargeted metabolomics is applied to assess colon tissue from rats (fed a high dose of beef vs. white meat) and from pigs (fed red/processed meat vs. white meat), receiving a realistic human background diet. An increased carnitine metabolism is observed, which is reflected by higher levels of acylcarnitines and 3-dehydroxycarnitine (rats and pigs) and trimethylamine-N-oxide (rats). While 3-dehydroxycarnitine is higher in HT29 cells, incubated with colonic beef digests, acylcarnitine levels are reduced. This suggests an altered response from colon cancer cell line towards meat-induced oxidative stress. Moreover, metabolic differences between rat and pigs are observed in N-glycolylneuraminic acid incorporation, prostaglandin, and fatty acid synthesis. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates elevated (acyl)carnitine metabolism in colon tissue of animals that follow a red meat-based diet, providing mechanistic insights that may aid in explaining the nutritional-physiological correlation between red/processed meat and Western diseases.

Ergogenic effect of pre-exercise chicken broth ingestion on a high-intensity cycling time-trial.

BACKGROUND: chicken meat extract is a popular functional food in Asia. It is rich in the bioactive compounds carnosine and anserine, two histidine-containing dipeptides (HCD). Studies suggest that acute pre-exercise ingestion of chicken extracts has important applications towards exercise performance and fatigue control, but the evidence is equivocal. This study aimed to evaluate the ergogenic potential of the pre-exercise ingestion of a homemade chicken broth (CB) vs a placebo soup on a short-lasting, high-intensity cycling exercise. METHODS: fourteen men participated in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover intervention study. Subjects ingested either CB, thereby receiving 46.4 mg/kg body weight of HCD, or a placebo soup (similar in taste without HCD) 40 min before an 8 min cycling time trial (TT) was performed. Venous blood samples were collected at arrival (fasted), before exercise and at 5 min recovery. Plasma HCD were measured with UPLC-MS/MS and glutathione (in red blood cells) was measured through HPLC. Capillary blood samples were collected at different timepoints before and after exercise. RESULTS: a significant improvement (p = 0.033; 5.2%) of the 8 min TT mean power was observed after CB supplementation compared to placebo. Post-exercise plasma carnosine (p <  0.05) and anserine (p <  0.001) was significantly increased after CB supplementation and not following placebo. No significant effect of CB supplementation was observed either on blood glutathione levels, nor on capillary blood analysis. CONCLUSIONS: oral CB supplementation improved the 8 min TT performance albeit it did not affect the acid-base balance or oxidative status parameters. Further research should unravel the potential role and mechanisms of HCD, present in CB, in this ergogenic approach.

Meat lipids, NaCl and carnitine: Do they unveil the conundrum of the association between red and processed meat intake and cardiovascular diseases?_Invited Review.

The assessment of the actual contribution of red or processed meat to increasing the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases (CVD) requires identification of specific harmful components and their underlying pathological mechanisms. In regards to CVD, meat lipids and their oxidation products have been recurrently studied due to their implications on lipid metabolism, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke. The impact of excess NaCl intake on increasing blood pressure is well-established and processed meat products have been recognized as a major contributor to dietary sodium in developed countries. Recent evidence has also suggested carnitine from red meat, as a precursor for trimethylamine-N-oxide, which has been shown to cause atherosclerosis, may increase the risk of suffering CVD in experimental animals. The present review aims to provide an updated overview, including evidence, controversies and unresolved questions on both the epidemiology and mechanisms relating red and processed meat consumption to CVD.

Effect of vitamin E level and dietary zinc source on performance and intestinal health parameters in male broilers exposed to a temperature challenge in the finisher period.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction of zinc source (ZnSO4 vs. zinc amino acid complex) and vitamin E level (50 IU vs. 100 IU) on performance and intestinal health of broilers exposed to a temperature challenge in the finisher period. A total of 1224 day old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly distributed among 4 dietary treatments (9 replicates per treatment). Dietary treatments were organized in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: two sources of zinc, 60 mg/kg of Zn as ZnSO4 .7H2 O or 60 mg/kg of Zn as zinc amino acid complexes (ZnAA) combined with two levels of vitamin E (50 or 100 IU/kg). Zinc and vitamin E were added to a wheat/rye-based diet that was designed to create a mild nutritional challenge. From day 28 until day 36 (finisher period), all birds were subjected to chronic cyclic high temperatures (32°C ± 2°C and RH 55-65% for 6 h daily). The combination of ZnAA and 50 IU/kg of vitamin E improved weight gain in the starter (day 0-10), finisher (day 28-36) and overall period (day 0-36) and feed conversion ratio in the starter (day 0-10) and finisher phase (day 28-36). Providing Zn as ZnAA significantly improved villus length and villus/crypt ratio in the starter, grower and finisher period and decreased infiltration of T-lymphocytes and ovotransferrin leakage in the finisher period. In conclusion, providing broilers with a diet supplemented with ZnAA and a vitamin E level of 50 IU/kg, resulted in better growth performance as compared to all other dietary treatments. Interestingly, under the conditions of this study, positive effects of ZnAA on performance did not occur when vitamin E was supplemented at 100 IU/kg in feed. Moreover, providing zinc as zinc amino acid complex improved intestinal health.

Commercial luncheon meat products and their in vitro gastrointestinal digests contain more protein carbonyl compounds but less lipid oxidation products compared to fresh pork.

Because of the large diversity in processed meat products and the potential involvement of oxidation processes in the association between red and processed meat consumption and chronic diseases, the concentration of oxidation products after gastrointestinal digestion of commercial luncheon meat products was investigated. A broad spectrum of meat products (n = 24), displaying large variation in macro- and micronutrient composition and processing procedures, was digested in vitro by simulating digestion fluids of the human gastrointestinal tract. Lipid and protein oxidation was assessed in the meat products before digestion and in the corresponding digests by measurement of free malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, hexanal and protein carbonyl compounds. Compared to an unprocessed cooked pork mince, that was included as a reference in the digestion experiment, levels of lipid oxidation products were low in the digests of most meat products. Only the digests of Parma ham had slightly higher or comparable levels as the reference pork. In contrast, protein carbonyl compounds were comparable or up to 6 times higher in the processed meat products compared to the reference pork. Particularly raw-cooked and precooked-cooked meat products and corresponding digests had higher protein carbonyl levels, but also lower protein contents and higher fat to protein ratios. In conclusion, most luncheon meat products and corresponding digests contained lower amounts of free lipid oxidation products, but more protein carbonyl compounds compared to the reference pork.

Valorisation of tainted boar meat in patties, frankfurter sausages and cooked ham by means of targeted dilution, cooking and smoking.

Because of the need to abolish the castration of piglets without anaesthesia/analgesia, the pig industry is searching for a mode of action for the valorisation of meat with boar taint, an off-odour in entire male pigs. Carcasses with boar taint were selected by means of sensory and chemical analysis, after which patties with different levels of tainted boar meat were produced, as well as cooked ham and Frankfurter sausages using different smoke condensates and cooking temperatures. For these products orthonasal and retronasal boar taint odour were assessed by a trained expert panel. The results offer guidance regarding dilution of tainted meat (with <400 µg/kg androstenone if skatole is low or <200 µg/kg androstenone in concurrence with ≥37 µg/kg skatole) and the potential application of smoke condensates (e.g., Rudinsmoke C for sausages and Smokez LFBN for ham) as promising boar taint masking strategies.

Dietary zinc source impacts intestinal morphology and oxidative stress in young broilers.

Zinc is an essential nutritional trace element for all forms of life as it plays an important role in numerous biological processes. In poultry, zinc is provided by in-feed supplementation, mainly as zinc oxide or zinc sulfate. Alternatively zinc can be supplemented as organic sources, which are characterized by using an organic ligand that may be an amino acid, peptide, or protein to bind zinc and have a higher bioavailability than inorganic zinc sources. There are limited number of studies directly comparing the effects of inorganic vs. organic zinc sources on performance and intestinal health in broilers. Therefore, a digestibility and a performance study were conducted to evaluate and compare the effect of an amino acid-complexed zinc source vs. an inorganic zinc source on intestinal health. The experiment consisted of 2 treatments: either a zinc amino acid complex or zinc sulfate was added to a wheat-rye based diet at 60 ppm Zn, with 10 replicates (34 broilers per pen) per treatment. Effects on performance, intestinal morphology, microbiota composition, and oxidative stress were measured. Supplementing zinc amino acid complexes improved the zinc digestibility coefficient as compared to supplementation with zinc sulfate. Broilers supplemented with zinc amino acid complexes had a significantly lower feed conversion ratio in the starter phase compared to birds supplemented with zinc sulfate. A significantly higher villus length was observed in broilers supplemented with zinc amino acid complexes at days 10 and 28. Supplementation with zinc amino acid complexes resulted in a decreased abundance of several genera belonging to the phylum of Proteobacteria. Plasma malondialdehyde levels and glutathione peroxidase activity showed an improved oxidative status in broilers supplemented with zinc amino acid complexes. In conclusion, zinc supplied in feed as amino acid complex is more readily absorbed, potentially conferring a protective effect on villus epithelial cells in the starter phase.