Determination of copper and other minerals in goats and sheep of the San Francisco river valley in Pernambuco, Brazil.

Abstract:

For the determination of copper concentration and its antagonists, 160 serum and liver samples were used, from goat and sheep sent to the municipal slaughterhouse of Petrolina. The samples were correlated with the same animal, in order to prevent errors in data collection. Serum ceruloplasmin activity was determined by colorimetric method. For determination of minerals, the samples were diluted six to twenty times with Milli-Q water. For determining concentrations of mineral elements in the liver, the samples were digested until achieving a solution that maintained the initial sample and minerals totally liquid, without the presence of solid particles which could clog the capillary suction of the spectrometer and prevent reading of samples. The concentrations of copper, molybdenum, iron and zinc were determined by optical emission spectrometry (ICP). Thus, the experiment was conducted to determine the occurrence and distribution of copper deficiency in the San Francisco valley of Pernambuco. No copper deficiency was revealed in this region of the state of Pernambuco, when the mean levels of hepatic copper were evaluated. Zinc levels were within a normal range, whereas iron levels were higher in sheep, and lower levels of molybdenum in goats. It was also found that the activity of ceruloplasmin was an indicator of serum copper.

Index Terms:
Ceruloplasmin; copper; mineral deficiency; goats; sheep.