Fish Nutrition and Feed Technology (2+1)

Unit 7 - Minerals

7.2.Functions

The general function of minerals and trace elements can be summarised as follows:

• Essential constituents of skeletal structures such as bones and teeth.
• Play a key role in the maintenance of osmotic pressure, and thus regulate the exchange of water and solutes within the animal body.
• Serve as structural constituents of soft tissues.
• Essential for the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
• Play a vital role in the acid-base equilibrium of the body, and thus regulate the pH of the blood and other body fluids.
• Serve as essential components of many enzymes, vitamins, hormones, and respiratory pigments, or as co-factors in metabolism, catalysts and enzyme activators.