Corn processing methods associated with calcium salts of fatty acids and organic minerals preserve gastrointestinal epithelium and mitigates systemic inflammation in beef cattle fed high grain diets.

High-concentrate diets can impair gastrointestinal integrity and induce systemic inflammation in feedlot cattle. This study evaluated the effects of corn processing (finely ground corn [FGC] vs. high-moisture corn [HMC]) and supplementation with calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) and organic zinc/chromium (ZnCr) on gastrointestinal health and inflammatory responses. One hundred and fifty bulls were assigned to 30 pens in a randomized complete block design using a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement. Treatments included FGC, FGC+CSFA, HMC, HMC+CSFA, and HMC+CSFA+ZnCr. Cattle fed HMC showed reduced dry matter and starch intake (P < 0.01) and fecal starch on d 112 (P < 0.01), but greater rumenitis scores (P = 0.01) compared with FGC-fed cattle. CSFA supplementation reduced blood concentrations of haptoglobin (P = 0.04), LPS-binding protein (P = 0.04), and C-reactive protein (P = 0.03), as well as rumenitis scores (P = 0.03), while increasing ruminal papillae height (P = 0.03). Compared with HMC+CSFA, cattle receiving HMC+CSFA+ZnCr had lower fecal starch on d 56 (P = 0.02), greater ruminal papillae width (P = 0.03), and increased enterocyte density (P = 0.02). Overall, CSFA improved gut health and reduced systemic inflammation in cattle fed high-grain diets regardless of the corn processing.