NUTRITION ▶▶▶
Optimising phytase investment
Optimising the use of feed raw materials will be central to feeding the increasing population without damaging the world we live in. So how can we use feed raw materials more effectively? Feed enzymes, especially phytases, may be one solution – by counteracting any negative effects caused by the anti-nutrient: phytate.
BY ADAM SMITH, DSM B
Raw material Wheat Corn
Sorghum Rice Bran
Soybean meal Oilseed Rape (Canola)
y 2050 the world’s population is expected to sur- pass nine billion. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that this will lead to a 60% increase in the demand for high quality
protein in the form of milk, eggs and meat. To successfully meet this demand without damaging the world in which we live, production systems will need to become more environ- mentally friendly and socially responsible, while still enabling producers to generate a profit. All nutritional solutions need to be tailored to the specific diet for which they are considered. To do this, nutritionists need to know the precise composition of the raw materials that they are using to formulate diets and this can be achieved through the use of NIR (near infra-red) spectrosco- py. Substantial variation has been found in the nutrient con- centrations of raw materials and so now there is a bold move towards more precise and accurate feed formulation which takes such variation into account. This ‘intelligent nutrition’, as it’s called, is what is needed to optimise production efficiency and improve sustainability.
Table 1 – Variability of phytate levels in some commonly used raw materials.
MIN Phytate P level (g/kg) 1.9 1.6 1.4
10.8 2.8 3.4
Deckhouse & De Paepe (1994) AFST, 47 : 19-29; O’Dell et al. (1972) JAFC, 20: 718-808. 20 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 2, 2021
MAX Phytate P level (g/kg) 2.7 2.6 2.4
11.1 3.3 4.8
Figure 1: Phytic P – Broiler growing feed
20.00 18.00 16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00
0.14 0.16 0.18 0.20 0.22 In-feed Phytate-P content %
0.24 0.26 0.28 0.30 0.32
Phytate versus phytase Phytic acid is a molecule made up of six phosphate groups bound to inositol. As the storage form of phosphorus, it is found in all common plant-based feed ingredients. It binds im- portant nutrients, including calcium, iron and amino acids, to create phytate, the salt of phytic acid. When bound in this way the nutrients become unavailable to the animal. This costs pro- ducers money because more nutrients then need to be added to the diet than otherwise required and causes environmental pollution when unused nutrients are excreted. Once in the low pH conditions of the stomach, phytate is solubilised releasing bound calcium and amino acids, leaving free phytic acid. More than 80% of this phytic acid has the po- tential to be digested by phytase. Adding a microbial phytase to the diet is the best way to ensure as much as possible of this phytic acid is degraded in the short time it remains accessible in the stomach. This, in turn, means that there is
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