Effect of high doses of Natuphos E 5,000 G phytase on growth performance of nursery pigs

Dose of phytase from either Aspergillus niger or Escherichia coli on performance of nursery piglets

Supplementing swine diets with phytase increases phosphorus release by approximately 50% from cereal phytates. The increase in phosphorus availability allows for a reduction in dietary phosphorus supplementation from mineral sources and decreases the environmental impact of pork production through a decrease in phosphorus excretion. Superdosing phytase has been reported to boost swine productivity, improve the digestibility of other nutrients, and mitigate the antinutritional effects of phytates. However, there are significant cost differences among phytase products. Bacterial phytases are considered more modern, often with a higher cost of inclusion. A study was conducted with 288 piglets that were 21 d of age and weighed 6.43 ± 0.956 kg. Pigs were divided into four groups. Each group of pigs was fed a different experimental diet varying in phytase source and level: fungal phytase (Aspergillus niger) at 500 FTU/kg of diet, fungal phytase at 2,000 FTU/kg, bacterial phytase (Escherichia coli) at 500 FTU/kg, and bacterial phytase at 2,000 FTU/kg. No differences were found for phytase sources or doses on productivity at 14 and 21 d postweaning. However, piglets supplemented with 2,000 FTUs/kg of phytase in the diet during the first 21 d of nursery exhibited a 5.8% better feed conversion (P = 0.02). An interaction between phytase source and dose was observed for average live weight and daily weight gain over the 42-d nursery period (P < 0.05). Supplementing the diet with 2,000 FTU/kg of fungal phytase improved daily weight gain and live weight throughout the experimental period compared to piglets supplemented with 500 FTU/kg of the same phytase source. Additionally, it resulted in better final weights compared to piglets supplemented with 500 FTU/kg of bacterial phytase. Phytase inclusion at 2,000 FTU/kg improved feed conversion by 2.07% over the 42-d nursery period. The most economically favorable feed conversion ratios were observed when supplementing the diet with fungal phytase at 2,000 FTUs/kg.

Nutritional and Functional Roles of Phytase and Xylanase Enhancing the Intestinal Health and Growth of Nursery Pigs and Broiler Chickens

This review paper discussed the nutritional and functional roles of phytase and xylanase enhancing the intestinal and growth of nursery pigs and broiler chickens. There are different feed enzymes that are currently supplemented to feeds for nursery pigs and broiler chickens. Phytase and xylanase have been extensively studied showing consistent results especially related to enhancement of nutrient digestibility and growth performance of nursery pigs and broiler chickens. Findings from recent studies raise the hypothesis that phytase and xylanase could play functional roles beyond increasing nutrient digestibility, but also enhancing the intestinal health and positively modulating the intestinal microbiota of nursery pigs and broiler chickens. In conclusion, the supplementation of phytase and xylanase for nursery pigs and broiler chickens reaffirmed the benefits related to enhancement of nutrient digestibility and growth performance, whilst also playing functional roles benefiting the intestinal microbiota and reducing the intestinal oxidative damages. As a result, it could contribute to a reduction in the feed costs by allowing the use of a wider range of feedstuffs without compromising the optimal performance of the animals, as well as the environmental concerns associated with a poor hydrolysis of antinutritional factors present in the diets for swine and poultry.

Effect of high-phytase supplementation in lactation diets on sow and litter performance

A total of 109 sows (Line 241; DNA, Columbus, NE) were used to evaluate the effect of increasing dietary phytase in lactation diets, already adequate in P, on sow and litter performance. On d 107 of gestation, sows were blocked by body weight and parity and allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments of increasing phytase concentration (0, 1,000, or 3,000 FYT/kg; Ronozyme HiPhos GT 2700, DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., Parsippany, NJ). The control diet contained no phytase and was formulated to contain 0.50% standardized total tract digestible phosphorus (STTD P; 0.45% available P) and 0.62% STTD calcium (0.90% total Ca). The phytase diets that contained 1,000 or 3,000 FYT/kg were also formulated to 0.50% STTD P and 0.62% STTD Ca including the release of 0.132% STTD P and 0.096% STTD Ca. Diets were balanced for net energy and fed from d 107 of gestation until weaning (d 18 ± 3). All farrowings were monitored, with farrowing duration starting at the time the first pig was born until the first dispersal of placental tissues with no subsequent pigs born. Litters were cross-fostered within treatment until 48 h postfarrowing to equalize litter size. There were no differences among treatments in sow body weight at d 107 of gestation, 24 h after farrowing, or at weaning. Sow average daily feed intake from farrowing to weaning tended to increase (linear, P = 0.093) as phytase increased. There was no evidence for difference in the number of total born pigs, as well as the percentage of stillborns, mummies, and born alive pigs at the completion of farrowing. Similarly, phytase supplementation did not influence (P > 0.05) wean-to-estrus interval or litter size after cross-fostering among dietary treatments. Although not significant (linear, P = 0.226), farrowing duration decreased as added phytase increased with a decrease of 47 min (12%) for 3,000 FYT compared with the control. There were no differences in pig weight at weaning, but as a result of increased survivability (linear, P = 0.002), litter weaning weight and overall litter weight gain increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) up to 1,000 FYT of added phytase with no further benefit observed in sows fed 3,000 FYT. In conclusion, sow feed intake tended to increase linearly with increasing added phytase. Feeding 1,000 FYT/kg maximized overall litter gain and weaning weight; however, a larger-scale study with more sows is needed to determine the addition of phytase in lactation diets to reduce farrowing duration.