Replacement of zinc sulphate by microbial phytase for piglets given a maize-soya-bean meal diet

Interactions of zinc with phytate and phytase in the digestive tract of poultry and pigs: a review

Phytase supplementation is gaining importance in animal nutrition because of its effect on phosphorus (P) digestibility and the increasing relevance of P for sustainable production. The potential inhibitors of phytase efficacy and phytate degradation, such as calcium (Ca) and zinc (Zn), have been a subject of intense research. This review focuses on the interactions of Zn with phytate and phytase in the digestive tract of poultry and pigs, with an emphasis on the effects of Zn supplementation on phytase efficacy and P digestibility. In vitro studies have shown the inhibitory effect of Zn on phytase efficacy. However, relevant in vivo studies are scarce and do not show consistent results for poultry and pigs. The results could be influenced by different factors, such as diet composition, amount of Zn supplement, mineral concentrations, and phytase supplementation, which limit the comparability of studies. The chosen response criteria to measure phytase efficacy, which is mainly tibia ash, could also influence the results. Compared to poultry, the literature findings are somewhat more conclusive in pigs, where pharmacological Zn doses (≥ 1000 mg kg-1 Zn) appear to reduce P digestibility. To appropriately evaluate the effects of non-pharmacological Zn doses, further studies are needed that provide comprehensive information on their experimental setup and include measurements of gastrointestinal phytate degradation to better understand the mechanisms associated with Zn and phytase supplements. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Too Much of a Good Thing: Rethinking Feed Formulation and Feeding Practices for Zinc in Swine Diets to Achieve One Health and Environmental Sustainability

The objectives of this review were to summarize current knowledge of Zn in swine nutrition, environmental concerns, potential contribution to antimicrobial resistance, and explore the use of alternative feeding strategies to reduce Zn excretion in manure while capturing improvements in productivity. Zinc is a required nutrient for pigs but is commonly supplemented at concentrations that greatly exceed estimated requirements. Feeding pharmacological concentrations of Zn from ZnO to pigs for 1 to 2 weeks post-weaning reduces post-weaning diarrhea and improves growth performance. Feeding elevated dietary levels of Zn to sows during the last 30 days of gestation can reduce the incidence of low-birth-weight pigs and pre-weaning mortality. Most of the dietary Zn consumed by pigs is not retained in the body and is subsequently excreted in manure, which led several countries to impose regulations restricting dietary Zn concentrations to reduce environmental impacts. Although restricting Zn supplementation in swine diets is a reasonable approach for reducing environmental pollution, it does not allow capturing health and productivity benefits from strategic use of elevated dietary Zn concentrations. Therefore, we propose feeding strategies that allow strategic use of high dietary concentrations of Zn while also reducing Zn excretion in manure compared with current feeding practices.

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.

Phytase inclusion in pig diets improves zinc status but its effect on copper availability is inconsistent

Complexation of dietary phytate with cations is a major cause of reduced bioavailability of Zn and possibly Cu in pig diets. We conducted 2 studies with 2 treatments in young growing pigs (8 to 40 kg) to estimate potential contributions of phytase to availability and supply of Zn and Cu, respectively. Each treatment comprised 10 pens with 8 pigs each as experimental units. In Exp. 1, 500 phytase units (FTU)/kg of microbial phytase (Natuphos 5000G; BASF) was added to a diet containing 15 mg Zn from ZnSO(4) and 160 mg/kg Cu from CuSO(4) in addition to Cu and Zn from feed ingredients. In Exp. 2, 500 FTU/kg was added to a diet containing 45 mg Zn from ZnSO(4) without added CuSO(4). Feces were collected to determine nutrient digestibility, blood was collected, and pigs were killed to determine Cu and Zn in the liver. In both experiments, phytase inclusion increased (P < 0.001) Zn digestibility by on average 10% units, serum Zn level (P < 0.001) by 0.4 mg/L, and liver Zn content (P < 0.001) by 129 mg/kg DM. In Exp. 1 phytase increased (P = 0.03) Cu digestibility by 6% units but reduced (P = 0.04) liver Cu content by 35 mg/kg DM. In Exp. 2 phytase reduced (P < 0.001) Cu digestibility by 16% units without affecting liver Cu content. Results indicate that the effect of phytase on Cu availability depends on dietary Cu and Zn content and the response variable studied. In conclusion, the consistent effects of phytase on indices of Zn status allow a reduction of Zn inclusion in phytase-supplemented diets.

Meta-analysis of effects of microbial phytase on digestibility and bioavailability of copper and zinc in growing pigs

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effect of microbial phytase in pig diets on digestibility and bioavailability of Cu and Zn. Studies (n = 22) into effects of microbial phytase on digestibility and plasma levels of Cu and Zn were included in a dataset and regression analysis was performed to quantify the effect of Aspergillus niger derived 3-phytase in studies (n = 14) with a maximum dietary Zn content of 100 mg/kg and a maximum Cu addition of 20 mg/kg. Phytase inclusion increased digestibility of Zn (P = 0.003) and plasma Zn content (P < 0.001) without affecting digestibility and plasma level of Cu. Based on a comparison with dose-response studies with Zn, we estimated 500 phytase units (FTU) of microbial phytase is equivalent to 27 mg of Zn from ZnSO(4).

Phytase, a New Life for an “Old” Enzyme

Phytases are phosphohydrolytic enzymes that initiate stepwise removal of phosphate from phytate. Simple-stomached species such as swine, poultry, and fish require extrinsic phytase to digest phytate, the major form of phosphorus in plant-based feeds. Consequently, this enzyme is supplemented in these species’ diets to decrease their phosphorus excretion, and it has emerged as one of the most effective and lucrative feed additives. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the evolving course of phytase science and technology. It gives realistic estimates of the versatile roles of phytase in animal feeding, environmental protection, rock phosphorus preservation, human nutrition and health, and industrial applications. It elaborates on new biotechnology and existing issues related to developing novel microbial phytases as well as phytase-transgenic plants and animals. And it targets critical and integrated analyses on the global impact, novel application, and future demand of phytase in promoting animal agriculture, human health, and societal sustainability.

Bioavailability of zinc sources and their interaction with phytates in broilers and piglets

Zinc (Zn) is essential for swine and poultry and native Zn concentrations in feedstuffs are too low to meet their Zn requirement. Dietary Zn bioavailability is affected by phytate, phytase and Zn supplemented in organic form is considered as more bioavailable than inorganic sources. A meta-analysis using GLM procedures was processed using broiler and piglet databases to investigate, within the physiological response of Zn, (1) the bioavailability of inorganic and organic Zn sources (Analysis I); (2) the bioavailability of native and inorganic Zn dependent from dietary phytates, vegetal and supplemental phytase activity (Analysis II). Analysis I: the bioavailability of organic Zn relative to inorganic Zn sources ranged, depending on the variable, from 85 to 117 never different from 100 (P > 0.05). The coefficients of determination of the regressions were 0.91 in broilers and above 0.89 in piglets. Analysis II: in broilers, bone Zn was explained by supplemental Zn (linear and quadratic, P < 0.001) and by supplemental phytase (linear, P < 0.001). In piglets, the interaction between dietary Zn and phytates/phytases was investigated by means of a new variable combining dietary phytic phosphorus (PP) and phytase activity. This new variable represents the remaining dietary PP after its hydrolysis in the digestive tract, mainly due to phytase and is called non-hydrolyzed phytic phosphorus (PP(NH)). Bone Zn was increased with native Zn (P < 0.001), but to a lower extent in high PP or low phytase diets (ZN(N) × PP(NH), P < 0.001). In contrast, the increase in bone zinc in response to supplemental Zn (P < 0.001) was not modulated by PP(NH) (P > 0.05). The coefficients of determination of the regressions were 0.92 in broilers and above 0.92 in piglets. The results from the two meta-analyses suggest that (1) broilers and piglets use supplemented Zn, independent from Zn source; (2) broiler use native Zn and the use is slightly enhanced with supplemental phytase; (3) however, piglets are limited in the use of native Zn because of the antagonism of non-hydrolyzed dietary phytate. This explains the higher efficacy of phytase in improving Zn availability in this specie.

Effect of the dietary oregano (Origanum vulgare) on Cu and Zn balance in weaned piglets

A 4-week study conducted on 20 weaned piglets (average initial weight 15 kg) evaluated the effects of dietary oregano (Origanum vulgare) used in the presence/absence of phytase on the Cu and Zn balance, while reducing/eliminating their inclusion in the diet as inorganic salts. Oregano was harvested from the wild flora. The Cu and Zn concentrations that were taken into consideration (9.85 ppm and 53.31 pmm, respectively) were the consensus values obtained in an interlaboratory study. The piglets were assigned to 4 groups (C, E1, E2, E3), housed in individual metabolic cages and fed on corn-soybean meal-based diets. The diet of the control group (C) with addition of 1% inorganic mineral premix (MP), contained: 40.92 ppm Cu, 144.96 ppm Zn. The experimental diets differed from the C diet as follows: E1--3% oregano, 0% phytase (5000 PU/g), 0% MP; E2--3% oregano, 0.01% phytase, 0% MP; E3--3% oregano, 0% phytase, 0.5% MP, E4--3% oregano, 0.01% phytase, 0,5% premix. For groups E1, E2, E3 and E4, 0.5% Zn of the MP were included in the diet, because the dietary oregano amount did not meet the requirements (NRC) for piglets. The mineral balance was determined during 3 periods of 5 days each. The levels of Cu and Zn were measured by FAAS in the samples (weekly samples/piglet) of ingesta, faeces and urine. It was noticed that although the dietary Cu ingested by the groups without MP was 75% (10.08 ppm) lower than C, the absorption coefficients were only 47% (28.83) lower than for group C (54.22%), while in the groups with 0.5% MP, the absorption was just 10% (48.86%) lower than for group C. For Zn, where the amount ingested by the experimental groups was 33% (97.62 ppm) lower than for group C, the absorption coefficients were just 20% (46.3%) lower than for group C (57.64%). No significant differences were noticed for Cu and Zn in terms of apparent absorption, between the groups with/without phytase. The deposits of Cu and Zn in the main organs and serum (from slaughtered piglets) were also evaluated.