Animal Feed
  
 

Feed enzymes have an important role to play in current farming systems. They can increase the digestibility of nutrients, leading to greater efficiency in the production of animal products such as meat and eggs. At the same time they can play a role in minimizing the environmental impact of increased animal production.

Feed enzymes are also able to upgrade sources of vegetable protein (such as soybeans, rapeseed, sunflower seed and legumes) in both pig and poultry diets.		  
     
  Benefits  
 
  • Reduction of feed costs by providing flexibility in feed formulation  
  • Improvement of feed efficiency in pigs and poultry  
  • Improvement of uniformity  
  • Reduction of sticky droppings (lower risk of dirty eggs, hock burns and breast blisters) and improvement of litter quality in poultry  
  • An increase in the dietary content of metabolizable energy
  
 
Classification / Name
Function
Current Supported Use
  
  Carbohydrases      
 

alpha-Amylase

hydrolyzes starch

increases digestibility of starch in pig and poultry diets

 
 

Cellulase

breaks down cellulose

increases digestibility of fiber in ruminant and non-ruminant diets

 
 

beta-Glucanase

hydrolysis of b-glucans, a type of nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP)

reduction of digest viscosity in poultry diets; decreases anti-nutritional effects of NSP; reduces soluble NSP in disgesta

 
 

Hemicellulase

breaks down hemicellulose

reduction of digesta viscosity; decrease nutritional effects of NSP; reduces soluble NSP in digesta; increases digestibility of hemicelluloses in the feed, thus increasing the energy value of feed; reduction in stickiness of excreted digesta in poultry

 
 

Protease (general)

hydrolyzes proteins;

hydrolysis of proteins in feed ingredients in pig and poultry diets

 
 

PHOS-PHATASES

 

 

 
 

Phytase

hydrolyzes phytate

increases digestibility of phytin-bound phosphorus in swine and poultry diets