25 January 2021 - Enzymes were first truly recognised as a means of optimising animal nutrition when the first US patent was granted in 1894. Phytase, the most popular feed enzyme today - and phytate, the anti-nutrient it destroys - were discovered not long afterwards in the early 1900s. However, the use of feed enzymes to achieve cost efficiencies in animal production only really became mainstream in the late 1980s.
Celebrating 20 years in the phytase segment this year, DuPont Animal Nutrition made its market entry with a fungal phytase known as Phyzyme®. Since then, the company has invested significant resources in phytase R&D over the past years to find new ways to optimise the value of existing feed enzymes in the portfolio and develop several big brands; each one, according to DuPont Animal Nutrition, progressively raising the bar in terms of formulation technology and results.
In 2003, DuPont Animal Nutrition launched Phyzyme® XP which was the first commercially available E. coli phytase. In 2007, the company introduced Phyzyme® XP TPT. Due to the product’s high thermostability, it could be included in mash feed prior to pelleting, rather than spraying it on the feed post pelleting. As such, DuPont Animal Nutrition claims it set up a new benchmark on the way phytases were handled and made it possible to use them in all feeds, all the time. As a result, producers no longer needed to install expensive post pelleting application equipment.
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Dr. Arno de Kreij |
In 2013, DuPont Animal Nutrition followed up with the launch of Axtra® PHY. Thanks to its improved bioefficacy, this product was able to improve phosphorous release values by up to 20% compared to E. coli phytases, thus enabling a reduction of the amount of inorganic phosphorous needed in the diet. And, at this point in time, it had also become accepted that phytases have a positive impact on energy and amino acid digestibility. And last year, Axtra® PHY GOLD was launched. With this product, the company now includes the impact of calcium solubility on its matrix release values, allowing its customers to further maximise how much value they can expect from their phytase application. |
Feedinfo spoke to Dr. Arno de Kreij, segment leader, DuPont Animal Nutrition, to discuss the evolution of phytase applications and how his firm helps producers use them wisely.
[Feedinfo] Dr. Arno de Kreij, how customisable has phytase application become over the years?
[Arno de Kreij] The thinking around phytase application today is radically different to 20 years ago, when EU restrictions on phosphorous emissions, rather than commercial considerations, drove phytase adoption by producers. These days, however, the picture is very different. Thanks to the huge strides that have been made in bioefficacy and related formulation technologies, the inclusion of phytases is now mainly driven by the economic and performance benefits they deliver to producers. In addition, as knowledge and sophistication around diet formulation has improved, attention has also turned to understanding the role of active calcium in the diet - and a significant part of our research is focused on the impact of calcium solubility on phytase efficacy.
As a result, the most advanced producers will always look at optimal phytase dosing based on the amount of substrate that is present in the diet and other challenges. Based on recent advances we are now able to deliver customisable matrix values to maximise the return.
[Feedinfo] Products like Axtra® PHY have been helping animal producers throughout the world lower their production costs and reduce their environmental footprint, but do you see a ceiling in terms of the cost reductions and efficacy potential of the product?
[Arno de Kreij] I think that as long as there is inorganic phosphorous being used in monogastric diets, there is room for improvement with phytase application. However, even when that major milestone has been reached, the question of whether all of the dietary phytate can be degraded in order to prevent the antinutritional effects of phytate will remain. And this is a very different - and difficult - goal. We believe that with increased competitiveness in the market it makes sense for producers to move beyond phosphorous replacement to also look at full phytate degradation.
[Feedinfo] One of the issues DuPont’s phytase expertise and technology addresses is counteracting the antinutritional effects of calcium in monogastric diets. Why is it important for you to single out this particular issue? Why do you call it a double-edged sword?
[Arno de Kreij] Calcium is essential for bone development and a key player in several metabolic paths. It is often added to diets with large safety margins to avoid deficiencies with little added cost to the formulation. Limestone is also often used as a flow agent or carrier within other ingredients such as soybean meal which often goes unaccounted for. This means you can end up with a higher level of calcium in the diet than expected. If calcium deficit poses a threat to animal growth, high calcium concentrations that are highly soluble can also severely impair productivity due to increased calcium phytate binding in the early gut which can lead to reduced protein digestibility. Hence dietary calcium is a double-edged sword.
[Feedinfo] Over the years, DuPont Animal Nutrition and its phytase customers have collaboratively been accumulating vast amounts of data on the use of phytase in animal diets. What additional resources will your latest offering, Axtra® PHY GOLD bring?
[Arno de Kreij] Axtra® PHY GOLD demonstrates our continued focus on developing and improving phytase applications and we are committed to collaborating with our customers on this journey. This collaborative approach has led to a number of successful outcomes, such as the introduction of nutribiosis which takes a holistic view of the impact and possibilities of our products, both in terms of animal performance and health. These underlying principles have also helped to inform our phytase research which now not only encompasses phosphorous, but amino acid, energy and the role of calcium too. In this way, we aim to continue to drive the science towards valuable new understandings and insights.
[Feedinfo] How is this new knowledge reflected in your new online tool called Optimize Feed™?
[Arno de Kreij] We are in the middle of completely redesigning and rebuilding the Optimize Feed™ tool to capture all of this new knowledge and make it easily accessible for our customers. Once the new tool is ready later this year, it will enable our customers to quickly check different approaches and apply this practical information to their dietary feed formulations. This is just one part of our ongoing investment designed to further improve application developments and we look forward to continuing our collaborations with researchers around the world.
[Feedinfo] How does the company intend to maintain this phytase innovation leadership position in the next 20 years?
[Arno de Kreij] I can share our firm belief that there is still untapped potential and room for improvement in phytase application in monogastric animals. With that in mind, one of the main focus areas for our phytase R&D over the next few years will be on driving the science towards inorganic phosphorous free diets. As an industry, we need to respond to the increasing societal demand for more sustainable practices. So, by further reducing phosphorous inclusion and making targeted adjustments to feeding practices, we aim to achieve inorganic phosphorous free diets from start to finish in both poultry and swine.
Published in association with DuPont Animal Nutrition
