ARTICLE 68 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE June 2022 MANAGING FEED COST WITH EXOGENOUS ENZYMES IN A VOLATILE MARKET “Exogenous feed enzymes enhance digestibility of cereals, grain, legumes and oilseed meals. Each class of feed enzyme is unique, and can be deployed during least cost feed formulation to displace more expensive sources of minerals, amino acids and energy. Combined use of enzymes can generate substantial nutrient release values that mitigate feed cost pressure.” The word ‘unprecedented’ is used liberally and often inappropriately. However, the current macro-economic and global political landscape is currently going through genuinely unprecedented flux. Economic recovery post-COVID has driven strong inflationary pressures that are compounded by labor shortages and supply chain fragility. Global energy prices are extremely high, and many food staples are increasingly unaffordable for consumers. The conflict in Ukraine has further exacerbated commodity supply, especially for wheat, sunflower meal, oil and corn, and this is putting upward pressure on prices of these, and alternative, raw materials such as by-products and inorganic phosphates. As poultry and swine producers operate under tight margins and given that feed represents around 70% of total production cost, headwind associated with high ingredient prices has a catastrophic effect on profitability and food chain security. Exogenous feed enzymes such as carbohydrase, protease and phytase have been used to enhance digestibility of cereals, grain, legumes and oilseed meals for several decades. Xylanases generate substantial increases in energy and amino acid retention via hydrolysis of hemicellulose. Hydrolysis end products (xylo-oligosaccharides) are fermented by the hind gut microbiome which generates improvements in net energy and amino acid digestibility, in part via hormonal regulation of gastric digestion. Proteases solubilize dietary protein that is otherwise recalcitrant to digestion and alleviates negative pressure on endogenous protein synthesis and loss from the gut. These effects generate measurable increases in amino acid and energy digestibility. Finally, phytases hydrolyse phytic acid, generating free phosphate and myoinositol while concurrently reducing the antinutritional effect of phytate as an intestinal irritant. This generates a substantial increase in digestibility of minerals, amino acids and energy and assists the host with productive partitioning of nutrients. REDUCING FEED COST WITH EXOGENOUS ENZYMES Each class of feed enzyme carries a unique nutritional matrix that can be deployed during least cost feed formulation to displace more expensive sources of minerals, amino acids and energy. When used Aaron Cowieson Corporate Science Fellow DSM
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==