In light of growing environmental concerns surrounding soybean meal and increasing pressures to meet sustainability goals, it has never been a better time for producers to explore ingredient alternatives. IFF’s recent proof of concept study highlights the potential of enzymes and gut health solutions to mitigate the effects of using alternative ingredients in broiler diets, in line with growing demand.

Global Technical Marketing Consultant
IFF
Soybean meal (SBM) is widely used in animal diets – and for good reason. It is a nutrient-dense, highly digestible, and cost-effective source of protein and amino acids for optimal performance. But now, SBM is starting to fall out of favor in some markets, primarily due to sustainability concerns. This article explores why more and more producers are interested in innovative feed additives, and the ways they can overcome common challenges to go 100% soy-free.
SOYBEAN MEAL ALTERNATIVES ON THE RISE
Cultivating SBM can have a significant environmental impact, particularly around land use and land use change (LULUC). Producers must also navigate the high CO2 emissions linked to long-distance logistics. These rising environmental concerns are inevitably driving interest in more sustainable alternatives. For instance, partial replacement with ingredients such as rapeseed and sunflower seed meal has been gaining traction among producers – to varying success. However, adopting completely soy-free feed formulations has historically been challenging, due to reduced animal performance and a significant increase in costs.
The problem with many alternative ingredients is that they often have higher fiber content, lower amino acid digestibility and antinutritional factors that can negatively impact performance. These factors can decrease nutrient digestion, cause the overgrowth of microbiota – particularly non-beneficial bacteria – and damage animal health. Addressing these side effects and developing effective feed strategies, supported by robust research, is therefore vital for the animal nutrition and health industry to move forward with soy-free diets.
PIONEERING INNOVATIVE INGREDIENTS
Emerging research indicates that enzymes and gut health solutions could help mitigate the negative impact of alternative raw materials in soy-free diets, providing a viable replacement for SBM. In practice, this means using a multi-faceted approach to address each issue. For example, formulating with enzymes such as xylanase and beta-glucanase (XB) to improve non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) and fiber digestion, as well as protease to increase amino acid digestion.
Applying betaine or probiotics can also help to enhance gut health, which complements enzyme use. They work by having a positive synergistic effect, optimizing nutrient digestibility and reducing undigested substrates, while also modulating gut microflora to promote beneficial gut bacteria. Better gut health means reduced challenges and improved nutrient absorption – all of which help to improve animal performance.
SPOTLIGHT ON NEW SCIENCE
Although extensive research has been conducted over the years on the use of enzymes and gut health solutions in commercial settings, Danisco Animal Health & Nutrition, a business of IFF, recently worked on a study1 to examine the effect of specific enzymes and feed additives to mitigate the known negative effects of alternative ingredients. The study focused on which feed solutions could help maintain – and improve – performance of broilers fed soybean meal-free diets, which enzyme/feed additive strategy achieves the best performance, and if it is possible to achieve economic equivalence for 100% soy-free diets.
In this major test case study, 2,574 Ross 308 male broilers, with 22 birds x 13 floor pens per dietary treatment, were used. Nine treatments were developed in total; one commercially relevant SBM-based diet (control supplemented with IFF Axtra® PHY GOLD phytase and Danisco® Xylanase) and eight alternative diets formulated without SBM and soy oil. Each group was supplemented with two levels of crude protein (CP) and different combinations of enzymes and additives – with promising results.
The combination of low CP, supplemented with XB enzymes (Axtra® XB) and probiotics (Enviva® PRO), in addition to phytase (Axtra® PHY GOLD) and protease (Axtra®PRO) was found to be the best performing alternative SBM-free treatment.2 This blend was also found to maintain feed cost per kilogram mean body weight (BW). These encouraging findings are the first to suggest that SBM could be completely replaced without significantly compromising breed performance objectives and cost, while aligning with a more sustainable strategy.
LOOKING AHEAD
In light of growing environmental concerns surrounding SBM and increasing pressures to meet sustainability goals, it has never been a better time for producers to explore ingredient alternatives. Our recent proof of concept study highlights the potential of enzymes and gut health solutions to mitigate the effects of using alternative ingredients in broiler diets, in line with growing demand. Adopting new concepts and practices in animal nutrition and health requires reliable supporting data under practical conditions, and this latest research provides an excellent basis for further studies on the subject. We’re committed to solving current market challenges, and helping to improve producers’ sustainability efforts through greater use of locally sourced raw materials, which is another important step in driving positive change across the industry.
References
1Marchal L, Bello A, Archer G, Sobotik EB, Dersjant-Li Y. Total replacement of soybean meal with alternative plant-based ingredients and a combination of feed additives in broiler diets from 1 day of age during the whole growing period. Poult Sci. 2024 Jul;103(7):103854. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103854. Epub 2024 May 16. PMID: 38815497; PMCID: PMC11170138.
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About Rachael Hardy
After graduating with a BSc in Animal Science, Rachael Hardy joined Danisco Animal Nutrition & Health (IFF) as part of the global Innovation team conducting university scale animal trials. For the past ten years, she has worked within the global technical marketing team, with a focus on phytase application and combination product selection in poultry and swine animals.