Enzymes for performance and feed cost optimization
Feed enzymes are well accepted in India for past more than 15 years. Feed enzymes are proven additives to increase the nutritional value of feed ingredients. Feed enzymes help reduction in feed cost and improvement in farm environment. Feed enzymes improve animal performance.
Enzymes are defined as chemicals secreted by cells to facilitate or speed up specific chemical reactions. They work as catalysts. Enzymes are secreted in the digestive tract to aid in the digestion of food. Today, these same enzymes can be commercially produced and added to animal feeds. There are three classes of enzymes used in poultry feeds.
1. Phytases
2. Carbohydrases
3. Proteases
1 Phytases
Phytase is a proven enzyme used to reduce feed cost by reducing inorganic phosphorus supplementation and has the added benefit of decreasing phosphorus excretion in manure. Phytase helps to release non digestible phosphorus found in commonly used feed ingredients.
2.Carbohydrases
This class of enzymes helps to increase the amount of energy available from feed ingredients. Main carbohydrase enzymes are amylase and xylanase and are used to improve the digestibility of carbohydrates in feed ingredients. This improved digestibility increases the availability of energy in the small intestine to help promote growth and other productive processes.
Amylase increases starch digestibility. Amylase helps to release energy by digesting starch present in ingredients like corn. Amylase helps in digestion of fibrous part of grains and there byproducts.
3.Proteases
Protease is a protein digesting enzyme that breaks down storage proteins binding starch within feed ingredients. This makes the energy from protein bound starch available to the bird to be used for productive purposes. Proteases are also effective in releasing protein anti-nutrients found in ingredients like soybean meal. This function of proteases makes proteins more available.
A blend of amylase, xylanase, cellulase, beta- glucanase and protease enzymes work together to digest poorly digestible portions of feed ingredients. They together help increase energy available for growth and/or egg production.
Since energy is the most expensive nutrient in the diet, the addition of blend of amylase, xylanase, cellulase, beta-glucanase and protease enzymes to poultry diets provides producers the opportunity to reduce feed costs.
The use of enzymes in poultry feeds has gained more acceptance by producers over the past 15 years in India. The use of feed enzymes in poultry feed allow producers to benefit from advances in enzyme technology in today’s competitive and challenging market.
