Efficacy of a Mono-Component Exogenous Protease in the Presence of a High Concentration of Exogenous Phytase on Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

SUMMARY Increasing global population and disposable income is resulting in a dramatic rise in demand for animal-sourced food products. To meet this demand, the animal protein industry is constantly evolving to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Nutritionally, a major contributing technology to this objective is the exogenous feed enzymes. These enzymes can be included in the diet of livestock to improve digestibility, reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, reduce diet cost, and improve uniformity of animal growth. However, the number of feed enzyme products on the market today is considerable and there is a lack of clarity as to how these divergent enzymes may interact in a diet. The study reported herein noted that the addition of a novel exogenous protease to a broiler chicken diet improved weight gain (+7.3%) and reduced feed conversion ratio (−4%) even though the diet already contained 2 other feed enzymes (phytase and xylanase). The results reported herein confirm the usefulness of exogenous protease and the value of such a part of a wider enzyme admixture to improve the sustainability of the broiler chicken industry.