Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of AveMix® XG 10 (endo‐1, 4‐beta‐xylanase and endo‐1, 3(4)‐beta‐glucanase) as feed additive for laying hens and minor poultry species

Abstract

The additive AveMix® XG 10 is an enzyme preparation of endo-1, 4-beta-xylanase and endo-1, 3(4)-beta-glucanase, produced by two strains of Trichoderma reesei. This product is currently authorised for use in chickens for fattening and weaned piglets under the functional group of digestibility enhancers. The applicant is now seeking an extension of the authorisation to laying hens and minor laying poultry species at a recommended level of 4 000 XU and 900 BGU/kg complete feed and to minor fattening poultry species at 3 000 XU and 675 BGU/kg. AveMix® XG 10 is safe for laying hens at the proposed use level as concluded from a tolerance trial. Based on this conclusion and on an equivalent conclusion for chickens for fattening, safety can be extrapolated to all minor poultry species. Avemix XG® 10 at the proposed level resulted in an increased performance of laying hens as measured in three trials by an improvement in the feed to egg mass ratio. Since the mode of action of xylanases and glucanases can be reasonably assumed to be the same in all poultry species, the conclusions on efficacy for major poultry species can be extrapolated to include all minor poultry species at 3 000 XU and 600 BGU/kg complete feed in fattening birds and at 4 000 XU and 900 BGU/kg complete feed in laying birds.