Poultry diets are primarily composed of seed-based ingredients and contain a high proportion of their P in the phytic acid molecule, making this P poorly available. Phytic acid (IP6) is a highly reactive acidic compound that readily binds mineral cations, and in this complexed form is called phytin. The chemical characteristics of IP6 influence exogenous (diet) and intestinal phytase efficacy and the availability of both phytin-P (PP) and any minerals bound to IP6. Research has shown that minimizing IP6-mineral complexes in the digesta of poultry can lead to increased PP availability in the absence of dietary phytase, as well as increased efficacy of dietary phytases. Understanding these binding interactions and how they influence the efficacy of different phytases can provide a valuable tool in choosing when to use phytase and what phytase to use under different situations. This understanding can provide the foundation for developing new methods, as well as minimizing the cost and maximizing efficacy of current methods, to reduce the amount of P excreted by poultry.

The effect of Ca and phytase on phytate phosphorus (PP) hydrolysis was studied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, PP hydrolysis by a 3-phytase and a 6-phytase was studied at pH 2.5 and 6.5 with Ca added at levels equivalent to 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.7, or 0.9% of the diet. Irrespective of enzyme, Ca at a level as low as 0.1% reduced (P < 0.05) PP hydrolysis at pH 6.5. To test these effects in vivo, 22-d-old male broilers were fed 1 of 6 diets (10 replicate pens of 4 birds per diet) for 30 h. The experimental design was a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of 3 phytase treatments (0, 500 U of phytase A/kg of diet, and 500 U of phytase B/kg of diet) and 2 added Ca levels (0 and 0.5% from CaCO³) to a corn-soy basal diet. Adding Ca to the diet resulted in a reduction (P < 0.05) in ileal PP disappearance from 69.2 to 25.4% when the 0 and 0.5% added Ca diets were fed, respectively, and in apparent ileal Ca and P absorption (46.3 to 33.6% and 67.9 to 29.4% when 0 and 0.5% Ca were added, respectively). Inclusion of a 3-phytase improved (P < 0.05) ileal PP disappearance from 25.4 to 58.9% in diets containing 0 and 0.5% added Ca, but the improvement was less pronounced with a 6-phytase. Apparent ileal Ca absorption was improved (P < 0.05) when Ca, phytase, or both were added to the diet.

SUMMARY. In this paper, we present a review of the current knowledge of calcium and phosphorus metabolism as it relates to homeostatic mechanisms in poultry; c

A study was conducted with an exogenous monocomponent protease added to corn-soybean meal diets fed to straight-run Ross 708 broilers from 7 to 22 d of age. Broilers were randomly placed into 42 battery pens (5 birds/pen) and allocated to 6 treatments with 7 replicates. A positive control diet (PC; 22.5% CP) and a low protein basal diet (20.5% CP) were formulated. Low protein diets (LP) comprised 98.67% of low protein basal diet and 1.33% Celite (indigestible marker and filler; Celite Corp., Lompoc, CA). Protease [75,000 PROT units/g; 1 PROT unit is defined as the amount of enzyme that releases 1 µmol of p-nitroaniline from 1 µM of substrate (Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroaniline per minute at pH 9.0 and 37°C] was added at the expense of Celite (0 mg/kg, LP0; 100 mg/kg, LP100; 200 mg/kg, LP200; 400 mg/kg, LP400; and 800 mg/kg, LP800) to create the LP diets (20.25% CP). At 22 d of age, ileal contents were collected from all birds for apparent CP and amino acid (AA) digestibility determinations. Broilers fed the PC diet were 7.5% heavier (P < 0.05) compared with those fed the LP0 diet. Birds fed the LP diets containing protease regardless of concentration grew as well as the birds fed the PC diet. Feed conversion was impaired (P < 0.05) in birds fed the LP0 and the LP100 diets compared with those fed the PC diet, but no difference was found between birds fed the PC diet and those fed diets containing more protease (LP200, LP400, and LP800). Digestibility of CP was increased (P < 0.05) in broilers fed the LP-supplemented diets compared with those fed either the PC or LP0 diets, but it was similar between those fed LP diets with any protease concentration. Digestibility of AA was not different between the PC and LP0 diets. The protease used in this study restored live performance and digestibility of CP (6.1%). When benefits in AA digestibility occurred, they were similar at all protease inclusions and averaged as follows: Arg, 3.5%; Ile, 3.2%; Lys, 5.4%; Thr, 7.8%; Asp, 6.5%; His, 3.3%; Cys, 4.6%; and Ser, 5.5%. Methionine was increased only at 400 and 800 mg/kg (6.5%) and Val was increased only at 200 and 800 mg/kg (5%).

SUMMARY. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of adding an exogenous protease to corn-, soybean meal-, and meat and bone meal-based broiler d

Broilers chickens have limited ability to utilize phytate phosphorus (PP), and the influence of nutrients on the activity and efficacy of intestinal phytase is unclear. Therefore in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial experiment, male chicks were fed 0 or 0.21 mg/kg 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH D3), 4 or 9 g/kg Ca supplied from CaCO3 or Ca malate from 14 to 24 d of age (six pens/treatment, eight birds/pen). Source of Ca had no effect on tibia ash, intestinal phytase activity, or apparent ileal PP hydrolysis. Phytase activity (Vmax) within brush border vesicles prepared from small intestinal mucosa was greater in chicks fed 4 vs. 9 g/kg Ca (P < or = 0.05). Similarly, birds fed 4 vs. 9 g/kg Ca were able to hydrolyze an additional 24.36% PP (P < 0.01). Intestinal phytase activity and apparent ileal PP hydrolysis were not affected by 25-OH D3 supplementation, but tibia ash was improved by 2.7% (P < 0.01). A subsequent experiment validated the effect of dietary Ca (4 and 9 g/kg) and elucidated differences between strains (Ross 308 and Hubbard x Peterson) from 8 to 22 d of age (six pens/treatment, eight birds/pen). The strains responded similarly to dietary Ca in terms of intestinal phytase and apparent ileal PP hydrolysis. Intestinal phytase activity was 9% greater in birds fed 4 vs. 9 g/kg Ca (P < 0.05) and apparent ileal PP hydrolysis was 11.9% greater (P < 0.02). In conclusion, a typical dietary Ca concentration (9 g/kg) reduced intestinal phytase activity and apparent ileal PP hydrolysis.