title: Response of broilers to graded levels of microbial phytase added to maize-soyabean-meal-based diets containing three levels of non-phytate phosphorus.
abstract: Male 1-d-old broilers (n 920) were given 0, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 U microbial phytase/kg diet in combination with 2.0, 2.7 or 3.4 g non-phytate P (nP)/kg or 4.0, 5.1 or 5.8 g total P (tP)/kg in a 21 d trial to assess the effectiveness of phytase in a maize-soyabean-meal diet. In addition to the above twenty-one diets, a positive control P diet supplied 4.5 g nP/kg, 6.9 g tP/kg and 10 g Ca/kg. The basal diet contained 230 g crude protein/kg, 8.8 g Ca/kg, 4.4 g tP/kg and 2.0 g nP/kg. Defluorinated phosphate and limestone were used to supply P and Ca. A Ca:tP ratio of 2:1 was maintained except in the positive control diet which had a ratio of 1.45:1. Phytase additions linearly increased (P < 0.01) body-weight (BW) gain, feed intake, toe ash percentage, and apparent retention (% of intake) or total amount (g/bird) of retained Ca and P, and linearly decreased (P < 0.01) P excretion (g/kg of DM intake) at each level of nP with the magnitude of the response inversely related to the level of nP. Above-normal mortality was only observed in the group receiving 2.0 g nP/kg diet without phytase. Adding nP linearly increased (P < 0.01) BW gain, feed intake, toe ash percentage, Ca retention, total amount (g/bird) of P retained, and P excretion, and linearly decreased (P < 0.01) apparent retention (%) of P. Derived linear and non-linear equations for BW gain and toe ash percentage at the two lower nP levels, 2.0 and 2.7 g/kg, were used to calculate P equivalency values of microbial phytase. The results show that 939 U microbial phytase is equivalent to 1 g P from defluorinated phosphate in broilers fed on maize-soyabean-meal diets. The amount of P released per 100 U phytase decreased as the total amount of phytase increased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg 24061-0306, USA.
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Kornegay
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Denbow
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravindran
mesh_terms: D010832:6-Phytase / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D001835:Body Weight; D002118:Calcium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet; D008297:Male; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D013025:Glycine max; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D010832:6-Phytase; D002118:Calcium