Nutritional approaches to reducing phosphorus excretion by poultry.
Phosphorus is an essential mineral for growing poultry, and the consequences of a failure to provide for adequate quantities of this nutrient are physiologically and economically disastrous. Therefore, nutritionists provide a margin of safety for this mineral in their diets. However, because of growing concerns regarding the potential contribution of P in poultry excreta on eutrophication of surface waters, increasing pressure is being placed to limit the amount of excess P in diets and thus reduce fecal output. In order to significantly reduce fecal P while maintaining economic productivity, the nutritionist must establish and maintain an integrated program of activities, including an effective quality control program for incoming animal protein feeds, selection of P supplements of the highest biological value, use of phytase enzymes, and judicious selection of dietary P levels. Potential benefits of newer isomers of vitamin D and the commercial development of grains with high levels of nonphytate P offer promise in the future. Whatever measures are taken to increase the biological availability of the phytate-bound and nonphytate P portions of the diet, commensurate reductions in overall dietary P content must be made.
Waldroup
P W
PW
Poultry Science Department, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72701, USA. pwaldro@comp.uark.edu
D000383:Agriculture; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005068:Eutrophication; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*; D011200:Poultry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D010758:Phosphorus