title: The effects of citric acid on phytate-phosphorus utilization in young chicks and pigs.
abstract: Several bioassays were conducted with young chicks and pigs fed phosphorus (P)-deficient corn-soybean meal diets. With diets for chicks containing .62% Ca and .42% P (.10% available P), graded doses of a citric acid + sodium citrate (1:1, wt:wt) mixture (0, 1, 2, 4, or 6% of diet) resulted in linear (P < .01) increases in both weight gain and tibia ash. Relative to chicks fed no citric acid, tibia ash (%) and weight gain (g/d) were increased by 43 and 22%, respectively, in chicks fed 6% citric acid. Additional chick trials showed that 6% citric acid alone or sodium citrate alone was as efficacious as the citric acid + sodium citrate mixture and that 1,450 U/kg of phytase produced a positive response in bone ash and weight gain in chicks fed a diet containing 6% citrate. Varying the Ca:available P ratio with and without citrate supplementation indicated that citric acid primarily affected phytate-P utilization, not Ca, in chicks. Moreover, chicks did not respond to citrate supplementation when fed a P-deficient (.13% available P), phytate-free casein-dextrose diet. Young pigs averaging 10 to 11 kg also were used to evaluate citric acid efficacy in two experiments. A P-deficient corn-soybean meal basal diet was used to construct five treatment diets that contained 1) no additive, 2) 3% citric acid, 3) 6% citric acid, 4) 1,450 U/kg phytase, and 5) 6% citric acid + 1,450 U/kg phytase. Phytase supplementation increased (P < .01) weight gain, gain:feed, and metatarsal ash, whereas citric acid addition increased only gain:feed (P < .05) and metatarsal ash (P < .08). A subsequent 22-d pig experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of lower levels of citric acid (0, 1, 2, or 3%) or 1,450 U/kg phytase addition to a P-deficient corn-soybean meal diet. Phytase supplementation improved (P < .01) all criteria measured. Weight gain and gain:feed data suggested a response to citric acid addition, but this was not supported by fibula ash results (P > .10). The positive responses to phytase were much greater than those to citric acid in both pig experiments. Thus, dietary citric acid effectively improved phytate P utilization in chicks but had a much smaller effect in pigs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Boling
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Webel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mavromichalis
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D010832:6-Phytase / Q000378:metabolism; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004063:Digestion / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D016226:Phosphorus, Dietary / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D010833:Phytic Acid / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013025:Glycine max; D013552:Swine / Q000378:metabolism*; D015430:Weight Gain; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D016226:Phosphorus, Dietary; D019343:Citric Acid; D010833:Phytic Acid; D010832:6-Phytase