Phosphorus

Phosphorus is an essential mineral for pigs and poultry, which require it for various biological functions. It plays a key role in bone formation and mineralization and is involved in many other metabolic processes.

Phosphorus deficiency causes poor bone mineralization and impairs growth rate, carcass leanness and carcass quality.

To ensure good animal health and performance, it is essential to supply adequate amounts of phosphorus in the feed.

Sources of Phosphorus

Feed of plant or animal origin is usually less digestible than inorganic phosphorus feed supplements. The cost of inorganic phosphorus can be quite high, depending on the supply situation and global reserves are limited.

Making use of plant phosphorus by adding phytase to feed will ensure a long-term, environmentally-friendly supply.

The Phytate Lock in Plant-Based Feed

In plant-based feed like cereals and oilseeds, up to 80 percent or more of the total phosphorus can be locked up in phytate. Phytate, which is the storage form of phosphorus for their seedlings, is practically indigestible by monogastric animals (i.e., animals with a single stomach, including poultry and pigs). This causes them to excrete considerable gas amounts of undigested phosphorus from vegetable feed components, which also causes environmental problems.

Flow of phosphorus ingested by growing-finishing pigs