Registration is still underway in a few countries globally, but the enzyme is now approved in major markets around the world, said Anne van Gastel, sales Europe, BASF Animal Nutrition.
She told us the enzyme has been rapidly gaining market share since its global launch at IPPE in 2016.
BASF said its new generation phytase helps pigs and poultry utilize phosphorus and key nutrients more efficiently, bringing a wide range of benefits to local farmers and the animal feed industry.
Our new phytase, Natuphos E, is a hybrid 6-phytase of bacterial origin.
“The enzyme can resist pepsin in the animal stomach, adverse pH-conditions in the animal gut, and high temperatures during the pelleting processes,” Dr Chris Rieker, vice president, BASF animal nutrition, told this publication previously,
The enzyme results in highly efficient phosphorus release, and proves stable in challenging environments, he said.
There are additional economic and environmental benefits from supplementing with the enzyme from saving on the addition of inorganic phosphorous to feed, maximized digestion of phosphorous and other nutrients in feed with an improvement in animal performance, increased resource efficiency and the reduction of eutrophication through less excretion of phosphorous, said Rieker.
The granulate formulations of Natuphos E are recommended for pelleted feed, up to pelleting temperatures of 95ºC, he added.
Why are phytase enzymes needed?
Phosphorus and inositol in phytate form is not bioavailable to monogastric animals like pigs and poultry as the animals lack the digestive phytase enzyme to remove phosphate from the inositol in the phytate molecule.
The unabsorbed phytate in the feedstuffs used globally in pig and poultry diets passes through the animal’s gastrointestinal tract and is excreted into the soil and eventually into the aquatic environment causing algal growth and eutrophication.
It is said the bioavailability of phytate phosphorus can be increased through the supplementation of pig and poultry feed with a phytase enzyme.