DSM and Novozymes look to boost amino acid digestibility in poultry diets

DSM-and-Novozymes-look-to-boost-amino-acid-digestibility-in-poultry-diets.jpg
© GettyImages/gpointstudio (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The DSM and Novozymes feed enzymes alliance today announced the commercial release of a ‘breakthrough’ second-generation protease for poultry production, ProAct 360.

The partners flagged how they pioneered feed protease technology 10 years ago with the launch of the first-generation ProAct, which they claim became the market standard for improving amino acid digestibility in animal feed.

“The need for protease-based solutions is greater than ever today, with animal protein producers facing a volatile market characterized by high protein meal prices and a slow recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

ProAct 360 will initially be launched in Latin American markets.

The scope of the current launch is defined by the regulatory aspect, LATAM countries being the first ones to grant registration for the use of this protease technology in feed. Other geographies will follow in the course of the coming months and years, as more registrations are awarded by local regulatory agencies,” commented a spokesperson for DSM.

DSM and Novozymes said ProAct 360 delivers more consistent improvements in growth performance over ProAct CT, along with improved matrix values for key amino acids and faster action.

“ProAct 360 hydrolyzes protein faster than the existing product. Moreover, it is a more potent molecule, with a broad specificity, working on a wide range of feed raw materials. A Sfericase protease, sequence-wise, it is unlike anything else in the market. It has been thoroughly tested both in vitro and in vivo, and selected as the best candidate among millions of proteases,” the DSM representative told this publication.

Over 35 in-vivo trials looking at both performance and digestibility were conducted prior to launch in markets in LATAM, as well as in the US and Europe, she added.

Reduction in crude protein content 

As ProAct 360 improves amino acid digestibility, this enables optimization of poultry diets, and a reduction in crude protein (CP) content with no negative impact on animal performance, said the team behind the technology.

The protease’s value proposition also goes beyond the product itself to include end-to-end digital services, ranging from raw material analysis to a sustainability calculator.

”DSM wants to bring more added value around protease technology to its customers. ProAct 360 thus offers an access to a ’one-stop-shop’ digital platform containing NIR analysis, a product calculator/simulator regarding positive contribution of ProAct 360 in terms of both matrix values and sustainability KPIs along with feed assays analysis to quantify enzymes recovery after pelleting.

“The ultimate goal of these integrated and interconnected services is to ensure better decision making on behalf of our customers in terms of feed formulation and the use of protease technology.”

The DSM and Novozymes alliance is also exploring application of this 'next gen' protease technology in swine.