“We are launching Axtra PRIME globally. It is initially available in the US, which is an important swine market with a faster regulatory environment. We expect local authorities in other regions to review and approve the product soon,” Madhukar Kulkarni, global segment manager, swine, Danisco Animal Nutrition & Health, IFF, told FeedNavigator.
“This does mean that availability will differ between countries in the initial stages,” he added.
The new product is a combination of xylanase, beta-glucanase, alpha-amylase and protease enzymes and Kulkarni said the launch demonstrates the company’s drive to innovate and monitor its portfolio based on market and targeted customer feedback.
High fiber diets
In terms of why was there was a need to develop such an enzyme blend, he said:
“Economic and sustainability concerns are driving fundamental changes in the way diets are formulated in the livestock industry. Targeted nutrition from an early age is essential for successful swine production, as several issues can disrupt feed strategies and adversely affect performance during this critical time.
“Producers are increasingly using alternative ingredients, which means they are adding higher fiber component to animal diets. The enzymes in Axtra PRIME are specifically formulated to improve nutrient digestion and utilization of high fiber diets, and this leads to improved piglet performance.”
ASAS meeting abstracts
Abstracts presented at an American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) meeting in Madison, Wisconsin last week highlighted the benefits of supplementing various feed formulations with the enzyme blend, said Kulkarni.
One study by researchers based at Danisco Animal Nutrition and Health (IFF) and University of Applied Sciences Bingen, in Germany evaluated the effect of adding the multi-enzyme product to a high-fiber wheat-barley-rye-based diet containing by-products in weaned pigs.
Another trial conducted by a Danisco team, in conjunction with a researcher from the University of Queensland, Australia, assessed the enzyme blend in a high-fiber corn-based complex diet, again with by-products, in comparison to a conventional commercial diet.
In both studies, the team said they observed improved growth performance of the pigs and economic benefit for the farmer from the application of the experimental diets.
