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Phosphorus (P) is an irreplaceable macroelement that regulates the metabolic and physiological functions of a living organism. Plants store P mainly in a form that is indigestible to pigs: phytate. Additionally, unabsorbed minerals excreted into the environment are considered to be environmental pollutants. Over the years, the application of different exogenous phytases has shown favorable effects on nutrient digestibility. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of novel appAT1 and appAT2 phytase inclusion at 250 phytase units (FTU)/kg on weaned piglet performance, the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P and calcium (Ca), and bone mineralization. For that purpose, 48 male piglets were randomly divided into four treatment groups: a positive control (PC), with recommended levels of P and Ca, a negative control (NC) deficient in P and Ca, and two experimental groups with NC diets supplemented with phytase derived from the appA gene of Escherichia coli. Diets were fed in a mashed form and were divided into pre-starter (0–21 days) and starter (22–42 days) periods.
As a result, during the whole period of the study, the experimental diets improved the body weight gain and feed conversion ratio compared to the NC diet. The ATTD of the dry matter and crude protein was not significantly different among the diets. Phytase-supplemented diets improved the ATTD of P and the ATTD of Ca. Bone ash content in the third metacarpal and P and Ca content were improved among the phytase supplemented diets compared to the NC diet.
In conclusion, the use of novel phytases showed a positive impact on body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, the digestibility of phosphorus and calcium, and the phosphorus and calcium content in bones. No significant improvement in the content of dry matter or digestion of crude protein was observed. These results reveal that novel phytases are useful additives for weaned piglet diets because of their superior performance results and phosphorus absorption.
Wiśniewska Z, Nollet L, Lanckriet A, Vanderbeke E, Petkov S, Outchkourov N, Kasprowicz-Potocka M, Zaworska-Zakrzewska A, and Kaczmarek SA. Effect of phytase derived from the E. coli AppA gene on weaned piglet performance, apparent total tract digestibility and bone mineralization. Animals. 2020; 10(1): 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10010121
