Recent advances in research on enzymes for poultry diets

Exogenous enzymes have been used extensively in the diets of poultry to improve productive performance. Further research, however, is needed to evaluate the efficacy of enzyme use and for the expansion of the use of enzymes to accommodate the wide array of dietary constituents used in poultry feeding programs. The use of effective phytase preparations to improve bird performance and to reduce environmental P pollution has shown less than optimum results, partly due to the potential negative effects of nontargeted dietary fiber components and to confounding influence of inadequate knowledge of accurate P requirements and the tendency for the use of excessive safety margins in diet formulation. Targeting specific nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP) of wheat, barley, or rye with enzyme preparations has proven effective for diets based on these cereals but not for corn- and soybean meal-based diets, primarily due to the differences in constituent NSP. The increased use of whole flaxseed in poultry diets represents an additional research area for effective enzyme development to alleviate potential negative effects of constituent NSP components. Such challenges of the enzyme development process and their outcomes are presented in this publication.