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Animal production for efficient phosphate utilization: from optimized feed to high efficiency livestock
Ermias Kebreab1, Anja V Hansen, Anders B Strathe
1Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. ekebreab@ucdavis.edu
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|July 17, 2012
Summary
Improving livestock phosphorus (P) utilization is key to reducing environmental impact. Strategies like phase feeding and phytase enzymes significantly boost P availability and lower excretion.
Area of Science:
- Animal Nutrition
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Phosphorus (P) is vital for livestock, yet less than 40% is utilized, causing environmental pollution.
- Inefficient P utilization leads to significant environmental challenges due to excess P excretion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize innovative strategies for enhancing P availability and utilization in livestock diets.
- To assess the potential of various methods, including nutritional, enzymatic, and biotechnological approaches, to reduce P excretion.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature on P management in animal nutrition.
- Analysis of data on phase feeding, phytase enzyme supplementation, and transgenic technologies.
- Evaluation of the impact of these methods on P availability and excretion.
Main Results:
- Phase feeding can decrease P excretion by up to 20%.
- Phytase enzyme addition boosts P availability from 42% to 95%.
- Transgenic approaches (plants and animals) show potential for 14% to 99% P availability increase.
Conclusions:
- Combining phase feeding and enzymes offers the most practical P reduction strategy currently.
- Transgenic animals face short-term legislative and ethical barriers but hold future promise.
- Nutritional and functional genomics present future avenues for improving livestock P utilization efficiency.
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