Phytase in the diets of broilers: technical-economic evaluation

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Agricultural Economics

Background:

• Phytase enzyme is crucial for improving phosphorus utilization in animal feed.
• Dietary phosphorus reduction is a common strategy to minimize environmental impact.
• Understanding phytase efficacy in reduced-phosphorus diets is vital for sustainable broiler production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of phytase on broiler zootechnical performance.
• To evaluate the impact of phytase on nutritional costs in broiler diets through economic analysis.
• To assess the combined effects of phytase supplementation and phosphorus reduction in broiler diets.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies (2018-2023) involving 16,151 broilers.
• PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines followed for article selection.
• Meta-analysis conducted on performance variables, assessing effect size, heterogeneity, and publication bias.

Main Results:

• Phytase supplementation significantly improved broiler performance (P<0.05).
• Phosphorus-reduced diets without phytase impaired broiler performance (P<0.05).
• Phytase in reduced-phosphorus diets led to lower cost per head, greater final weight, and reduced feed cost per ton (-1.56%).

Conclusions:

• Phytase supplementation is essential for maintaining broiler performance in phosphorus-reduced diets.
• The use of phytase in low-phosphorus broiler diets improves zootechnical results and reduces overall nutritional costs.
• Economic analysis indicated potential savings of approximately US$9.52 per ton of broilers with phytase inclusion.