Supplemental phytases of microbial and cereal sources improve dietary phytate phosphorus utilization by pigs from weaning through finishing

This experiment was conducted to measure the nutritional and metabolic responses of pigs fed diets with continuous supplementation of microbial and cereal phytase from weaning to finishing, and to determine the feasibility of complete replacement of inorganic P addition by supplemental phytase in swine diets. Forty-eight Landrace x Hampshire x Meishan pigs were divided into four groups. In phase 1 (10 to 50 kg BW), pigs in Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were fed a low-P, corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD), the BD plus microbial phytase (A. ficuum) at 1,200 units/kg, the BD plus 10% wheat bran (230 units of cereal phytase/kg), and the BD + .24% inorganic P (calcium phosphate), respectively. In phase 2 (51 to 90 kg BW), these pigs were fed a similar BD or the BD plus 1,000 microbial phytase units/kg, 20% wheat bran, or .20% inorganic P, respectively. Repeated measures included growth performance, P, Ca, and N balance, metatarsal and metacarpal bone strength, serum concentration of inorganic P, Ca, and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, and serum alkaline phosphatase activity. Pigs fed the BD supplemented with microbial phytase and pigs fed the BD supplemented with inorganic P showed almost identical responses for all variables. Pigs fed the BD supplemented with cereal phytase also had responses for various measures that were similar to those of pigs fed microbial phytase or inorganic P, except for some differences in serum inorganic P concentrations and bone strength in phase 1. Because of improvements in apparent digestibility of dietary P and N, fecal excretion of these two nutrients was reduced by 31 to 62% (P < .05) in pigs fed the BD supplemented with phytase compared with pigs fed inorganic P. It is physiologically feasible and environmentally advantageous to replace inorganic P with microbial or cereal phytase in corn-soybean meal diets for this type of pig through the entire growing-finishing period.