Trials Show Adding a Protease to Poultry Diets Reduces Both Feed Costs and Ammonia Emissions

In Brief:

• A protease added to poultry diets speeds up the breakdown of proteins into nutrients, reducing both feed cost and environmental impact.
• ProAct 360^TM, the only second-generation protease on the market, helps protein degrade faster.
• Two trials show that supplementation with ProAct 360^TM significantly reduces ammonia emissions.  

As the quality and availability of the soy supply varies globally, different levels of soy and alternative protein sources are being used in broiler diets to ensure least cost feed formulation. Protein that is not digested and absorbed by the bird can be excreted into the environment and contribute to ammonia production. Different protein sources have different digestibility, so feed efficiency and protein excretion change when the raw material protein sources change.

To enhance protein utilization—which reduces both the feed cost and environmental impact—a protease can be added to the broiler diet. A protease speeds up the breakdown of proteins into nutrients that the broiler can use.  For optimal efficiency, DSM offers ProAct 360^TM, the only second-generation protease on the market.  ProAct 360^TM goes beyond a standard protease by offering faster protein breakdown, higher digestibility of all amino acids and better degradation of antinutritional factors, leading to an improved feed conversion ratio. By improving protein utilization, ProAct 360^TM can also reduce ammonia emissions, adding sustainability as another benefit to this second-generation protease. 

The effect of protease supplementation on ammonia (NH3) emissions was investigated in two broiler trials. Feed was formulated with or without 50 grams per ton of the novel protease (ProAct 360^TM) in a corn / soybean meal basal diet. The chickens were housed in floor pen systems covered with clean wood shavings in an environmentally controlled room. Gas emissions from the litters were measured within the floor pen after 42 days of supplementation.

In both trials, a significant reduction of ammonia emissions was observed in litters where animals were fed ProAct 360^TM compared to control litters without inclusion of a protease. In the first and second trial, ammonia emissions were reduced by 21% and 32%, respectively.

Based on this trial, the addition of ProAct 360 ^TM can significantly reduce ammonia emissions in broilers fed standard corn/soybean meal-based diets. ProAct 360 ^TM in combination with lower inclusion of crude protein and amino acids in the diet offers substantiable reduction in ammonia emissions. ProAct 360 ^TM can play a major role in achieving more sustainable animal production.