SUPPLEMENTING CORN-SOYBEAN MEAL DIETS WITH MICROBIAL PHYTASE MAXIMIZES PHYTATE PHOSPHORUS UTILIZATION BY WEANLING PIGS

Two experiments were conducted with crossbred weanling pigs to determine the optimal dietary supplement of Aspergillus niger phytase activity to a low-P, corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD). In Exp. 1, 50 pigs (7.61 +/- .56 kg BW) received the BD supplemented with 750, 1,050, 1,250, or 1,350 phytase units (PU)/g, or .21% P as mono-dibasic calcium phosphate (MDCaP) for 4 wk. In Exp. 2, 12 pigs (6.39 +/- .74 kg BW) were individually housed in metabolism cages and received BD, BD plus the optimal phytase activity (1,200 PU/g), or BD plus .21% P as MDCaP for 2 wk. In Exp. 1, additions of phytase > 1,050 PU/g of BD did not improve ADG, ADFI, gain/feed, or plasma AP activity. Quadratic relationships between dietary phytase activity and these measures were found and their stationary points were at approximately 1,200 PU/g of BD. Estimated maximum responses of these measures in pigs fed phytase were greater-than-or-equal-to 90% compared with MDCaP. Pigs fed 1,250 PU/g of BD maintained normal plasma P and Ca concentrations. In Exp. 2, pigs that received 1,200 PU/g of BD utilized dietary P more effectively (P < .05) than pigs fed the BD or the BD plus MDCaP. Although they consumed 44% less P per day, these pigs retained only 7% less P than pigs that received MDCaP. One thousand units of phytase activity supported retention of 1.1 mg of P from the BD, and this level of phytase supplementation was equivalent in effect to .91 mg of P from MDCaP. Supplements of A. niger phytase at 1,200 PU/g of BD for weanling pigs seemed to maximize utilization of phytate-P and obviate the need for almost all of an inorganic P addition.