EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTARY ASPERGILLUS-NIGER PHYTASE IN DIETS FOR PIGLETS ON THEIR PERFORMANCE AND APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY OF PHOSPHORUS

A total of 384 piglets from a three-way cross Yorkshire male X (Finnish Landrace male X Dutch Landrace female) female in the live-weight range of 11 to 25 kg were used in a feeding trial. The effect of supplementary microbial phytase from Aspergillus niger var. Van Tieghem on performance (average daily gain (ADG), average daily food intake (ADFI) and food conversion ratio (FCR)) and apparent digestibility of total phosphorus (P), in comparison with a non-supplemented basal diet or a diet supplemented with one or two levels of monocalcium phosphate (MCP), were studied. The piglets were allotted to 12 blocks. Within each block, four experimental diets were offered ad libitum for a period of 4 weeks i.e. (1) basal diet; (2) basal diet + 1.0 g P(i) from MCP per kg diet; (3) basal diet + 1.9 g P(i) from MCP per kg diet; and (4) basal diet + 1450 phytase units (PTU) per kg diet. The diets, with added chromium III oxide as a marker, were cold pelleted without steam at a temperature not above 60-degrees-C to avoid a possible inactivation of the phytase. In all diets the ratio calcium: digestible P was intended to be constant. Adding 1450 PTU of Aspergillus niger phytase enhanced the apparent digestibility of P by proportionately 0.216 when compared with diet 1 and by proportionately 0.100 compared with diet 3. In addition, significantly higher ADG and ADFI and better FCR were noted in pigs receiving supplementary microbial phytase than in pigs on any other treatment. The content of digestible P of the diet with added phytase, however, was between the two levels of the diets with added MCP.