November 4, 2024
BASF's Dr. Sven K. Weber & Dr. Anna Fickler: Enzymes at the crux of livestock production
Enzymes are the hallmark of BASF in the animal nutrition segment.
They inform the way the company develops its nutritional solutions (namely, Natuphos® E, Natugrain® TS, and Natupulse® TS) for livestock production, and these can not only improve feed and dietary quality but add to the cumulative efforts of sustainability.
eFeedLink speaks to Dr. Sven K. Weber, Vice President of Feed Enzymes and Feed Performance Ingredients at BASF, and Dr. Anna Fickler, the company's Global Technical Product Manager (New Feed Additives), to uncover more about BASF's endeavour in the enzymes field.
Dr. Sven K. Weber, BASF's Vice President of Feed Enzymes and Feed Performance Ingredients
Dr. Anna Fickler, BASF's Global Technical Product Manager (New Feed Additives)
BASF has championed the use of enzymes in feed formulation over the years. How do enzymes complement the use of other nutritional solutions such as minerals, acids, and vitamins? Or are enzymes the key approach to go to for animal diet needs?
Dr. Sven K. Weber: As a pioneer in phytase for more than 35 years, we at BASF build on our strengths and distinct know-how as feed enzymes specialists within the animal nutrition industry. Our enzyme technology platform includes enzyme identification, engineering, registration, scale-up, production, and formulation.
We give our customers a clear orientation on what they can expect from us: "Proven and effective enzymes from BASF - The science of making more from less". We constantly strive to enhance the efficiency of our feed enzymes, and we are dedicated to fostering continuous innovation in this area.
Feed enzymes remain as key pillar in our strategy. We aim to achieve profitable growth while simultaneously creating value for society and the environment. We are committed to provide high-quality ingredients to support our customers in maximising the nutritional value of feed.
Furthermore, we invest significantly in our production assets. We have, for instance, significantly increased the capacity of our enzyme production platform. The larger production capacity enables us to meet the growing global demand from customers for a reliable, high-quality supply of our feed enzymes, Natuphos® E (phytase), Natugrain® TS (xylanase and glucanase), and the recently launched Natupulse® TS (mannanase).
In addition to the new product launches, we continuously improve our existing feed enzymes portfolio. This includes enhancement in thermostability and offer of combi-products with phytase, xylanase and glucanase with guaranteed enzyme activities. Our broad enzyme portfolio offers the right product formulations for nearly every application.
Concerns about climate change have stirred out a rather doomsday prognostication of rising global temperatures, and we are already witnessing firsthand what this does to agriculture. Does this issue inform BASF's R&D on enzyme stability, and how so?
Dr. Anna Fickler: Feed still accounts for 50-70% of the total costs in animal production. However, up to 30% of the feed remains undigested, partially due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs). Improving nutrient utilisation and converting feed into food more effectively remains a key lever for reducing costs and improving return on investment (ROI) in livestock farming.
BASF's feed enzymes target the most common ANFs in monogastric nutrition such as phytate, arabinoxylans, ß-glucans, and ß-mannans. These ANFs can have a negative impact on feed utilisation and animal health. Our enzymes help to reduce these negative effects by hydrolysing the ANFs. In doing so, animal performance is improved by enhancing energy and nutrient utilisation. An improvement in feed conversion means that more animal protein can be produced from less feed, enabling a more sustainable animal protein production.
And there is another positive side effect: any reduction in feed inputs for animal protein production goes a long way towards conserving resources and reducing carbon emissions.
A prominent aspect of BASF's work places the spotlight on enzyme stability. Why is this of great importance to livestock producers and the way animals are fed?
Dr. Anna Fickler: The stability of an enzyme is a critical factor that can be affected by various conditions such as humid and hot climate conditions during storage of pure product or as ingredient of a vitamin-mineral premix, as well as high temperature during feed processing.
If an enzyme cannot withstand challenging conditions, it is not possible to ensure that animals receive the intended enzyme dose with their feed. A loss of enzyme activity can be detrimental for animal performance, for example, phytase is incorporated into the feed to provide phosphorus. If this enzyme is not delivered with the required activity, the nutritional requirements of phosphorus might not be met.
At BASF, we are aware of the influence of all these factors. With more than 35 years of experience in the feed enzyme business, we consider these factors for the development of molecules but also in formulation of the enzyme products. By doing so, we guarantee that our customers receive high quality products that maintain their activity throughout storage and feed processing.
A notable recommendation by BASF is combining the utilisation of mannanase, phytase, and xylanase in feed formulation. What advantages does this approach confer compared to other ways of formulation?
Dr. Anna Fickler: The action of an enzyme is relatively substrate-specific. This means that phytase acts on phytate, whereas a mannanase works on the ß-mannan in the diet.
We know that commercial monogastric diets contain a mixture of varying levels of ANFs like phytate, arabinoxylans, ß-glucans, and ß-mannans, which cannot be broken down by the animal due to the lack of the necessary enzymes. Thus, all our enzymes are needed to hydrolyse the ANFs in commercial diets. Each of these enzymes generates an additional benefit because it can reduce the potential negative effect of the respective ANFs and improves the nutrient utilisation of the animal.
Based on our findings in research trials, we speculate that, for example, the combination of Natugrain TS with Natupulse TS could improve the accessibility of the enzymes to their respective substrate compared to the single enzyme application. As a consequence, we have seen synergistic effects on nutrient utilisation and performance, and on parameters which can support gut health when our enzymes were combined.
As you pointed out, nearly 30% of feed cannot be used by broilers, with excreted energy amounting to US$30 billion annually. How would feed formulations based on BASF's recommendations (i.e. employing a combination of enzymes) influence the calculus in regards to this development?
Dr. Anna Fickler: Energy is the most significant cost factor in monogastric diets. It is determined by the level of nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, and fats in the diet. Thus, the 'excreted' energy is basically the sum of nutrients which are not utilised by the animal.
Through our collaborative research with universities and research institutes, we have proven that our enzymes work synergistically to enhance the energy utilisation of the feed. This improvement translates into greater energy release, allowing nutritionists to adjust the diet's energy levels and potentially reduce feed costs. The unique effect of combining all our enzymes, including Natuphos® E (phytase), Natugrain® TS (xylanase, glucanase), and Natupulse® TS (mannanase) on energy release can be attributed to the boosting effects that mannanase and xylanase have on their specific substrates.
Consequently, the strategic use of these enzymes can lead to more efficient feed formulations and substantial cost savings in animal nutrition.
Do you see broiler producers having to adjust ration formulation and suppliers more often given the persistent volatility in grain, oilseed, and feed prices? How would BASF's approach help maintain consistent production levels?
Overall, we are committed to constantly bringing beneficial products to the market, while also ensuring that our customers can successfully utilise them to generate value.
- eFeedLink
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We are very excited to welcoming you at booth 32 in hall 21.
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