Enzyme Helps Hogs Digest Phosphorus

REGINA - Mar 29/05 - SNS -- Researchers at the Prairie Swine Center in Saskatoon have had success increasing the amount of phosphorus digested by hogs by adding phytase enzyme to rations.

Phosphorus is an essential dietary element contained in barley, wheat or oatmeal. It plays a key role in allowing animals to metabolize the energy contained in food to grow a proper bone structure and live healthily. Unfortunately, it is not absorbed equally well by all creatures.

"About 70% of the phosphorus contained in hog rations is simply evacuated without being processed," says Dr. Denise Beaulieu, a research assistant at the center.

"It ends up in manure and eventually in the field. Fortunately, in Saskatchewan, our soils tend to be phosphorus-deficient, so this doesn't pose an environmental risk, but it does impose an additional cost for hog producers."

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