Even though poultry meat has one of the lowest carbon footprints compared to pork and beef, Huvepharma®'s customers in the poultry industry are still under pressure to reduce it. In broiler production, feed represents around 70% of emissions. When trying to reduce the carbon footprint of broiler production, improving feed efficiency is a logical first step.
Certain feed ingredients contribute more to carbon footprint than others. Soybean products, especially when land use changes are considered, have a huge contribution to the final carbon footprint of a feed. The common use of these products is largely explained by the various cost-effective nutritional values they offer. Replacing them with alternatives without jeopardizing bird performance or health is thus not so easy. The Huvepharma® enzyme portfolio provides perfect tools to help nutritionists maximise the valorisation of alternative feed ingredients.
A trial was set up to demonstrate the potential of carbon footprint reduction while maintaining performance by reformulating broiler feeds using full matrix values for two Huvepharma® enzymes:
- OptiPhos® Plus - our newest phytase
- Huvezym® neXo - our new enzymatic complex containing three different key enzyme activities; xylanase, xyloglucanase and betaglucanase for optimised fibre degradation
Table 1 shows the results. Ingredients were priced at local market prices at the time of the trial and serve as an indication. We did not notice a significant difference in technical results between the different reformulations. The carbon footprint is presented relative to that of the control diet. Reformulation with maximum enzyme matrix values resulted in a reduction in the carbon footprint. Applying matrix values also generated a good opportunity to reduce feed costs.
Conclusion
The trial confirms earlier findings that OptiPhos® Plus can reduce the carbon footprint of production. The trial also demonstrates that it is possible to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of broiler production when the diet is reformulated using the matrix values for OptiPhos® Plus and Huvezym® neXo. The technical performance of the birds was maintained, and the cost of production was reduced. This is a good example of sustainability and cost savings going hand in hand.
For more detailed information on diet formulation or other trial conditions, please contact [email protected]
