Enzymes and sustainability – a win-win situation

Livestock farmers looking for sustainable animal production are focusing increasingly on the benefits of proteases – naturally occurring enzymes that support the uptake of protein via the gut. By improving the efficiency of the breakdown of ingested feed, proteases both enhance performance and reduce emissions.

Protein is the second most expensive nutrient in most animal diets. Not all ingested protein is absorbed by the metabolism, however: a good portion (some 10–20% in non-ruminants), remains undigested, ending up as manure. Protein in manure is converted to ammonia, nitrate and nitrous oxide, all of which place a burden on the environment. In order to reduce the environmental impact of animal agriculture, it is therefore necessary to reduce levels of excretion. To improve profitability at the same time is the ideal situation.

There are various approaches that can help achieve this dual goal:

1. Ensuring that protein and amino acid specifications are at the right level and in the correct balance for the production capability of animals being fed;
2. Minimizing protein and amino acid safety margins by reducing the variability in factors that call for such margins;
3. Optimizing protein digestibility by using highly digestible ingredients or adding an enzyme (protease in the case of protein) to enhance feed digestibility.

DSM’s RONOZYME® ProAct has been shown to not only increase amino acid digestibility of a wide range of feed ingredients by 3–8% but also to increase the profitability of broiler production by up to 2 eurocents per bird through reduced feed cost.

Enzymes such as RONOZYME® ProAct could help us to achieve the ultimate win-win situation, whereby environmental sustainability is achieved alongside long-term business profitability.


Inge Knap
Global Category Manager Feed Enzymes
inge.knap@dsm.com