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MONO-COMPONENT PROTEASES – MEETING THE CHALLENGES
OF MODERN BROILER PRODUCTION
Improving profitability, reducing environmental impact and enhancing animal welfare are key priorities
for the agriculture sector. While they traditionally have not always gone hand in hand, Dr. Adam Smith,
Market Development Manager, RONOZYME ProAct EMEA at DSM, explains how the latest innovations in
the development of enzymes such as mono-component proteases are helping poultry producers to
better meet all these aims. He also explores future research which is set to enhance these benefits
even further.
Modern challenges in the poultry sector
Rising prices for protein rich ingredients critical for producing poultry feeds are increasing poultry
production costs. Indeed, recent increases in the price of conventional protein-rich feed ingredients,
such as soybean, has significantly increased feed production costs. Such trends are set to continue,
with the price of corn doubling in price over the last three years, due largely to surging demand from
the bio fuels industry.1 Harvest failures and increasing land price are further augmenting these costs.
In the poultry feed industry, it is also widely acknowledged that inefficient use of dietary protein can
be detrimental to the environment. Undigested protein in manure can be converted into undesirable
compounds such as ammonia, nitrate and nitrous oxide. These substances can cause, or be contributors
of, serious undesirable outcomes for both the environment and human health, such as acid rain, loss of
biodiversity and global warming.
The industry is also faced with a paradox. Modern broilers grow better with high levels of protein in
their diet, but such levels of protein are associated with a detrimental effect on the gut micro flora.
This can cause wet litter and associated animal welfare issues. In the EU this is a particular problem,
with producers coming under increased legislative and consumer pressure to improve welfare
practices. Failure to meet defined targets for conditions such as footpad dermatitis can in some
countries result in the need to reduce stocking density from 39kg/m2 to 33kg/m2 – in turn effecting the
economic viability of a broiler operation.
Mono-component proteases – changing the face of feed
Enzymes are becoming increasingly commonplace in modern feed production, primarily due to their
ability to produce feed cost savings and improve nutrient digestibility. There are now several
commercially available feed enzymes used in poultry production, including phytases and
carbohydrases, which make up the majority of the feed enzyme market. However, a recent addition to
this group of commercially available feed enzymes is a mono-component protease (available on the
market as RONOZYME ProAct). This has rapidly become one of the most promising innovations for the
feed production industry.
Mono-component proteases have been demonstrated to provide a number of benefits which address
core challenges faced in poultry production:

1
Improving amino acid digestibility and profits
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/meat-prices-idUSL5E8M7F3O20121108
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Mono-component proteases – meeting the challenges of
modern broiler production.
Notably, mono-component proteases reduce the requirement for expensive protein-rich ingredients in
feed and allow replacement with lower-protein, often locally grown, feed ingredients without any loss
of performance.
An extensive body of ileal digestibility studies with key ingredients has demonstrated the substantial
effectiveness of a mono-component protease in increasing the amino acid digestibility of poultry feeds.
This has been reinforced by a subsequent meta-analysis with over 800 data points.2 Indeed, such
research has found that while the mean improvement in digestibility is in the region of four per cent
for many amino acids it can also be significantly higher for others. The magnitude of this effect is
strongly linked to the inherent digestibility of amino acids in a particular ingredient or diet.
This has significant cost-saving benefits in addition to improved welfare credentials. Proteases’ ability
to improve digestibility can lower feed costs by around two euro cents per broiler (even after taking
the cost of the enzyme into account).
 Supporting environmental improvements
The introduction of mono-component proteases also directly contributes to environmental
sustainability. A 2011 LCA study conducted by Novozymes and DSM has demonstrated that using
protease in a reduced protein feed ‘can significantly reduce the environmental impact of broiler
production in terms of air and water quality’. 3
This reduction of dietary protein in feed can lead to 15 per cent less nitrogen content in manure and 35
per cent less ammonia emission. The potential magnitude of mono-component proteases if used in the
diet of all broilers is substantial – it could reduce nitrogen production by 32,000 tonnes per year in the
USA alone, for example.
Another key consequence of using a mono-component protease is that less land is needed by producers
to dispose of manure from the rearing of broilers. This is particularly important in those areas of the
world faced with a restriction on the amount of nitrogen which can be applied per Ha of land. With less
nitrogen excretion per broiler, less land is required for the disposal of its manure. The universal use of
mono-component protease could theoretically equate to an extra 310 million 2.5kg broilers produced in
Europe each year without the need for any extra land to dispose of the manure produced.
 Improving health
Animal health is also a central focus of research into the potential benefits of feed enzymes. As
discussed, mono-component proteases support the reduction of nitrogen content in the gastrointestinal
tract. Lower nitrogen levels in the gut change the microbial activity to create fewer detrimental
bacteria such as E.coli and Clostridium (Laudadio et al, 2012), thus providing positive consequences for
animal health, welfare and food safety.
Birds also drink less water when there is less nitrogen in their diet, which has been proven to improve
litter quality in the broiler house.4 This improvement in litter quality can in turn reduce the severity
and incidence of footpad dermatitis. As well as improving the welfare of the broiler flock, the
increased animal health and performance results in increased profitability for the poultry producer
through:
 optimal stocking density
 fewer processing downgrades
 more saleable meat
Cowieson A & Roos F, Bioefficacy of a mono-component protease in the diets of pigs and poultry: a meta-analysis of effect on
ileal amino acid digestibility, DSM Nutritional Products, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland
3
http://www.novozymes.com/en/sustainability/Published-LCAstudies/Documents/Profitable%20protease%20benefits%20the%20environment.pdf
4 Selecting the Right Protease, Dr Adam Smith, Market Development Manager – Ronozyme ProAct EMEA, DSM
2
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Mono-component proteases – meeting the challenges of
modern broiler production.

a more mobile bird which feeds better
Extracting even more value from a protease
Although many benefits of proteases are already clearly seen, it is also becoming evident from recent
research that the value of this class of enzyme extends even further beyond those effects which can be
attributed to the increased amino acid digestibility of ingredients.
In a meta-analysis of over 63 performance trials carried out with RONOZYME ProAct, examples of
improvements in weight gain and feed conversion ratio of five to 10 per cent relative to the
appropriate control diet were regularly seen. This magnitude of effects cannot be readily explained by
amino acid nutrient release values alone.
In the near future, it is expected that better understandings of these ‘extra-proteinaceous’ effects will
extend the value of a protease to include significant performance benefits over and above feed cost
savings. While the reasons for such effects still need fully elucidating, the role a protease can play in
the better recovery of endogenous secretions, intestinal integrity and the gut environment are all
likely to play an important role.
Further still, as a more diverse range of synthetic amino acids become commercially available and used
in the poultry industry, non-essential amino acid concentrations in animal diets can become lower with
an associated potential for nutritional deficiency. Proven to significantly improve the digestibility of
non-essential amino acids exogenous proteases can help address such issues. As the amount and type of
by-products used for animal feed production increases, digestibility of all nutrients will tend to become
lower. This widens the role for exogenous enzymes, not least proteases.
DSM has developed an extensive research program to support the better understanding of the full
benefits of mono-component proteases and a platform of seminars and workshops to share the latest
academic findings with industry stakeholders. The company has invested more than €4 million in ileal
amino acid digestibility studies over the last three years alone, for example, providing a robust
database describing the effect of mono-component proteases on the key ingredients used in poultry
feed.
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Mono-component proteases – meeting the challenges of
modern broiler production.
Recognizing the importance of bringing science and industry together to facilitate two-way dialogue on
the effective use of proteases in the field DSM has worked in collaboration with its strategic enzymes
partner, Novozymes, to develop a program of workshops aimed at addressing the opportunities and
challenges proteases offer the feed industry across the globe.
A sustainable future
Protease’s importance to the feed industry can be reflected by its prominent growth in the feed
enzyme market. Making up just five per cent of the global feed enzyme market in 2012,5 its market
share is forecasted to rapidly grow, with a CAGR of 7.2 per cent between 2013 and 2018, 6 as producers
become more aware of the significant benefits they offer.
For the agriculture sector, this innovative enzyme could hold the key to delivering real cost savings,
environmental improvement and enhanced animal welfare. In the future further elucidation of
‘extraproteinaceous’ effects and changes in the way poultry diets are formulated will favour their use
even more. What’s more, while protease use has so far been focused on broilers, recent studies suggest
the digestibility and performance benefits of the enzyme are of a similar magnitude in other animal
species such as laying hens and turkeys. Protease use is therefore likely to grow significantly beyond
the broiler market in the future
Forward-looking statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to DSM’s future (financial) performance and position.
Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the
company. DSM cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and
therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these
statements. DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English
language version of the press release is leading.
5
Poultry Focus Asia 2012, Enzymes in Animal Nutrition – Current and Future Developments, Chris Antipatis, DSM, Singapore
6
http://www.prweb.com/releases/protease-leads-feed/enzyme-market-phytase-nsp/prweb10754350.htm