Enzymes are vital for life and the use of these natural catalysts to speed up biochemical reactions in animals is an ongoing area of research. Some of the recent studies in poultry and pigs are listed here.

Together with legislation to reduce on-farm levels of salmonella, the EU's ban on antibiotic growth promoters will intensify pressures to rethink pig nutrition and herd health management. Feed enzymes represent a key element when working towards a strategy of replacing AGPs, explains Gary Partridge.

Adding enzymes to monogastric diets have clear effects on feed digestibility, but other factors can also help. In future, more factors than nutrient content alone may be included.

Feed enzymes and betaine could help poultry producers adapt to the forthcoming EU ban on antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), meet increasing consumer demands for safe, affordable food and exploit the growing demand for 'natural' and 'organic' poultry products in markets outside the EU, according to Danisco Animal Nutrition.

Much has been written about the value of exogenous enzymes in animal nutrition. But when it comes to making a choice of which enzyme to use, the final decision may come down to something as simple as ease of application within the feed mill. Here, processing conditions and economics of scale drive the buying decision and, inevitably the development of better products.

On Grandfather's farm adopting new technologies was done on a trial and error basis. Results were sometimes shared around the table at the local coffee shop, but most farmers preferred to try new ideas for themselves before passing judgment.

When it comes to uniformity of activity, legumes are particularly well suited to the use of exogenous enzymes. Economic feasibility relies on making sure we are fully aware of the nutrients involved and not wasting expensive additives on functions that the animal or bird can handle without help.

Pigs and poultry have difficulties digesting the non-starch-polsaccharides found in cereals. Enzymes can chop these long chain structures into smaller bits. Xylanases seem to be the right enzymes to do this job.

Enzymes are the little catalysts that can enormously boost digestibility of animal feed. Known since the beginning of the 20^th century they now have become a regular substance in the recipes. Specialist Stephen Cole reviews the latest developments.

In the battle of the phytases, much of the discussion has tended to revolve around improving efficacy, so-called "side activities" and discovering the best enzyme for feed applications. Over the next few months Zymetrics Inc. aim to change the way we think about phytase and, for that matter, all feed enzymes. On the eve of their first product launch, Feed Mix caught up with them, to find out what all the fuss is about.