Proteases in the Feed Industry
Protease in Animal Feed
The digestion of dietary protein is an important driving force for animal nutrition, as protein and amino acids are one of the most expensive nutrients. In addition to endogenous Protease playing an important role in all metabolic processes of animal organisms, exogenous Protease also have two important uses in animal nutrition: for processing food or feed raw materials, such as protein hydrolysis products; Exogenous Protease are directly used as feed additives or in the processing of finished feed products. Accurately understanding the digestibility of amino acids in feed raw materials and the nutritional needs of animals is important for formulating diets with added Protease. It is crucial for animals to be fed a diet containing protein and amino acids that meet their nutritional needs in order to achieve optimal production performance. However, high levels of protein in the diet can affect the intestinal health of animals and the quality of bedding in poultry houses. Another important issue is that the large amount of nitrogen excreted through animal feces can cause environmental pollution. Adding exogenous Protease to feed can be an effective measure to reduce dietary protein levels and ensure high levels of animal productivity.
Alkaline Protease
Acid Protease
Neutral Protease
Application of Protease in the Processing of Protein Hydrolysis Products Used in Animal Feed
The application of protein hydrolysates in animal nutrition has a long history, and these substances may come from animals or plants. Aquatic animal protein, animal by-products (such as tissues or blood), whey in breast milk, and protein hydrolysates from plants such as soybeans and wheat can be used in different feeds, especially for young and fast-growing animals. These enzymes come from animals, plants, or microorganisms and can be used alone or in combination with Protease. The addition of Protease promotes the increase of protein hydrolysates in animals.
Protein hydrolysis products can be obtained through chemical hydrolysis, microbial hydrolysis, or enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis of protein is commonly used via Protease in the processing of animal by-products or plant materials used as feed ingredients. Enzymatic hydrolysis is usually mild and specific, and the enzymes used can easily lose their activity through heat treatment after hydrolysis is complete. However, compared to chemical hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis may have issues with high cost and hydrolysis efficiency being affected by enzyme inhibitors in the protein substrate when processing certain proteins. For example, although the amount of fish processing by-products produced each year is huge, it requires a huge investment to dispose of the resulting waste. Therefore, adding Protease can reduce such waste, and can save money by not needing to remove said waste.
