Enzymes:
Enzymes are biological catalyst composed of amino acids with vitamins and minerals. They bring about biochemical reactions without themselves undergoing any change. The benefits of using enzymes in poultry diets include not only enhanced bird performance and feed conversion but also less environmental problems due to reduced output of excreta.
No common feed ingredient is digested 100% in the animals’ gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Although the digestive system is amazingly efficient at breaking down ingested food to its basic components by means of chemical and mechanical action, sometimes the inherent systems need a little “boost” in capability. In order to properly select the enzyme desired for a specific outcome, one needs to understand the concept of a substrate, as this is one of the most important factors required to successfully employ an enzyme regime in your nutritional program. A “substrate” is the portion of the feed that the enzyme will break down to release the nutrients bound to it. It is similar to a “lock and key” concept, where the substrate is the lock, and the enzyme is the key. If there is no lock, then it becomes absolutely pointless to buy a key! Therefore, it is important to consider what substrates (i.e. ingredients) are prevalent in your diets to best determine which enzyme(s) you should include for optimal results.
