A New Biosynthetic 6-Phytase Added at 500 Phytase Unit/kg Diet Improves Growth Performance, Bone Mineralization, and Nutrient Digestibility and Retention in Weaned Piglets and Growing-Finishing Pigs.

Two experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of a biosynthetic 6-phytase added at 500 phytase unit (FTU)/kg diet on growth performance, bone mineralization, and nutrient digestibility and retention in weaned piglets and growing-finishing pigs. Experiments were performed on 90 weaned male and female piglets with an average initial body weight (BW) at 7.7 ± 0.73 kg, 26 days of age) and 300 male and female growing pigs (initial BW: 21.0 ± 3.44 kg) for 43 and 98 days in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. In each experiment, the animals were assigned to one of three treatments according to a randomized complete block design. The treatments consisted of a positive-control (PC) diet formulated to meet nutrient requirements; a negative-control (NC) diet reduced similarly in calcium (Ca) and digestible P by 0.15 and 0.12% points in phases 1 and 2, respectively, in piglets and by 0.14, 0.11, and 0.10% points, respectively, in phases 1, 2, and 3 in growing-finishing pigs, compared with PC diet; and a NC diet supplemented with the new 6-phytase at 500 FTU/kg diet (PHY). The dietary P and Ca depletion reduced (