GRANULATED FEED PHOSPHATE COMPOSITION INCLUDING FEED ENZYMES
RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/776,275 filed March 11, 2013, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to additives for animal feed, and more particularly
a phosphate composition incorporating feed enzymes to increase the bioavailability of
phosphorous by providing, in addition to the inorganic phosphorous of the phosphate
composition, organic phosphorous.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Animal and poultry feed, generally known as compound feed, are feedstuffs that are
blended from various raw materials and additives. Compound feeds can be prepared as complete
feeds that provide all the daily required nutrients, as concentrates that provide a part of the ration
(protein, energy), or as supplements that provide additional micro-nutrients such as minerals and
vitamins. A main ingredient used in commercially prepared feed is feed grains such as, for
example, corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, barley, and combinations thereof.
An important industry within the animal feed industry further includes the sale and
manufacture of premixes. Premixes can be composed of micro-ingredients for blending into
commercial or individually-produced rations to produce animal feed. Micro-ingredients can
include nutrients, vitamins, minerals, chemical preservatives, antibiotics, fermentation products,
enzymes, and other essential ingredients.
A source of phosphorous and calcium is commonly added to animal feed as a microingredient.
One example of such ingredient that can be used in animal feed is Biofos®.
Biofos® is a feed-grade monodicalcium phosphate that is produced by reacting calcium
carbonate and wet process defluorinated phosphoric acid. Biofos® is a source of highly
available phosphorous (P) and calcium (Ca) with a narrow calcium-to-phosphate ratio, such that
it helps meet animal and poultry requirements for these essential nutrients. For example,
Biofos® guarantees a minimum 21% phosphorous content, and calcium content in a range from
about 15.0 to 18.0%, which allows for flexibility and economy in formulations. Biofos® also
provides ease of handling and uniform dispersion in mixed feeds and minerals.
Similarly, Dynafos® is a feed grade dicalcium phosphate produced by reacting wet
process defluorinated phosphoric acid with calcium carbonate. Like Biofos®, it is a source of
highly available phosphorous (P) and calcium (Ca) that has approximately a 1.1 to 1
calcium:phosphorous ratio, and guarantees a minimum 18.5% phosphorous content, and calcium
content in a range from about 20.0% to 24.0%.
Another example micro -ingredient used as a source for phosphorous and calcium in
animal feed is Multifos®. Multifos® is a feed-grade tricalcium/defluorinated phosphate, which
is derived from phosphate rock in a carefully controlled thermochemical process that enhances
biological availability, drives off fluorine, and physically conditions the product for feed mixing.
Like Biofos®, Multifos® is a source of highly available phosphorous (P) and calcium (Ca), as
well as sodium (Na), that will help provide animal and poultry requirements for these nutrients.
For example, Multifos® guarantees a minimum 18% phosphorous content, calcium content in a
range from about 30.0 to 34.0%, and sodium content around 5%, which again allows flexibility
in feed formulation.
Yet another example micro-ingredient used as a source for phosphorous and calcium in
animal feed is Nexfos®. Nexfos® is a granulated feed-grade monodicalcium phosphate
incorporating lubricity and abrasivity additives for high throughput and improved energy
efficiencies in pelletizing processes. Like Biofos®, Nexfos® is a source of highly available
phosphorous (P), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na), with a narrow calcium-to-phosphate ratio, such
that it helps meet animal and poultry requirements for these essential nutrients. For example,
Nexfos® guarantees minimum 19% phosphorous content, calcium content in a range of from
about 15 .0% to 18.0%, and sodium content in a range of from about 4.0% to 5.0%, which allows
for flexibility and economy in formulations. Such composition is described in one or both of
U.S. Patent No. 8,012,519 entitled "Granulated monocalcium phosphate product containing
abrasivity and lubricity additives," and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 201 1/0293792
entitled "Granulated phosphate product containing abrasivity and lubricity additives," both of
which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Feed blends are formulated according to specific requirements of a target animal. Feed
manufactures or compounders prepare the blends by buying the commodities, i.e. the main
ingredients, such as, for example, corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, and barley, and any desired
micro-ingredients, and blending or compounding them in a feed mill according to specifications
provided by a nutritionist, for example. The blends can be manufactured by feed compounders
as meal type, pellets, or crumbles.
One type of feed mill found in the industry for producing feed blends is a pellet mill,
which blends a mixture of dry powdered feedstock, such as, for example, flour or grass, a wet
ingredient, such as steam or molasses, and any other ingredients, such as micro-ingredients. The
dry feedstock, wet ingredient, and any other ingredients are combined to form a mash or meal.
The mash or meal is then compacted into an interior of a round die that contains many small
holes. The mash or meal is compacted within the die thereby forcing it out of the holes in the
form of pellets, to ultimately be fed to livestock.
Although the micro-ingredients provide a highly bioavailable source of inorganic
phosphorous, organic phosphorous is also present in animal feed in plant tissue that makes up the
main ingredient. However, this phosphorous is present as phytic acid, or inositol
hexakisphophate (phytate in salt form), which is indigestible to nonruminant animals, such that
the organic phosphate is not available to the animal, and is excreted to the surrounding
environment. This unabsorbed or unavailable phosphorous can become potentially hazardous to
the immediate surroundings, if introduced into the environment in large quantities.
It is known in the art to add a feed enzyme to animal feed as a separate micro-ingredient,
as discussed, for example, in a publication entitled "Considerations on the use of microbial
phytase," by Cefic (January, 2006). A suitable feed enzyme, phytase, or myo-inositol
hexakisphosphate phosphohydrolase, is any type of phosphatase enzyme that catalyzes the
hydrolysis of phytic acid, rending the phosphorous digestible, such that the organic phosphorous
becomes an added source of phoshphorous. Phytase is typically bulk blended with the inorganic
source of phosphorous, such as Biofos®, Multifos®, Dynafos® or Nexfos®. However,
differences in particle size causes settling during transportations and/or storage such that
stratification occurs, resulting in uneven distribution of phytase in each animal pellet, and
therefore variability in phosphorous content.
Alternatively, separate transportation and storage of the feed enzyme is required, and the
feed enzyme is added to the feed composition during pelleting. However, this requires
additional storage space, additional manufacturing steps, and potential added cost for having an
additional component to be added.
There remains a need for a phosphate ingredient or feed additive for animal feed directly
incorporating a feed enzyme, such that the consistent amounts of feed enzyme and inorganic
phosphorous is distributed throughout each feed pellet after pelleting, thereby rendering both
inorganic and organic phosphorous highly available in the animal feed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a granulated phosphate
composition feed additive for incorporation into animal and poultry feed that provides sufficient
nutritional value including phosphorous availability, by rendering both organic and inorganic
sources of phosphorous in the feed highly bioavailable. Optionally, the animal feed can have
enhanced pelleting benefits, such as abrasiveness and lubricity. More particularly, the
compositions of the embodiments of the present invention provide similar or better nutritional
value than other feed-grade micro-ingredients, such as a Multifos® or Biofos® product, by
facilitating the liberation of otherwise unavailable organic phosphorous in the feed base
composition. Further, the compositions of the embodiments are manufactured using a
granulation process as opposed to a more expensive rotary kiln process.
In particular, the compositions of the embodiments provide a source of inorganic
phosphorous in the form of monocalcium phosphate (Ca(H2P0 4) 2 or calcium dihydrogen
phosphate), dicalcium phosphate (CaHP0 4 dibasic calcium phosphate), and/or mono-dicalcium
(a chemically obtained intermediate between monocalcium phosphate and dicalcium phosphate
or CaHP04, Ca(H2P04) 2 H20), as well as an enzyme to liberate organic phytate-bound
phosphorous that is present in the vegetable-based or grain feed materials.
In some aspects, the compositions of embodiments of the present invention can include a
granulated phosphate feed ingredient composition comprising a phosphate source such as
monocalcium phosphate, mono-dicalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, or combinations
thereof, and a feed enzyme present in an amount of about that will provide approximately 200 to
2,000 FYU (phtyase units) per kilogram (FTU/kg) of compounded or complete feeds. The feed
enzyme can comprise, for example, a phytase including a histidine acid phosphatase (HAP), a b-
propeller phytase, a purple acid phophatase (PAP), a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP), or
combinations thereof. More specifically, the phytase can comprise a highly specific phytase for
phytic acid, such as phytases from Bacillus sp., Aspergillus sp., E. coli and those phytases
belonging to the class of PTP-like phytases.
In some aspects, the compositions of embodiments of the present invention further
comprise one or more additional feed enzymes, such as, for example, amylases, xylanases, and
proteases. Other feed enzymes aid in the digestion or breakdown of certain components in the
base feed composition, making additional sources of nutrition bioavailable to the animal and/or
aiding in the digestion of the animal feed. These other enzymes can be present in an amount of
about 50 to 500 grams per ton of complete feeds.
Amylase is an enzyme which catalyzes the breakdown of starch into sugars for its
absorption. More particularly, starch is a complex carbohydrate or polysaccharide, and therefore
a large molecule. Because the cells in the body include a partially permeable membrane, they
cannot absorb these starches unless they are broken down into glucose.
Xylanase is an enzyme for breaking down non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs). For
example, xylanases degrade the linear polysaccharide beta-l,4-xylan into xylose, thus breaking
down hemicellulose, one of the major components of plant cell walls. This is important because
as hemicellulose increases, voluntary feed intake, or the amount of feed eaten by animal when
the feed is given to it without restriction, decreases because the undigested polysaccharides
increase the gastrointestinal viscosity in the digestive tract due to their binding to water and
selling. Therefore, by breaking down hemicellulose or reducing its presence, voluntary feed
intake will not be negatively affected. Furthermore, xylanases aid in the release of nutrients
otherwise trapped in the cell walls of plants used in the animal feed.
Proteases are enzymes that break down proteins in food so that they are digestable and
absorbable. Similarly to starches, because the cells in the body include a partially permeable
membrane, they cannot absorb complex, long chain proteins unless they are broken down to
liberate the amino acids needed by the body. Specifically, proteases are enzymes that conduct
proteolysis, that is, begin protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino
acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein, so that the body's cells can absorb
the amino acids.
In some aspects, the compositions of embodiments of the present invention can further
include a lubricity additive in the form of a sodium additive to generate sodium phosphate to
lubricate the die during pelleting to prevent or inhibit product buildup and clogging of the die.
The sodium additive is present in an amount that provides a sodium content of about one to
about ten percent by weight of the composition. The sodium additive can comprise, for example,
sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, monosodium phosphate, potash, or combinations thereof.
In yet other aspects, the compositions of embodiments of the present invention can
optionally include an abrasive or abrasivity additive that aids in scouring and cleaning the die
during pelleting operations. The abrasivity additive is present in an amount of about one to
about ten percent by weight of the composition. The abrasive additive can comprise, for
example, silica, such as silica sand.
In yet other aspects, embodiments of the present invention can comprise an animal feed
base material, and a granulated phosphate composition including a source of inorganic
phosphorous and a feed enzyme, wherein the animal feed is pelleted via a pellet mill. The a
phosphate source comprises as monocalcium phosphate, mono-dicalcium phosphate, dicalcium
phosphate, or combinations thereof, and the feed enzyme comprises a phytase.
The above summary of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated
embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The detailed description that
follows more particularly exemplifies these embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In one embodiment of the present invention, a granulated phosphate feed additive
composition for incorporation into an animal feed formulation includes a phosphate source, such
as monocalcium phosphate, mono-dicalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, or combinations
thereof, and one or more feed enzymes. The one or more feed enzymes can provide product
attributes, such as, for example, the ability to liberate organic sources of phosphorous available
in the feed material such as, for example, flour, grass, a vegetable material, and/or feed grains
such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, rye, and barley and the like, or combinations thereof. The
granulated phosphate product can provide nutritional attributes, such as, for example, sufficient
availability of phosphorous, calcium, and/or sodium, in a final feed formulation that are similar
to or exceed those currently exhibited by the addition of existing feed-grade micro-ingredients,
such as Multifos® and Biofos® to the final feed formulation.
In one particular embodiment, a phosphate source is produced by a reaction of calcium
carbonate and wet process defluorinated phosphoric acid, forming a slurry of monocalcium
phosphate, mono-dicalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, or combinations thereof.
Temperature, reactant levels, and other factors allows for the amounts or ratio of desired forms
of the phosphate source slurry. The slurry is then sent to a granulator, such as a rotating drum
granulator, to produce granules of the phosphate product.
One or more feed enzymes are introduced into the phosphate slurry before granulation
and/or during granulation. The feed enzyme is typically in the form of a powder, granules, or
liquid form. In an embodiment of the invention, a feed enzyme is introduced in an amount such
that it is present in an amount of about 200 to 2,000 FTU/kg of complete feed.
The feed enzyme can comprise, for example, a phytase including a histidine acid
phosphatase (HAP), a b-propeller phytase, a purple acid phophatase (PAP), a protein tyrosine
phosphatase (PTP), or combinations thereof. More specifically, the phytase can comprise a
highly specific phytase for phytic acid, such as phytases from Bacillus sp., Aspergillus sp., E.
coli and those phytases belonging to the class of PTP-like phytases.
The phosphate composition according to embodiments of the invention provides
sufficient nutrients to the final feed product for consumption by the target animal. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the phosphate composition comprises a monocalcium
phosphate or monodicalcium phosphate, having a minimum phosphorous content of about 21%
P, and a minimum sodium content of 4% Na. Furthermore, the phosphate composition can
closely resemble the currently available Biofos® product in that the phosphate composition
comprises a calcium content in a range from about 15% to about 30%, a maximum fluorine
content of about 0.21%, a bulk density of about 56-59 lbs/ft , a moisture content of about 1%,
and a pH of about 3.6. A sieve analysis using a Tyler mesh scale, in which the mesh size is the
number of openings per (linear) inch of mesh, can also resemble the Biofos® product, wherein
99.7% of the granules pass a 12 Mesh screen, 88% pass a 16 Mesh screen, 73.4% pass a 20 Mesh
screen, and 1.0% pass a 100 Mesh screen.
In another embodiment of the invention, the phosphate composition comprises a
monocalcium phosphate or monodicalcium phosphate having a minimum phosphorous content
of about 18% P, and a minimum sodium content of 4% Na. Furthermore, the phosphate
composition can closely resemble the currently available Nexfos® product in that the phosphate
composition comprises a calcium content in a range from about 15% to about 18%, a maximum
fluorine content of about 0.18%, a bulk density of about 82-85 lbs/ft , a moisture content of
about 0 .6%, and a pH of about 6.0. A sieve analysis using a Tyler mesh scale, in which the mesh
size is the number of openings per (linear) inch of mesh, can also resemble the Multifos®
product, wherein 98.1%> of the granules pass a 12 Mesh screen, 4.9% pass a 100 Mesh screen,
and 1.2% pass a 200 Mesh screen.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the phosphate composition comprises a
dicalcium phosphate having a minimum phosphorous content of about 18.5% P, and a calcium
content in a range from about 20.0 to 24.0% Ca. Furthermore, the phosphate composition can
closely resemble the currently available Dynafos® product in that a maximum fluorine content is
about 0.185%, a bulk density of about 57-60 lbs/ft , a moisture content of about 1%, and a pH of
about 4.0. A sieve analysis using a Tyler mesh scale, in which the mesh size is the number of
openings per (linear) inch of mesh, can also resemble the Dynafos® product, wherein 99.6% of
the granules pass a 12 Mesh screen, 82.6% pass a 20 Mesh screen, 9.9% pass a 48 Mesh screen,
and 0 .4% pass a 100 Mesh screen.
The phosphate composition can optionally comprise one or more additional feed
enzymes, such as, for example, amylases, xylanases, and/or proteases, added to the phosphorous
slurry before and/or during granulation. Other feed enzymes aid in the digestion or breakdown
of certain components in the base feed composition, making additional sources of nutrition
bioavailable to the animal and/or aiding in the digestion of the animal feed. These other
enzymes can be present in an amount of about 50 to 500 g per ton of complete feeds.
The phosphate compositions can optionally include a sodium additive present in an
amount that provides a sodium content of about one to about ten percent by weight of the
composition. The sodium additive can comprise, for example, sodium carbonate, sodium
hydroxide, monosodium phosphate, potash, or combinations thereof.
In yet another embodiment, the compositions of embodiments of the present invention
can optionally include an abrasive or abrasivity additive in an amount of about one to about ten
percent by weight of the composition. The abrasive additive can comprise, for example, silica,
such as silica sand. The optional lubricity and abrasivity additives help to reduce product build
up in the pelleting die as discussed in detail in U.S. Patent No. 8,012,519 and U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 201 1/0293792, both of which were previously incorporated by
reference in their entireties.
The phosphate composition feed additive according to embodiments of the invention is
blended with the appropriate main feed ingredient at amounts formulated according to specific
requirements of a target animal. The phosphate composition is added to the main feed
ingredients, such as, for example, corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, rye, barley, and any other
desired micro -ingredients. The mix is blended or compounding in a feed mill, such as a pellet
mill, according to specifications provided by a nutritionist, for example. The blends can be
manufactured by feed compounders as meal type, pellets, or crumbles, as discussed above.
In one particular embodiment, the phosphate composition is blended with the main feed
ingredient and any other desired micro-ingredient in a pellet mill. In the pellet mill, a mixture of
dry powdered feedstock, such as, for example, flour, grass, corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, rye,
barley, or combinations thereof, a wet ingredient, such as steam or molasses, the phosphate
composition, and any other ingredients, such as micro-ingredients are combined to form a mash
or meal. The mash or meal is then compacted into an interior of a round die of the pellet mill
that contains many small holes. The mash or meal is compacted within the die thereby forcing it
out of the holes in the form of pellets, to ultimately be fed to livestock.
The phosphate composition, due to the addition of the feed enzyme, make available an
additional source of phosphorous to the animal when compounded with the main feed ingredient
that can be made up of, for example, corn, soy, wheat, or the like, or combinations thereof. As
discussed in the Background section, organic phosphorous is present in the grains and plants of
the main feed ingredient as phytic acid or phytate. This phytic acid itself is indigestible to nonruminant
animals rendering the phosphorous an unavailable source. However, phytic acid has
six phosphate groups that are available for release by phytases at different rates and in different
order. Phytases hydrolyze phosphates from phytic acid in a stepwise manner, yielding products
that again become substrates for further hydrolysis. Most phytases are able to cleave five of the
six phosphate groups from phytic acid, thereby rendering the otherwise phtyate-bound
phosphorous bioavailable to the animal. Therefore, by incorporating the phytase into the
phosphate composition, which is then compounded and pelleted with the main feed ingredient,
such as via a pellet mill, the phytase can liberate this organic source of phosphorous in the main
feed ingredient when the animal feed pellets are consumed by the animal.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from
the essential attributes thereof; therefore, the illustrated embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A granulated phosphate composition to be used as an ingredient in animal feed, the
phosphate composition comprising:
a phosphate source; and
a feed enzyme.
2. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 1, wherein the phosphate source
comprises monocalcium phosphate, mono-dicalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, or
combinations thereof.
3. The granulated phosphate composition of claims 1 or 2, wherein the feed enzyme is
selected from the group consisting of phytases, amylases, xylanases, proteases, and combinations
thereof.
4. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 3, wherein the feed enzyme comprises a
phytase.
5. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 4, wherein the phytase is present in an
amount such that the phytase provides from about 200 to about 2,000 FTU per kilogram of
animal feed.
6. The granulated phosphate composition of claims 3 or 4, further comprising one or more
additional feed enzymes selected from the group consisting of amylases, xylanases, proteases,
and combinations thereof.
7. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 6, wherein the one or more additional
feed enzymes are present in an amount to provide from about 50 to about 500 grams per ton of
animal feed.
8. The granulated phosphate composition of any of the preceding claims, further comprising
a lubricity additive in the form of a sodium additive adapted to generate sodium phosphate to
lubricate the die during pelleting of the animal feed to prevent or inhibit product buildup and
clogging of the die.
9. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 8, wherein the sodium additive is present
in an amount that provides a sodium content of about one to about ten percent by weight of the
composition.
10. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 8 or 9, wherein the sodium additive
comprises sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, monosodium phosphate, or combinations
thereof.
11. The granulated phosphate composition of any of the preceding claims, further comprising
an abrasive or abrasivity additive adapted to scour and clean the die during pelleting of the
animal feed.
12. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 11, wherein the abrasivity additive is
present in an amount of about one to about ten percent by weight of the composition.
13. The granulated phosphate composition of claim 11 or 12, wherein the abrasive additive
comprises silica.
14. The granulated phosphate composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein
the granulated phosphate composition comprises a phosphorous content of at least about
eighteen percent by weight of the composition.
15. A compounded and pelleted animal feed composition comprising:
an animal feed material; and
a granulated phosphate composition according to any of the preceding claims.
16. The animal feed composition of claim 15, wherein the animal feed material comprises
flour, grass, feed grains selected from the group consisting of corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, rye,
barley, and combinations thereof.
17. A method of preparing the phosphate composition of any of claims 1-14, the method
comprising:
forming a slurry of the phosphate source;
granulating the slurry; and
adding the feed enzyme to the slurry before and/or during granulation.
18. A method of preparing animal feed including the phosphate composition of any of claims
1-15, the method comprising:
providing an animal feed material;
providing a phosphate composition according to any of claims 1-14;
combining the animal feed material and phosphate composition to form a mash or meal;
compacting the mash or meal within a pellet mill;
pelleting the compacted mash or meal.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the animal feed material comprises flour, grass, and/or
feed grains selected from the group consisting of corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, rye, barley, or
combinations thereof.
20. The method of claim 18 or 19, further comprising combining a wet ingredient with the
phosphate composition and the animal feed material.
21. The method of any of claim 18-20, further comprising:
combining one or more micro-ingredients with the phosphate composition and the animal
feed material.