Phytase expressed from Saccharomyces pombe ameliorates footpad lesions in cage‐reared broiler chicks

BACKGROUND/AIM: The condition of footpad is an important aspect of poultry welfare. This is a problem that plagues the poultry industry because it occurs whether birds are reared in the cage or on the floor. It is reported that feeding phytase to floor‐reared broiler chicks could ameliorate footpad lesions, which is related to the reduction of litter moisture. However, some studies reported that phytase supplementation could ameliorate footpad lesions, but did not affect litter quality. Therefore, phytase supplementation may have other potential mechanisms to improve the footpad lesions. Cage‐reared broiler chicks were used in this study because they had no access to litter. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 234 1‐day‐old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three groups based on the initial body weight (42.22 ± 0.18 g) with six replicate cages and 13 birds (mixed sex) per cage. The experimental period was 45 days. Dietary treatments were based on a corn–soybean meal‐basal diet and supplemented with 500 and 750 FTU/kg Saccharomyces pombe expressed phytase. The unit of phytase (FTU) was defined as the amount of enzyme that catalyzes the release of one micromole phosphate from phytate per minute at 37°C and pH 5.5. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: We found that dietary supplementation of S. pombe expressed phytase could improve calcium and phosphorus digestibility and subsequent improvement in toe ash, thus ameliorating footpad lesions in broiler chicks with no access to litter.