Animal production for efficient phosphate utilization: from optimized feed to high efficiency livestock

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for livestock but its efficiency of utilization is below 40%, contributing to environmental issues. In this review, we summarize recent approaches to optimize P availability in livestock diets and improve its utilization efficiency. Phase feeding could potentially reduce P excretion by 20%. Addition of phytase enzymes to diets increased P availability from 42 to 95%. Low phytate transgenic plants and transgenic animals increased P availability by 14% and 52–99%, respectively. In practice, a combination of phase feeding and enzymes has the highest potential for P reduction but legislation and ethics implications will prevent using transgenic animals in the short term. Functional and nutritional genomics may provide tools to improve efficiency in the future.

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► Group feeding animals according to their physiological state will reduce P consumption.
► Reducing P in feed and precision feeding of P will increase efficiency of P utilization by livestock.
► Addition of phytase enzyme will increase P availability especially in swine and poultry.
► Transgenic plants and animals offer a way for efficient phosphate uptake.
► Nutritional genomics is expected to improve efficiency of P utilization in livestock.