Potential of New-generation Microbial Enzymes to Improve Energy Value - Term Paper Example

Researches on possible microbial enzymes to improve energy value and ileal nutrient digestibility has been necessitated by the fact that not all compounds taken by poultry can be broken down by animals’ enzymes that have been generated by the body. Contemporary scholars such as Batterham et al. (2009) have argued that the need to develop microbial enzymes must consider the fact that with the enzymes already in poultry’s system, some nutrients have become unavailable for these animals.

In as much as there have been researches that have documented how proteases and amylases can be added to facilitate digestibility (see Bell et al. 2001; Champ 2001; Gatel 1994), benefits in productivity can be enhanced even further should there be a new-generation microbial enzyme that ensures all food nutrients are digested. What these studies have established is that feed enzymes have the potential of improving the efficiency of meat and egg production and the reason attributed to this change is the ability of these enzymes to alter the nutritional profile of feed ingredients (Godfrey 2005).

However, there is a need to assess whether the already existing manufactured enzymes (exogenous) have the ability to be used beyond simply increasing the digestibility of poorly digested diets. It is for this reason that the central thesis is significant. In as much as these views continue to be divergent, there is a need for critical literature review for a possibility of new-generation on microbial enzymes that can improve energy value and ileal nutrient digestibility of cereal grains for broilers.

However, as Kemm et al (2011) noted, this study is wider in scope and its conceptualization would need a review of other topics such as nutrient requirements as a broader issue and narrow down to energy requirement utilization and how effective these nutrients contribute to the growth responses. To underscore the thesis statement, journals, books, and articles have been selected to support the literature review. Poultry has the ability to convert food products efficiently, quickly, and with relatively low impacts from the environment (King and Dunshea 2000).