Environmental assessment of Ronozyme® p5000 CT phytase as an alternative to inorganic phosphate supplementation to pig feed used in intensive pig production

Goal, Scope and Background. Ronozyme (R) P5000 CT is an industrially produced enzyme product (phytase) which is able to degrade naturally occurring phytate in animal feed and release the phytate's content of phosphorus for pig's growth. Ronozyme P5000 CT (hereafter called Ronozyme Phytase) can be used as an alternative to inorganic phosphorus supplementation to feed and the study addresses the environmental implications of substituting inorganic phosphorus with Ronozyme Phytase in intensive pig production in Denmark. Methods. Life cycle assessment is used as an analytical tool, and modelling of the two considered systems is facilitated in SimaPro 6.0 software. The study addresses changes induced by switching from the one alternative to the other, and all significant processes influenced by the change are included in the study. Results and Conclusions. Application of Ronozyme Phytase in intensive pig production is justified by major advantages in terms of avoided contributions to global warming, acidification, photochemical ozone formation and particularly nutrient enrichment and by significant energy savings and particularly phosphate savings. A single trade-off in terms of agricultural land use for enzyme production is small and unimportant unless use of agricultural land is given very large relative weight. Recommendations and Perspectives. Hundreds of enzyme products are commercially available on the market today, each with a range of different applications. There are several indications that enzymes like Ronozyme Phytase can play an important role in a transition to a more sustainable society, and more focus should be addressed to the evolving enzyme technology in environmental research.