What is phytase?
Phytase enzyme, is a biocatalyst, which has the ability to catalyze phytic acid into inositol, inorganic phosphorus and other matters that may combine with phytic acid, such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, etc., as well as protein and starch.

What is phytic acid?
Plant seed contains all the necessary ingredients (including phosphorus) for germination period. When plant is mature and producing seeds, nutrients are stored for later use in a special way. Phosphorus is just stored in phytic acid form. For cereals and oil seeds, phytic phosphorus takes up to 80% of total phosphorus. Phytic acid is a combination of phytic anion and inositol. An inositol molecule can combine with 6 phytic anions at most, with the name phytate (myo-inositol hexakis) .

Where the phytic acid distributes in common cereal plant?
It varied in monocotyledon and dicotyledon. For monocotyledon - corn, phytic acid is main in aleurone layer, but for dicotyledon – soybean, within protein.

What kind of raw materials have higher content of phytic acid?
For feed raw materials of plant source, corn, soybean, and miscellaneous meal as wheat bran, rice bran, rapeseed meal and cottonseed meal have higher content of phytic acid, however, for animal source materials, none.

What is phytate phosphorus?
Phytate phosphorus is defined as the phosphorus that combined with phytic acid, with maximum content of 28.2%. However, in normal conditions, phytic acid can only combine with 5 or 4 phosphate ion (and even 3), the real content, therefore, is usually less than 28.2%. Routine assay methods can't determine the phytate phosphorus content. It is easier to take subtraction method to assay.

Why monogastric animals can't utilize phytate phosphorus?
Due to its specificity, phytate can only be hydrolyzed by phytase. However, for monogastric animals, they can hardly secrete any phytase to degrade phytate within their alimentary tract. That is to say, monogastric animals can't utilize phytate phosphorus, which will further be discharged with dejecta into the environment.

Why phytase can protect the environment?
From a macro perspective, Phosphorus pollution of animal husbandry is the major sources of pollution for the environment, leading to phosphorus eutrophication of surface water (as river and lake) and groundwater. For high density cultivation and intensive aquaculture areas, especially large cities with severe water shortage as well as their surroundings, the problem (eutrophication) is rather prominent. The faecal phosphorus has been far beyond the acceptability of soil. The utilization of total phosphorus in feed is around 30% at most. After the phytase supplementation, the utilization may raise up to 60%. It reduces the faecal phosphorus over 30%, and further protects the environment.
On the other hand, phosphorus is an essential element but not a main accumulation in livestock product. In animals' lifetime, they ingest phosphorus continually while excrete most of them. Or say it, we transport large quantity of DCP/MCP to our farm continually just for their excretion. Even worse, we are purchasing DCP/MCP to pollute the environment, indirectly. In some degree, phytase can improve the situation and protect environment.

How can phytase reduce the farming cost?
The way phytase reduces farming cost are the following two aspects, reducing feed cost by replacing DCP/MCP with phytase and improving animals' living performance.

What are the functioning sites of phytase product within animal bodies?
Pig: stomach;
Poultry: crop, stomach.

Is stomach the last action site of phytase within animal bodies?
The answer is no. In small intestine, phytase still shows a certain relative activity, even in large intestine. However, it means little to improve utilization of phosphorus due to the action site case (they are almost the end of the alimentary tract).

What are the main indexes when evaluate a phytase quality?
Activity, efficacy, processing quality (fluidity, granularity, etc.), storage stability, and processing stability.