Effects of inorganic feed phosphate on feed quality and manufacturing efficiency

Inorganic feed phosphates are often incorporated into commercial feed formulations to meet nutritional requirements and enhance feed manufacture; however, peer-reviewed publications supporting the enhancement of manufacture are limited. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of inorganic feed phosphates on feed quality and manufacturing efficiency. Feed was manufactured using a Latin square design at the West Virginia University pilot feed mill. In experiment 1, corn- and soybean meal-based diets without meat and bone meal were formulated to include monocalcium phosphate (MCaP) from 2 different manufacturing plants (MCaPA and MCaPB), dicalcium phosphate (DCaP), or tricalcium phosphate (TCaP). In experiment 2, corn- and soybean meal-based diets without meat and bone meal were formulated to include MCaP of a coarse particle size (MCaPC), MCaP, DCaP, or TCaP. Feed production rate was constant among treatments within each experiment owing to the experimental design. The inclusion of TCaP decreased energy consumption of the pellet mill in both experiments. The inorganic feed phosphate source affected pellet durability; however, overall feed quality differences were minimal and would likely not affect bird performance upon feeding.