Phosphorus Bioavailability: A Key Aspect for Conserving this Critical Animal Feed Resource with Reference to Broiler Nutrition

Xiuhua Li, Dagong Zhang, Tsung Y. Yang and Wayne L. Bryden
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Xiuhua Li: Poultry Science Unit, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Qld 4343, Australia
Dagong Zhang: Poultry Science Unit, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Qld 4343, Australia
Tsung Y. Yang: Poultry Science Unit, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Qld 4343, Australia
Wayne L. Bryden: Poultry Science Unit, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Qld 4343, Australia

Agriculture, 2016, vol. 6, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Phosphorus (P) is an essential element, and the majority of animal feed phosphate is derived from phosphate rock that is a non-renewable resource. Current global P reserves may be depleted in 50–100 years. This poses the challenge of securing future P supply for the global animal feed industries. Currently, nutritionists formulate diets with substantial safety margins to guarantee that animals do not become P deficient. Excessive dietary P concentrations increase, not only the cost of diets, but also P excretion and pollution of the environment. We contend that understanding P bioavailability is central to the sustainable use of this mineral in animal agriculture. Poultry accounts for approximately 50% of animal feed phosphate consumption worldwide and for this reason we use the meat chicken or broiler as a case study to explore the nuances of P bioavailability. We conclude that, to tackle the challenge of dietary P bioavailability, cooperative research on a global scale is needed to standardise measurement procedures in order to produce a robust and reliable database which can be used by nutritionists to formulate diets to meet the bird’s P requirements precisely. Achievement of this goal will assist endeavours to sustain the global supply of phosphorus.

Keywords: phosphorus; requirements; available P; bioavailability; poultry; animal nutrition; rock phosphate; global feed supply (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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