Bio-deactivation of anti-nutritional factors

Bio-deactivation of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) applies enzymes and controlled fermentation to neutralize the phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, β-conglycinin and oligosaccharides naturally present in soy, legume and cereal-based feed and food ingredients, which otherwise bind minerals and amino acids or interfere with digestion. In the EU, DSM-Firmenich received EU authorization on 24 September 2024 for HiPhorius, a next-generation phytase for all poultry species, Suidae (pigs and sows) and fin fish, achieving faster and more complete phytate degradation than earlier-generation phytases. Also in the EU, Denmark’s Hamlet Protein produces specialty fermented soy-based protein ingredients that hold ANF levels — trypsin inhibitors, β-conglycinin, galacto-oligosaccharides — consistently low batch to batch regardless of raw-material variability, and was acquired by Royal Agrifirm Group in a deal completed in May 2026. In China, Vland Biotech’s feed-grade phytase degrades phytate-bound phosphorus in plant-based feed ingredients, cutting livestock and poultry manure phosphorus excretion by 30–60% while releasing bound minerals, amino acids and trace elements for absorption. In the US, Novus International has published a decade-plus data review flagging trypsin inhibitors as a more significant, underappreciated risk in soy-based poultry and swine diets than previously recognized — even after conventional heat processing — and is pairing protease-enzyme supplementation with near-infrared (NIR) testing for more frequent raw-material screening.

The key directions of bio-deactivation of anti-nutritional factors are:

1. Phytase-mediated phytate degradation (Phytase-Mediated Phytate Degradation): enzymes hydrolyzing phytic acid to release bound phosphorus, minerals and amino acids, cutting manure phosphorus and inorganic phosphate supplementation.
2. Fermentation-based trypsin-inhibitor and oligosaccharide removal (Fermentation-Based Trypsin-Inhibitor and Oligosaccharide Removal): controlled microbial fermentation of soy/legume meal degrading protease inhibitors and oligosaccharides for young-animal digestibility.
3. Protease-mediated trypsin-inhibitor neutralization (Protease-Mediated Trypsin-Inhibitor Neutralization): feed enzyme blends breaking down residual trypsin inhibitors that survive conventional heat processing.
4. Rapid ANF quality screening (Rapid ANF Quality Screening): near-infrared and other rapid analytical technologies for real-time assessment of raw-material ANF variability, replacing infrequent lab testing.

Sectoral value chain#

[raw material intake] ──> [ANF profiling/screening] ──> [bio-deactivation treatment] ──> [nutrient-release verification]
                                                                              │
                                                                       (digestibility/
                                                                        phosphorus gain)
                                                                              │
                                                                              ▼
[animal performance/sale] <─── [feed/ingredient formulation] <─────────────────┘

Value chain levels#

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Microbial phytase enzymology (Microbial Phytase Enzymology): Aspergillus- and E. coli-derived phytases that hydrolyze phytic acid’s phosphate esters to release bound phosphorus and minerals.
• Controlled fermentation of legume meal (Controlled Fermentation of Legume Meal): defined fermentation processes degrading trypsin inhibitors, β-conglycinin and galacto-oligosaccharides in soy/legume ingredients.
• Rapid NIR-based ANF analytics (Rapid NIR-Based ANF Analytics): near-infrared testing enabling frequent, batch-level screening of raw-material ANF variability in place of infrequent lab assays.

The stack pairs enzymatic and fermentation-based deactivation with rapid analytical screening.

1. Phytase enzymology (Phytase Enzymology):
   • microbial phytases hydrolyze phytic acid’s phosphate esters, releasing bound phosphorus, minerals and amino acids that would otherwise pass through the animal unabsorbed.
   • case: DSM-Firmenich’s HiPhorius achieves faster, more complete phytate degradation than earlier-generation phytases, EU-authorized for poultry, pigs and fin fish.
2. Fermentation-based ANF reduction (Fermentation-Based ANF Reduction):
   • controlled microbial fermentation of soybean/legume meal degrades trypsin inhibitors, β-conglycinin and galacto-oligosaccharides that survive conventional heat processing.
   • case: Hamlet Protein’s process holds ANF levels consistently low batch to batch regardless of raw-material variability.
3. Rapid ANF analytics (Rapid ANF Analytics):
   • near-infrared (NIR) and similar rapid-testing technologies screen incoming raw materials for ANF variability far more frequently than traditional lab assays allow.
   • case: Novus International pairs protease supplementation with NIR testing to catch trypsin-inhibitor variability that traditional testing methods miss.