CA1099573A - Animal feeds containing a mixture of virginiamycin and proteolytic enzymes - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Animal feeds based on carbohydrates, protein, and fats and containing from 5 to 20 ppm of the antibiotic Virginia-mycin and a content of proteolytic enzymes in such an amount that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed.

Description

7~

High-potency animals feeds, as they are normally used today in intensive animal raising, contain a number o~
additives of prophylactic and/or nutritive effect. These include among others antibiotics and enzymes. While the use of antibiotics has found acceptance in mixed feeds of all kinds, enzymes are not as yet used on a large scale in the field.
The feed mixtures used in modern intensive animal raising programs are generally optimized in all nutrient components to the extent that further improvement does not seem readily possible.
An object of the present invention is the develop-ment of a mixture of antibiotics and enzymes which will improve the present efficiency of animal feeds.
Another object of the present invention is the development of a high efficiency animal feed based on carbo-hydrates, protein and fats and containing from 5 to 20 ppm of the antibiotic Virginiamycin and a content of proteolytic enzymes in such an amount that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed.
A further object of the invention is the development of a method for efficient rearing of animals comprising feed~
ing animals a high efficiency animal feed based on carbo-hydrates, protein and fats and containing from 5 to 20 ppm of the antibiotic Virginiamycin and a content of proteolytic enzymes in such an amount that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

It has been surprisingly found that even optimally composed high-potency (high efficiency) feeds can be further improved with respect to feed utilization and/or the weight gain attainable thexewith by adding to these feeds certain antibiotics together with proteolytic enzymes.
The subject of the invention accordingly is an animal feed mixture based on carbohydrates, protein, and fats and optionally the customary additives, characterized by a content of 5 to 20 ppm of the antibiotic Virginiamycin and a quantity of proteolytic enzymes such that an enzymatic activity of 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm is present.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a high efficiency animal feed based on carbohydrates, protein and fats and containing from 5 to 20 ppm of the antibiotic Virginiamycin and a content of proteolytic enzymes in such an amount that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed; as well as a method for efficient rearing of animals comprising feeding animals a high efficiency animal feed based on carbohydrates, protein and fats and containing 23 from 5 to 20 ppm of the antibiotic Viriniamycin and a content of proteolytic enzymes in such an amount that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed.
The antibiotic Virginiamycin is a known antibiotic belonging to the peptolide group. It is produced by a strain of the fungus Streptomyces virginiae and consists of the com-ponents Type M ~empirical formula C28H35N3o7) and Type S
(empirical formula C43H4g~7lo)-5~3 Suit~ble proteolytic enzymes to be employed accordingto the invention are o~tained above all by culturing micro-organisms and separation oE the enzymes produced from the culture solutions. The processes for this are known.
Proteolytic enzymes can be used as produced, for example, from Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus natta, Bacillus subtilis, etc. Especially preferred are acid proteases, e.g., from Aspergillus niger or those described in United States Patents No. 3,674,64~ to Yokotsuka et al and No. 3,677,898 to Mitsugi et al. Acid proteases from the genus Tramates or from Rhizopus rhizopodiformis, according to U.S. Patent No.
4,062,732 issued December 13, 1977 (R. Lehmann et al) r are particularly preferred. Such proteases have a particularly wide spectrum of action in the weakly acid range between pH

2.5 and 6.5. These acid proteases preferably have a pH
range of 50% of maximum activity of between a pH of 2.5 and 6.5.
Commercial feed mixtures are optimally composed for the special needs of the various animal species. They are customarily based on carbohydrates, proteins and fats with optional customary feed supplements or additives. The carbo-hydrates are chiefly from cereal components, corn or the like.
The protein carriers are primarily extracted soybean meal pellets, fish meal, animal body meal, bran and the like.
Essential amino acids which are lacking, for example, methionin, can be added. The fats are employed in the form of plant or " animal fats. For body building, there are added further salts, such as dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and common salt. Optionally, the feed mix is balanced by the ;` addition of trace elements, vitamins, ~allast substances, 30 etc. Also substances produced fermentatively, such as single cell .

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-proteins from petroleum fractions or alcohols, various yeasts, algae protein or others, possibly also substances recover~d from waste materials, may be a component part of the feed formulation, in part to a considerable degree.
The animal feed mixtures of the invention contain in addition to the usual components adapted for certain a~imal species or feed use, additionally 5 to 20 ppm, preferably 7.5 to 15 ppm, and particularly 10 to 15 ppm, of the mentioned antibiotic Virginiamycin and the proteolytic enzymes in a quantity such that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm, preferably 0.2 to 0.5 mTU/gm. In particular, a com-bination of Virginiamycin and an acid fungus protease or respectively protease mixture is employed. The weight gain or respectively the improvement in the feed utilization achieved thereby is up to 4% in comparison with corresponding control mixtures containing only the antibiotic.
The active combination of Virginiamycin and pro-teolytic enzymes is successful especially in feed for fatten-ing cockerels ~broiler production). However, it can be use-ful also for all other kinds of animals where the use ofVirginiamycin alone is already of advantage, for example, in hog fattening and in feed for laying hens.
The antibiotic is expediently added to the feed in the form of a premix, for example, combined with extracted soy-bean meal pellets. When using mixed meal type feed composi-tions, the enzyme component is also applied as a premix.
Here, as carrier substance, any feed component can be used, for example, again extracted soybean meal pellets. When employing steam-tempered pelletizing of animal feeds, the admixture of the enzymes must occur in suitable stabilized .

form, to pre~ent deactivation by moisture and heat during the pelletizing. Such a method is the subject, for example, of Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 269,907, filed January 18, 1977, of Saran et al.
To determine the enzymatic activity of the enzyme unit (TU), the proteolytic activity of the protease is ascer-tained by the known principle of Anson. A suitable diluted ~uantity of enzyme solution is incubated for twenty minutes at 40C with an equal volume of a 1.2~ casein solution, the latter containing 0.6% lactic acid, 6 mols of urea and 0.1 mol of citric or acetic acid. The pH value of the casein solution is adjusted to 4.5 by addition of 2 N sodium hydrox-ide solution. After the incubation, the procedure is to admix with 0.4 N trichloroacetic acid in the volumetric ratio 1:1.
The forming precipitate of undiyested casein is filtered, and the protein cleavage products formed during degradation are ascertained in the filtrate by any method of protein determination. Suitable for this is, for example, the method described by Layne in Method of Enzymology 3 (1957), pages 448 ff.
For each test sample a blank value must be produced, wherein first trichloroacetic acid and then casein solution -~ is added. This blank value indicates, in addition to the reagent blank value, the proportion of peptides of low molecu-lar weight already present before the digestion in the enzyme solution. The difference between main and blank value is then compared, following the indicated method, with the extinction, which is given by a predetermined amount of tyrosine. This amount of tyrosine is then a measure of the proteolytic activity of the enzyme being determined.

One enzyme unit (TU) is that amount of enzyme which releases in one minute from the casein solution the cleavage products which have the same extinction value as a 1 ~ tyrosine solu-tion. It is customary to express this in mTU = 10-3 TU.
The following examples are illustrative of the invention without being limitative in any respect.

270 male one-day chicks of Lohmann origin were raised in a ba-ttery for six weeks and fed with identically 0 composed feed mixes, but:
a) Without addition of antibiotic or enzyme, b~ With addition of 15 ppm Virginiamycin (VGN), c) With addition of 15 ppm Virginiamycin (VGN) and 0.45 mTU/gm of acid proteases (E) from Rhizopus rhizopodiformis (according to German Published Patent Appln. D.O.S. 2528490, to Lehmann et al), and after conclusion of the test, the end weight and the feed utilization ~ere determined. The "feed utilization" is 20 the ratio of feed consumption to the weight gain.

T A B L E
Feed Composition% By Weight Extracted soybean meal pellets 31.00 Corn 55.31 Animal body meal 5.00 Beef tallow 5.80 Soybean oil 0.20 Dicalcium phosphate1.34 Calcium carbonate 0~37 Common salt 0.25 TABLE 1 ( Cont'd) Feed Composition % By Weight DL-methionin 0.17 Trace element premix 0.20 Vitamin premix 0.20 Coccidiostatic premix 0.16 100.00 R E S U L T S

End Weight Feed (gms) Utilization a) w/o ~ddition 1,459 1,82 ; b) With VGN 1,504 1.80 c) With VGN ~ E 1,524 1.72 .~
VGN = Virginiamycin E = Proteolytic enzymes from the mentioned micro-organisms -; EXAMPLE 2 .,~ , 720 Male broiler chicks of Lohmann origin were .` raised on soil for six weeks and fed with a uniform feed of the composition mentioned below. After conclusion of the per- ;~
iod, the end weight of the chickens as well as the feed utili-.: zation were determined analogously to Example 1. The feed ; mixtures were identically composed and contained:
a) No addition of antibiotic or enzyme, ~) An addition of 7.5 ppm Virginiamycin, c) An addition of 7.5 ppm Virginiamycin and 0.45 mTU/gm of acid proteases from Aspergillus niger.

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~3 . .

Feed Composition ~ By Weight -Soybean meal pellets 37.35 Corn 52.325 DL-methion.in 0.3 Soybean oil 6.0 Dicalcium phosphate 1.82 Calcium carbonate 1.03 Common salt 0.31 Trace elements premix 0.065 Vitamin premix 0.25 Choline chloride 50% 0.2 Coyden 0.05 ' Oat husks, ground 0.30 ~, 100 . 000 : ~ :
.~ R E S U L T S

End Weight Feed : ~gms~ Utilization a) w/o Addition 1,443 1.90 ~ b) With VGN 1,495 1.85 :; 20 c~. With VGN + E' 1,518 1.83 ;
VGN = Virginiamycin E' = Proteolytic enzymes from the mentioned micro-organisms The preceding examples clearly demonstrate that the .
presence of both the antibiotic Virginiamycin and proteolytic enzymes, preferably acid proteases, increase both the end weight and feed.utilization ratio. Comparable results are obtained with feed for hog raising and feed for laying hens.

The preceding specific embodiments are illustrative of the practice of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that other expedients known to those skilled in the art or disclosed herein, may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (5)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A high efficiency animal feed based on carbohydrates, protein and fats and containing from 5 to 20 ppm of the anti-biotic Virginiamycin and a content of acid proteolytic enzymes in such an amount that the enzymatic activity is from 0.05 to 2.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed.

2. The animal feed of claim 1 wherein said proteolytic enzyme is an acid protease with a wide spectrum of action in the range of between a pH of 2.5 and 6.5.

3. The animal feed of claim 2 wherein said acid protease has a pH range of 50% of maximum activity of between a pH
of 2.5 and a pH of 6.5.

4. The animal feed of claim 1 wherein said Virginiamycin is present in an amount of from 7.5 to 15 ppm.

5. The animal feed of claim 1 wherein said enzymatic activity is from 0.2 to 0.5 mTU/gm of said animal feed.