Global phosphorus markets are under renewed pressure. Feed phosphate prices have strengthened across regions, supported by tighter sulfur and sulfuric acid supply, higher phosphoric acid costs, restricted producer offers, and reduced export availability from key origins.
In practical terms, this means higher cost exposure and less predictability for inorganic phosphorus sources such as Monocalcium phosphate (MCP), Dicalcium phosphate (DCP), and Mono-Dicalcium (MDCP).
In this environment, phytase becomes more than a nutritional optimization tool. It becomes a strategic lever.
By improving the release and utilization of phytate-bound phosphorus already present in plant-based diets, phytase enables nutritionists to reduce dependence on inorganic phosphorus, increase formulation flexibility, and better manage feed costs in poultry and swine production. At the same time, improved phosphorus utilization contributes to lower phosphorus excretion and more efficient use of a finite resource.
The current pressure on feed phosphates reflects a combination of factors, including tightness in sulfur supply, raw material volatility, and disruptions in global trade flows.
Sulfur plays a central role in phosphate production, yet its supply is structurally constrained as it is mainly a by-product of oil refining and gas processing, meaning it does not readily respond to demand. As a result, the market remains highly sensitive to disruptions in energy, logistics, and geopolitics.
Recent developments confirm this tightening across regions, with higher MCP prices in Europe, continued market support in China due to VAT-related disruptions and sulfur volatility, and phosphoric acid benchmarks in North America increasing by around $70/mt quarter-on-quarter.
At the same time, strong supply concentration — with China accounting for more than 40 percent of global capacity — further amplifies market risk.
Overall, the phosphorus market has become structurally tighter and more volatile.
What this means for MCP/DCP, feed formulation
For feed producers, tighter MCP and DCP markets result in higher costs, reduced flexibility, and increased sensitivity in formulation.
While inorganic phosphates remain reliable sources of phosphorus and calcium, their economic impact becomes more significant in a volatile market.
What were once routine safety margins may now carry a noticeable cost penalty.
As a result, the key question for nutritionists is evolving. It is no longer only how much inorganic phosphorus is required, but also how efficiently the phosphorus already present in the diet is being used.
This is particularly relevant in cereal-based diets, where a significant share of phosphorus is present in phytate form and poorly available without phytase.
In this context, phytase becomes a practical tool not only for nutrition, but also for managing cost and supply risk.
How phytase improves phytate phosporus utilization
In plant-based feed ingredients, a large proportion of phosphorus is bound to phytate and is not readily available to poultry and pigs.
Phytase releases this phosphorus, making it available for absorption. Beyond phosphorus, it also contributes to improved nutrient utilization and helps reduce the anti-nutritional effects of phytate.
However, not all phytases deliver the same level of performance. Reliable reduction of inorganic phosphorus requires consistent results, robust matrix values, and confidence across practical feeding conditions.
Adisseo phytase is designed to meet these requirements, enabling efficient phytate degradation and consistent phosphorus release.
A broiler study showed that Rovabio PhyPlus (up to 1000 FTU/kg) improved growth, feed efficiency, and bone mineralization in diets reduced in available phosphorus and calcium. These improvements were driven by higher phosphorus digestibility (up to +21.6 percentage points). Additional benefits were also observed, including improved body weight and protein efficiency (up to +3.8%), as well as a reduction in phosphorus excretion in litter of up to 73%.
A recent study in weaned piglets showed that supplementation of phosphorus- and calcium-deficient diets with Rovabio PhyPlus enhances growth performance, nutrient utilization, bone mineralization, and phytate degradation in a dose-dependent manner. These benefits are driven by improved digestibility of energy and key nutrients, including amino acids, P and Ca. Phytate phosphorus digestibility increased with phytase dose, reaching over 90% at the highest inclusion level (1500 FTU/kg).
Overall, these results demonstrate that Adisseo phytase can effectively reduce reliance on inorganic phosphorus while maintaining performance.
Less dependence, more flexibility
In today’s market, the value of phytase is not only nutritional; it is also economic and strategic.
When phosphate markets are firm and procurement is more difficult, every opportunity to reduce dependence on MCP and DCP becomes more valuable. By increasing the contribution of phytate phosphorus to the animal’s requirement, phytase can help nutritionists to lower inorganic phosphorus inclusion, manage formulation costs more actively, and respond with greater agility to market volatility.
In such a stressed market, selecting the right phytase partner becomes critical to gain formulation flexibility without compromising nutritional performance, then reducing exposure to inorganic phosphorus.
However, it is key to understand the potential of your product and your diet composition, to reliably increase your matrix based on phytase activity and substrate composition up to the complete removal of phosphate in specific situations.
In a 35-day broiler study, replacing 0.99% MCP with 500 FTU/kg diet of Rovabio PhyPlus delivered approximately $8.60 per tonne in net feed cost savings, while maintaining growth performance and supporting bone quality through optimised mineralisation. This demonstrates that phytase can deliver both significant economic and nutritional value in commercial broiler production.
Resource efficiency, lower phosphorus excretion
The sustainability benefits of phytase are directly linked to improved phosphorus utilization. When more phosphorus is absorbed by the animal, less needs to be supplemented and less is excreted, supporting both resource efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
Adisseo phytase enables significant reductions in phosphorus excretion, while its extended nutritional matrix also allows for lower inclusion of high-impact raw materials. At the same time, internal studies have shown that its use can reduce the climate impact per kilogram of broiler by up to 2.5%, while maintaining equivalent zootechnical performance.
In practical terms, for an integrator producing one million broilers, this reduction is equivalent to removing around 27 passenger vehicles from the road for one year, avoiding the annual electricity consumption of approximately 24 households, or planting nearly 2000 trees.
Furthermore, Adisseo phytase delivers a strong Environmental Return on Investment (EROI) of 140, meaning that for each ton of CO₂ equivalent associated with additive production, up to 140 tons of CO₂ equivalent can be avoided across the value chain.
These results clearly demonstrate that improved phosphorus efficiency delivers both environmental and economic value.
Nutritional opportunity
The phosphorus market has become more volatile, less predictable, and increasingly constrained. As a result, reliance on inorganic phosphorus sources alone is becoming less sustainable from both an economic and strategic perspective.
In this context, improving phosphorus efficiency is essential.
Adisseo phytase provides a practical approach to unlock phytate phosphorus, reduce dependence on inorganic sources, increase formulation flexibility, and support both economic and environmental performance.
What was once a cost pressure can now become a lever for competitive advantage.
Several Adisseo representatives authored this report. In order of their contribution: Zhanna Hernandez is Adisseo's Global product manager enzymes. Maamer Jlali, Saheed Salami and Céline Gras are Innovation and Customer Success Managers with Adisseo. Garros Fontinhas is Adisseo's global category manager feed digestibility.
