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Livestock feed that is rich in fat or oil is also rich in phytic acid—a
form of phosphorus that animals find hard to digest and which is therefore
excreted, polluting the soil. Now ExSeed Genetics at Iowa State University
claims to be first to produce an animal feed that is high in protein and oil
content, but low in phytic acid (WO 99/2668). The researchers repeatedly inbred
maize corn and selected a strain with a third less phytic acid. Amino acids,
such as lysine and methionine, are added to the feed, along with soya beans for
protein. When the mixture is milled and fed to pigs, their waste is lower in
phosphorus.