Zootechnical additives · broilers, laying hens, turkeys, minor poultry, weaned piglets, pigs for fattening, sows, fin fish
Quantum Blue
Brand Quantum Blue · Manufacturer AB Vista
↗ public sourceswww.abvista.com/products/quantum-blue· 6 studies, 6 independent/mixed
Evidence · strong
The active substance is backed by 6 studies including meta-analyses; the verdict per claim below reflects what the literature actually shows, not the brochure. Strength reflects the active substance, not the brand.
What the manufacturer claims
FreeCaptured from the product page, typed and attributed — the producer’s own statements, checked against the literature below.
Performance
Designed for maximum phytate destruction — almost completely degrades phytate and the lower phytate esters, releasing significantly more phosphorus and inositol.
Bioavailability
High affinity for phytate; works to unlock all six phosphorus molecules, liberating valuable nutrients.
Economic
Performance benefits and feed-cost savings by reducing the need for expensive ingredients (inorganic phosphorus, energy, amino acids).
Physiological
Intrinsically thermostable, with sustained gastric performance, efficiency at low pH and good recovery and dispersion in feed.
Performance
With superdosing, the use of phytase goes beyond nutrient release to deliver additional performance benefits.
Environmental
Maximising phytate breakdown reduces the need for inorganic phosphorus and lowers phosphorus excretion to the environment.
Manufacturer’s own words — not independently verified. The ledger below gives the evidence verdict for each.
Claim ↔ evidence ledger
Verdict free · receipts in PowerEach claim against the studies on the active substance, with the funding split. Open a row for the studies behind the verdict.
Claim
Verdict
Evidence & funding
PerformanceDesigned for maximum phytate destruction — almost completely degrades phytate and th…
Supported
1 study · 50% indep
›
Read High-dose phytase sharply raises phosphorus/calcium digestibility and breaks phytate down toward inositol — 'maximum phytate destruction' is well grounded.
2022
Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut bacteria and bone strength of broilers offered diets varying in nutrient specification and phytase dose (0–4000 FTU/kg)Raising phytase 0→4000 FTU/kg improved ileal phosphorus and calcium digestibility by 88% and 18%, with quadratic gains in body weight and tibia ash and linear gains in energy and amino-acid digestibility.
BioavailabilityHigh affinity for phytate; works to unlock all six phosphorus molecules, liberating …
Supported
1 study · 100% indep
›
Read Phytate dephosphorylation toward inositol (IP6 → lower esters) is demonstrated at high dose.
2018
Effects of a high level of phytase on broiler performance, bone ash, phosphorus utilisation, and phytate dephosphorylation to inositolPhytase at 1,500 FTU/kg increased body-weight gain regardless of mineral matrix and drove phytate dephosphorylation toward inositol.
EconomicPerformance benefits and feed-cost savings by reducing the need for expensive ingred…
Supported
1 study · 100% indep
›
Read Meta-analysis plus RCTs show growth/feed-efficiency gains and replacement of inorganic P, energy and amino acids — the cost-saving basis.
2024
Unlocking phytate with phytase: a meta-analytic view of meat-type chicken muscle growth and bone mineralizationRandom-effects (Hedges' g): phytase increased ADFI and BWG and improved FCR at every growth stage (p<0.0001), and consistently raised tibia ash, P, Ca and bone strength (p<0.0001) in P/Ca-deficient broilers.
PhysiologicalIntrinsically thermostable, with sustained gastric performance, efficiency at low pH…
Not addressed
no study
›
Thermostability / low-pH performance is a product property described by EFSA characterisation, not a separately tested efficacy endpoint here.
PerformanceWith superdosing, the use of phytase goes beyond nutrient release to deliver additio…
Supported
1 study · 0% indep
›
Read Superdosing (1500–4000 FTU/kg) gives extra growth and amino-acid digestibility, but the response is conditional on diet phytate/phosphorus level and can be quadratic (diminishing).
2019
Evaluation of increasing levels of an evolved microbial phytase in phosphorus-deficient broiler diets (performance, bone ash, AME, amino-acid digestibility)At 2,000 FTU/kg, phytase lifted body weight beyond the positive control and increased amino-acid digestibility to positive-control levels (a superdosing response).
EnvironmentalMaximising phytate breakdown reduces the need for inorganic phosphorus and lowers ph…
Supported
2 studies · 100% indep
›
Read Phosphorus excretion cut by ~27% and dietary P reducible without performance loss — the environmental claim is well supported.
2010
Meta-analysis of phosphorus utilisation by broilers receiving corn–soyabean meal diets: influence of dietary calcium and microbial phytaseAcross 28 experiments / 255 treatments, phytase improved ADFI, ADG, G:F and tibia ash and provided models to cut dietary phosphorus without impairing performance (dietary Ca modulates the response).
2023
Effect of bacterial 6-phytase on growth performance, nutrient utilisation and bone mineralisation in broilers fed pelleted diets6-phytase at 500–1000 FTU/kg replaced 1.5 g/kg available P and 3 g/kg Ca, linearly raised N, P and Ca digestibility, cut excreta phosphorus by ~27% and improved bone ash.
IndependentMixedIndustryNone/undisclosed
Bottom line. Phytase's core function — releasing phytate-bound phosphorus, replacing inorganic P and cutting phosphorus excretion (~27%) — is strongly and independently supported, including by meta-analyses.
Composition
Free● Disclosed by manufacturer
- 6-phytase activity — expressed in FTU/genzyme activity
◆ Referenced — with resolving source
- 6-phytase produced by a genetically modified Trichoderma reesei (CBS 126897); production organism and recombinant DNA not detected in the final product↗ EFSA FEEDAP — efficacy and safety of Quantum Blue (6-phytase) for poultry and pigs · 2013regulatory characterisation
Evidence — on the active substance
Table free · full-text in PowerWhy these studies The evidence for a proprietary product is the evidence for its active substance. These are the studies (meta-analyses first) behind the verdicts above, with funding labelled.
Year
Study & effect size
Funding
Type
Access
2024
Unlocking phytate with phytase: a meta-analytic view of meat-type chicken muscle growth and bone mineralizationRandom-effects (Hedges' g): phytase increased ADFI and BWG and improved FCR at every growth stage (p<0.0001), and consistently raised tibia ash, P, Ca and bone strength (p<0.0001) in P/Ca-deficient broilers.
Independent
Meta-analysis
2010
Meta-analysis of phosphorus utilisation by broilers receiving corn–soyabean meal diets: influence of dietary calcium and microbial phytaseAcross 28 experiments / 255 treatments, phytase improved ADFI, ADG, G:F and tibia ash and provided models to cut dietary phosphorus without impairing performance (dietary Ca modulates the response).
Independent
Meta-analysis
2022
Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut bacteria and bone strength of broilers offered diets varying in nutrient specification and phytase dose (0–4000 FTU/kg)Raising phytase 0→4000 FTU/kg improved ileal phosphorus and calcium digestibility by 88% and 18%, with quadratic gains in body weight and tibia ash and linear gains in energy and amino-acid digestibility.
Mixed funding
Randomised trial
2023
Effect of bacterial 6-phytase on growth performance, nutrient utilisation and bone mineralisation in broilers fed pelleted diets6-phytase at 500–1000 FTU/kg replaced 1.5 g/kg available P and 3 g/kg Ca, linearly raised N, P and Ca digestibility, cut excreta phosphorus by ~27% and improved bone ash.
Independent
Randomised trial
2019
Evaluation of increasing levels of an evolved microbial phytase in phosphorus-deficient broiler diets (performance, bone ash, AME, amino-acid digestibility)At 2,000 FTU/kg, phytase lifted body weight beyond the positive control and increased amino-acid digestibility to positive-control levels (a superdosing response).
Mixed funding
Randomised trial
2018
Effects of a high level of phytase on broiler performance, bone ash, phosphorus utilisation, and phytate dephosphorylation to inositolPhytase at 1,500 FTU/kg increased body-weight gain regardless of mineral matrix and drove phytate dephosphorylation toward inositol.
Independent
Randomised trial
Analysis & tools
◆ PowerThe working map a maker won’t give you — built only from the evidence on this page. Nothing here is marketing.
◆ Power view
Open the analyst workbench
Dose benchmark, the independent-vs-sponsored split, the pooled meta-analysis effects, the contradictions and the gaps — all derived from the studies above.
- Dose: label vs effective trial range vs EU max
- Independence-of-evidence breakdown
- Pooled meta-analysis effect sizes
- Compare · CSV / JSON · API
Dose benchmark
Label / recommended500–2000 FTU/kg (phosphorus release); superdose up to ~4000 FTU/kg
Effective in trials500–1000 FTU/kg for P replacement; 1500–4000 FTU/kg in superdosing trials
EU maximumEFSA-assessed; max recommended ~2500 FTU/kg (species-dependent); authorised under 4a19
Dose is set by the nutritional target (phosphorus matrix) and, for superdosing, by the phytate load — not a single fixed rate.
Independence of evidence
67%
Independent · 4Mixed · 2Industry · 0Undisclosed · 0
Regulatory status
Reg. 1831/2003authorised additive
EFSA FEEDAP opinion2025
Functional groupDigestibility enhancers
EFSA assessed this product’s protected form. Opinion ↗
Meta-analysis effects (pooled)
growth + bone mineralisation (broilers) Independent↑ADFI, ↑BWG, improved FCR and ↑tibia ash/P/Ca/bone strength (all p<0.0001)
phosphorus utilisation (broilers) IndependentPhytase improves ADFI/ADG/G:F/tibia ash; enables lower dietary P · n=255
Pooled estimates from the systematic reviews/meta-analyses above — the closest thing to a settled answer.
Discussion — grounded in the evidence
- Phytase's core function — releasing phytate-bound phosphorus, replacing inorganic P and cutting phosphorus excretion (~27%) — is strongly and independently supported, including by meta-analyses.
- Performance gains (growth, feed efficiency, bone mineralisation) are confirmed by meta-analysis in phosphorus-deficient diets; high doses also release energy and amino acids.
- Superdosing (1500–4000 FTU/kg) genuinely adds benefit beyond phosphorus release, but the size is conditional on diet phytate/phosphorus level and can plateau.
- EFSA has assessed and the EU has authorised the product (4a19); the production strain and its DNA are absent from the final product.
- The strongest claims are the phosphorus/environmental ones; the thermostability claim is a product property, and the dramatic marketing figures are not evidence.
Where studies disagree: The performance benefit is largest when the diet is phosphorus/calcium-deficient; in nutrient-adequate diets the growth response is smaller, so the headline gains depend on how the diet is formulated. Superdosing returns can be quadratic (diminishing), and dietary calcium level modulates the phosphorus response — the effect is conditional, not unconditional.
Gaps: Marketing figures such as the '$1 billion/year industry cost' are not research findings. Few independent head-to-head trials of Quantum Blue specifically versus competitor phytases; most evidence is for the 6-phytase class.
Manufacturer’s stated mechanism (their words): A microbial 6-phytase (an enhanced E. coli-type phytase produced by a genetically modified Trichoderma reesei, CBS 126897) that hydrolyses phytate (IP6) and the lower phytate esters, releasing bound phosphorus, calcium, amino acids and energy, and liberating inositol. High affinity for phytate plus low-pH/gastric stability drive near-complete phytate breakdown ('superdosing').
Compare & export
Put this beside alternatives on the same active substance (e.g. HMBi / other rumen-protected methionine), and take the data with you.