Conditioning of Feed Material Prior to Feeding: Approaches for a Sustainable Phosphorus Utilization
, Natalie Mayer 2,†, Anna Joelle Ruff 3, Bernd Reckels 4, Florian Lohkamp 4, Christian Visscher 4, Ulrich Schwaneberg 3, Martin Kaltschmitt 2, Andreas Liese 1 and Paul Bubenheim 1Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors,
Congratulations for writing and submitting this manuscript. I found an interesting, actual and important subject that you have well presented in this paper.
The article was organized in more sections that are logically succeeding. The aim of the paper is clearly presented, the figures are appropriate and simplify the understanding of data and the tables are very concise.
You have stared from the background by presenting the resources of P, how it is used in daily life by plants, in feed sources for animals and more important, the losses of P from different processes. Also, you have showed solutions to avoid P losses and to contribute to a sustainable P management. And, while doing the research, you have consulted lots of sources which are cited in the article, more than 80% of them being more recent than 10 years.
The conclusion is sustained by data presented previous sections and it is well written.
Author Response
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Reviewer 2 Report
This review details the various strategies for improving phosphorus (P) utilization in animal and its limitations. P is an essential nutrient that is exclusively obtained by rock mining and introduced to livestock farming through fertilizers. However, with increase livestock farming, P has become oversupplied causing limiting uptake in animal, especially because P is organically bound to phytate. Subsequently, P input into natural environment through manure not only impact the agricultural industry but also pauses problem in the water quality.
In the abstract, the author claimed to examine three strategic plans to improve P utilization in animal which include (1) feeding of debranned feedstuff, (2) pre-germinated feeds and (3) co-feeding of phytase and feeding material with high native phytase activity.
This is an extensive literature study that explores the above questions in 3 detailed chapters including an introduction and a conclusion chapters.
The background chapter (chapter 2) extends the introduction with sub-sections on P update by plants, P in animal feed sources, P-digestion in monogastric animals, P-occurrence in animal manure, P in soil and run-off and P loses in agriculture.
In chapter 3 the author discussed the current approaches for improving P digestibility in animal by looking at dealing with the mechanisms of P separation from grain, enzymatic feed treatments and chemical feed treatments.
Chapter 4 details the conceptual designs of feed conditioning processes with sub-sections looking at the process options for feed material conditioning and the quantitative evaluation of the process options.
The manuscript is original, interesting and well written.
In the review, the author answered the questions in the abstract and extended in the literature.
However, there are minor issues to raise; the keywords section was exceedingly long and included words that do not appear in the abstract such as phytate digestion, biocatalysis, resource efficiency, circular bioeconomy and sustainability.
Author Response
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Reviewer 3 Report
Manuscript entitled “Conditioning of Feed Material Prior to Feeding: Approaches for
a Sustainable Phosphorus Utilisation” is an interesting review article. I suggest few minor changes for this manuscript and personally endorse the publication of this manuscript.
Line: In table 2, please add few recent studies on potential methods for a P conditioning of cereal-based animal feed.
Author Response
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Reviewer 4 Report
Sustainability-1605547
This article has an interesting topic and presents general written in a clear way, easy to read and with appropriate reference. It needs some minor revision.
In section 2: Authors are talking about sources of P. I was expecting that authors should had talked about the P available in the wastewater and/or sewage sludge as one of the P sources.
There are some typographical errors in the paper and authors should be corrected them in the revised version. Please use spell out the full terms in first time and then, you can use just the abbreviation in subsequent references.
Author Response
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This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.
