Enzyme feed additives used in animal production to improve nutrient absorption. Of great importance in the cultivation of farm animals are feed additives that break down non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in animal feed – cellulose and hemicellulose. NPS are "anti-nutritional" substances, as in normal conditions, not digestive system of animals and reduce the absorption of nutrients of the diet. The use of enzyme feed additives that break down non-starch polysaccharides, gives a good effect in rearing animals, especially monogastric animals (e.g. pigs and horses).

For quality control of enzyme feed additives in recent years introduced national GOST P 54905-2012 and international Standards. However, these standards do not address all of the produced enzyme feed additives. While there is no single standard method for determining the activity feed additives on the basis of NPS-antifermental, which in recent times began to go many manufacturers. During the same study scientific employees of the Testing centre of the fgbi "VGNKI" has compared the existing methods of measuring the activity feed additives on the basis of NPS-antifermental: viscometric methods for the Ostwald and Heppler, as well as existing and used by some firms colorimetric analysis.

Failed to establish that the viscometer Ostwald method for determining the activity of the enzyme endo-beta-glucanase is a direct (in terms of increasing yield) and the most sensitive, is therefore proposed as the arbitration (reference method for the proposed new standard). The colorimetric method is less time consuming and it can be considered as an alternative and rapid method.