Research Summaries: Canola and Peas in Livestock Diets

Intoduction/Table of Contents

Processing to Increase the Nutritive Value of Canola Meal

There is a general assumption that there are benefits in the form of higher milk production and increased feed utilization from decreasing protein degradability in CM (Gonda et al 1994 {856}). The increased rumen undegradable protein and the availability of this rumen escape protein for absorption in the lower gastrointestinal tract may benefit rapidly growing calves and high producing dairy cows (Moshtaghi and Ingalls {937}; Bell 1993 {907}; Robinson et al. 1994 {860}). Bell (1993 {907}) stated that the technology for production of CM that possesses maximum nutritional value for ruminants has yet to be developed. However, treatments of CM have included adding formaldehyde treatment (FA), sodium hydroxide, acetic, formic, propionic and hydrochloric acids, whole fresh blood, fish hydrolysate, heat, moist heat, tallow and extrusion (Mir et al. 1984 {1230}; Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1992 {937}; Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {822} {827}; McKinnon et al 1991 {999}; Khorasani et al. 1993 {899} and many others).

Moist Heat Treatment

Moist heat treatment is an effective process used to increase the rumen escape of CM protein without adverse effects on protein digestibility in the lower gastrointestinal tract (Moshtaghi and Ingalls 1992 {937}). Moist heat treatment of CM at 127 C for 15 min reduced rumen degradability of CP (Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1992 {937}; Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {822}) and AA (Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {827}) with a corresponding increase in the lower GI tract digestibility. Heat treatment of protein sources decreases protein solubility by creating crosslinkages between peptide chains and carbohydrates, increasing their resistance to proteolysis. Chemical analysis of heated CM indicated a reduction in soluble N (75% with 15 min), sucrose and GL content (19.07 to 0.78 mol GL/g DM) and an increase in ADIN (4.2 to 5.5% of total N with 15 min.). Heating of the CM reduced essential AA, lysine and arginine. Moist heat treatment reduced ruminal degradation of DM and N, thereby increasing the amount available to the lower GI tract. At 10 hr rumen incubation time reduced DM and N disappearance in the rumen by 51 and 74%, respectively, while it increased the proportion of DM and N digested in the lower GI tract by 169% and 222%, respectively. Heating increased N disappearance in the small intestine by 2.4-2.5 times with 16 hr incubation (Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1992 {937}; Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {822}). Heat treatment increased by more than 300% the amount of rumen escape protein that disappeared in the lower GI tract. With heating times of 15 and 30 min total tract digestibility of DM and N were not different than the control. Moist heat treatment for 15 min increased ruminal escape of AA in CM, resulting lactating cows fed heat treated CM having twice the AA reaching the small intestine compared to cows fed conventional CM. Excessive heat and treatment for 45 min reduced the AA, DM and N digestibility in the lower GI tract (Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {827}; Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {822}; Moshtaghi Nia and Ingalls 1995 {827}). More recently, Dawowski et al. (1996 {807}) reported a moist-heat treatment of CM at 130, 140 and 150C at 15 and 20% moisture. Rumen degradability was reduced from 73 to 56% with 130C and 15-20% with the higher temperatures. The proportion of protein digested in the intestine was higher (38%) for RSM meals treated than for untreated (21%) and the total digestibility remain unchanged. Similar results were reported by McKinnon et al. (1991 {999}). In agreement, a study by Vanhatalo et al. (1995 {829}) reported four RSM varieties treated with Opex increased the proportion of rumen-undegradable N in RSM without adversely affecting subsequent intestinal digestibility. Variety had little influence on intestinal N digestibility. Heat treatment increased the intestinal disappearance of AAN and individual EAA. Gonda et al. (1995 {813}) reported apparent total tract digestibilities were not affected by the process of Expro on RSM-00 to reduce rumen N degradability from 72 to 52%. The conclusion was that a reduction in N intake in dairy cows may be possible without impairing microbial N flow to the duodenum and milk performance. A quick heat treatment (less than 30 seconds), the ExPro, developed in Sweden reduces rumen N solubility without any influence on either pepsin soluble CP, ADF-N or lysine content. Over an average year this process reduced CP rumen degradability from 72 to 46% without a decrease in intestinal digestibility (82% untreated and treated). Treatment increased the AAT by 60% or on average from 112 to 178 AAT (amino acids presented to the small intestine) g/kg (Herland 1996 {803}). The ExPro meal is palatable and is fed to cows at a rate of 1-4 kg/d/c or at 25% of the concentrate mixture. It is marketed as an equivalent to SBM. Not only does this process sound remarkable, but also performance results have been positive (table 11) (Tuori and Syrjala-Qvist 1988 {1093}; Herland 1996 {803}).

Formaldehyde Treatment

Many studies report a decrease in rumen CP degradability with the application of FA (Krastanova et al. 1994 {847}; 1995 {841}; Subuh et al. 1996 {798}; 1994 {850}; Antoniewicz et al. 1992 {952}; Bailey and Hironaka 1984 {1221}). Formaldehyde (0.6% for RSM and 0.8% SBM/meal CP) treatment influenced the degradation characteristics of DM and N for RSM and SBM. The rapid digestible fraction (a) decreased (P < 0.05), the slowly digestible fraction (b) increased (P < 0.05) and the fractional rate (c) decreased (P < 0.05). The reduction in protein degradability of FA-treated RSM was mainly due to a reduction in the fast degradable fraction (Yao et al. 1992 as cited by Liu et al. 1993 {905}). The 48 hr DM degradability of RSM, FA-RSM, SBM and FA-SBM was 81.0, 73.4, 88.1 and 79.3%. The 48 hr CP degradability of RSM, FA-RSM, SBM and FA-SBM was 88.3, 75.5, 91.3 and 59.4% (Liu et al. 1993 {905}). Solubility of RSM protein reduced from 65% to 5% with the application of FA. Increased amounts of non-ammonia N entered the small intestine with FA treated RSM supplemented to a silage diet (Liu et al. 1993 {905}). Conversely, Krastanova et al. (1995 {841}) reported no change in the amount of NAN and AA reaching the duodenum, this resulted from a lower AA content in the TRT-RSM and the tendency towards lower microbial synthesis in the rumen. The protein from the protected RSM was digested less readily in the rumen and in the small intestine when bulls were fed RSM protected by FA (Kowalczyk and Otwinowska 1982 {1254}). Rae et al. (1983 {1248}) reported that FA treatment destroyed 58% of CM tyrosine and 29% lysine, increased absorption of AA from the gut without an increase in milk yield. Overprotection of canola and soybean proteins with FA was also reported by Mir et al. (1984 {1230}). Formaldehyde treatment with 10 and 20 g FA/kg CP was almost completely compensated for by intestinal digestion in cannulated cows, but concentrations of 30-40 g FA/kg CP had reduced intestinal and enzymatic CP digestibility (Antonniewicz et al. 1992 {952}). Treatment of RSM with FA increased heifer ADG (14.9%; P < 0.05) and improved feed conversion. Formaldehyde treatment did not decrease the digestibility of nutrients in RSM and the efficiency of N utilization was improved (Liu et al. 1993 {905}). Digestibility trials by Subuh et al. (1996 and 1994 {798}; {850}) compared protein sources (high and low GL RSM, SBM) and protein treatments (FA and heat) for rumen degradability and intestinal digestion. A lower rumen protein degradability was reported for the low GL-RSM compared to the high GL-RSM (83.6 vs. 86.2%, untreated, 56.8 and 60.8% for the FA-treated, 82.6 vs. 86.0% for the heat treated)(Subuh et al. 1994 {850}). The total tract digestibility of N was higher for SBM than high GL-RSM and low-GL RSM (P < 0.05) and were 95.1, 83.4, and 82.2% untreated, 89.5, 73.4 and 83.8%-FA treated and 95.4, 79.9 and 83.7%-heat treated. Performance data using FA-RSM or CM has been variable (table 11). The use of FA is likely to be limited as small amounts of FA have been reported in milk of cows fed FA-treated feeds in some studies (Macleod et al. 1984 {1231}) and not others (Strzetelski et al. 1988 {1112}).

Acid Treatment of Canola Meal

Khorasani et al. (1989 {1059}) treated CM with HCL, acetic acid, formic acid or propionic acid and all acid treatments decreased ruminal CP degradability without a negative effect on intestinal digestibility (except HCL). McKinnon et al. (1991 {999}) added formic and acetic acid to CM and reported that there was no influence on the protein fraction in the rumen. Robinson et al. (1994 {860}) used Holstein cows in midlactation and fed a diet containing four isonitrogenous diets that included 12% CM. Normal CM was replaced by acetic acid treated CM in the amount of 0, 33, 67 and 100%. Supplementation of acetic acid had a minor influence on the undegradable protein fraction. Conversely, Khorasani et al. (1993 {899}) reported that acetic acid was able to reduce CP degradation in the rumen (83 vs. 59%) by decreasing both the size of the soluble CP fraction and the rate of degradation of the potentially degradable CP fraction. Protein that had been treated was highly digestible in the intestine (Khorasani and Kennelly 1991 {995};Khorasani et al. 1988 {1082}).
Table 11. Performance of ruminants supplemented with treated CM compared to untreated and other protein sources
ReferenceDietPerformance
Formaldehyde
Rae et al. 1983 {1248}Mixed diets with 13 or 23.5% CM and FA (12g/kg) or none fed to dairy cows in early lactation FA-CM had no effect on milk yield, composition, DMI, apparent digestibility of DM, N or ADF. FA rumen NH3-N levels.
Ha and Kennelly 1984 {1220}Four protein sources, FM, CM, FA-CM and blood treated-CM FA milk production, DMI and protein intake-FA may have FI and/or digestibility in the lower GI tract
Strzetelski et al. 1988 {1112}High SBM, high GL-RSM and RSM-00, FA at 40 g/kg CP or none (dietary CP was 15%) milk production and fat and C18:2 content with FA vs. no-FA
Moist-heat
Herland 1996 {803}Early lactating cows fed 4 concentrates, 14.3 and 19% CP treated and untreated milk production with dietary CP and with Expro trt for the low CP diet (24.9 vs. 27.1 kg/d)-no diff. with high CP diet
Gonda et al. 1994 {856} ExproDiets with 14.3 or 19% CP using 25% or 8% RSM-00 of concentrate, half heated and the other half not Heat EPD from 72 to 52% resulting in milk production and feed utilization reducing N waste and dietary CP milk production
Tallow
Vicente et al. 1984 {1219}-3 isonitrogenous concentrates, 8% SBM-tallow, 0%, 8% CM-tallow Tallow supp. milk production (P<0.05) and fat, plasma NEFA, but milk protein

Lignosulfate

The addition of 5 or 10% lignosulfonate to CM decreased the CM CP in situ without a substantial increase in indigestible protein as estimated by ADIN. This decrease in degradation of CM was also accomplished by heating CM at 100 C (McAllister et al. 1993 {928}).


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