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Canola Meal as a Feedstuff
Michael Fisher, Area Extension Agent - Golden Plains Area
Date:
8/30/2011
Questions? Contact Me
As
you traveled through the Golden Plains Area earlier this summer, you may have
noticed a yellow flowering crop in a few locations. A handful of producers, as
well as some of our Extension team have been looking at irrigated winter canola
as a potential crop for the area. Canola is considered a high value crop that
requires less water than corn. So there is a hope that it might have potential
here with the goal of reducing the amount of water needed to raise a
crop.
Canola seed is about 42% oil and this is extracted to produce
either edible vegetable oil or biofuels. The remaining canola meal can be used
as a protein source for animals. Canadian livestock producers and researchers
have done extensive work feeding canola meal to swine, poultry, and both beef
and dairy cattle. Their research would suggest the following nutritive
qualities for canola meal:
Canola Meal Nutrient Composition
| Crude Protein (%) | 36.0 |
| Rumen Bypass Protein (%) | 35.0 |
| Oil (%) | 3.5 |
| Acid Detergent Fiber (%) | 16.8 |
| Neutral Detergent Fiber (%) | 20.7 |
| Total Digestible Nutrients (%) | 63.0 |
| Calcium (%) | 0.62 |
| Phosphorus (%) | 1.06 |
| Net Energy Maintenance (kcal/kg) | 1690 |
| Net Energy Gain (kcal/kg) | 1130 |
| Net Energy Lactation (kcal/kg) | 1580 |
Some producers may be hesitant to feed canola meal, as it contains some elements that are traditionally considered anti-nutrients. The most significant of these are glucosinolates. These have grown a poor reputation among those who have fed mustard and traditional rapeseed byproducts. Glucosinolates both create a bitter taste and form a toxic substance called aglucones which react upon various animal organs at the molecular level. Genetic selection in canola breeding programs has developed canola varieties that have glucosinolate levels that are well below hazardous thresholds.
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| Photo 1: Blooming Canola. Credit: Ron Meyer |
Canola can also contain tannins at 1.5% to 3.0%. Some plants
with these tannin levels may present a palatability issue and can interfere
with protein digestibility. In many canola varieties, this does not appear to
be the case. Sinapine is another item to be aware of if feeding canola meal,
particularly if feeding it to poultry. Canola meal can have sinapine levels
ranging from 0.6% to 1.8%. This can sometimes lead to a “fishy
flavor” in eggs. It can also have a bitter taste and is traditionally
considered to have a potential impact on gain. However, research by Qiao &
Classen (2003) suggested that the sinapine in diets may improve both protein
digestibility and energy metabolism.
Finally, much of the phosphorous
that is found in canola meal is bound to phytic acid. Therefore, a nutrient
analysis may show high phosphorous levels, while actual bioavailability may be
very low for monogastric animals, like swine and poultry.
Canola meal
can be an excellent feedstuff, but you do need to understand the product and
how to manage it. As more canola is raised in the Golden Plains Area, you may
want to consider this feed resource in your own operation.