Low-fiber canola. Part 2. Nutritive value of the meal

Effect of emulsifier and multicarbohydrase enzyme supplementation on performance and nutrient digestibility in broiler diets containing rapeseed meal

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of emulsifier and multicarbohydrase enzyme supplementation on performance, nutrient utilization, and apparent metabolizable energy-nitrogen (AME_N) value of broiler diets containing rapeseed meal (RSM) as well as their influence on the gut morphological structures, excretion of total and free sialic acid, and cecum concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in broiler chickens. A total of 384 male broiler chicks were assigned to four dietary treatments. The diet of the control treatment (CON) consisted of soybean, maize, and RSM (5% in starter, 7% in grower, 15% in finisher) with soybean and palm oils. The diets used for the experimental treatments were the control diet supplemented with an emulsifier (EMU), enzyme (ENZ), or both (EMU + ENZ). The duodenum (n = 10/treatment) and ileum (n = 10/treatment) digesta samples were assessed to determine nutrient digestibility: crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), starch, Ca. Throughout the experimental period, EMU + ENZ treatment indicated the lowest total average feed intake and feed conversion ratio, with the highest average weight gain among the studied treatments (P < 0.05). The EMU + ENZ treatment also resulted in higher (P < 0.05): apparent prececal digestibility (APD) of CP, total tract neutral detergent fibre (NDF) degradation, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of EE, villus height to crypt depth ratio (P < 0.1). The highest APD of EE was noted in the EMU treatment (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the AME_N values of the diets. A greater jejunum villi surface area was found in groups supplemented by enzyme compared to CON (P < 0.05). The EMU + ENZ treatment presented lower sialic acid excretion in the ileum and concentration of cecum SCFAs compared to the CON treatment (P < 0.05). The obtained results indicate that simultaneous usage of additives had beneficial effect on production parameters, nutrient digestibility, NDF degradation, as well as gut mucosa morphology. Based on the SCFAs concentration results, separate or simultaneous addition of emulsifier or/and enzyme did not provoke excessive fermentation activity of cecal bacteria.

Rapeseed meal as a feed component in monogastric animal nutrition – a review

Rapeseed is an important oil crop worldwide, with an annual production of more than 70 million tons. Rapeseed meal (RSM) is a by-product of rapeseed oil production and is second after soybean meal (SBM) in the world production of protein meal. Rapeseed meal derived from black-seeded winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) usually contains between 35 and 40% of crude protein (CP), which is considered to be one of the more valuable plant proteins. It has a good balance of essential amino acids and a very high protein efficiency ratio (PER=3.29). However, full utilisation of this protein is difficult due to presence of the non-protein components of the seed which are associated with it. These are called antinutritional factors and they limit the utilisation of RSM in monogastric animal nutrition. The main antinutritional factors in RSM are dietary fibre, glucosinolates, phytic acid, and phenolic compounds (sinapine, tannins). For many years, research has been conducted in many centers around the world to improve the nutritional value of RSM, which will consequently increase its use in feeding monogastric animals. The attempts that have been undertaken include breeding strategy, optimisation, modernisation and better control of the oil extraction process, as well as technological treatments of seeds and meal. This review provides information on how RSM has evolved in recent years, as well as on its nutritive value, particularly protein, fibre and glucosinolate content. Techniques which have been used to improve the nutritional value of rapeseed products are also discussed. However, the used methods do not allow for full replacement soybean meal by RSM in monogastric animal nutrition.

Seed-specific down-regulation of Arabidopsis CELLULOSE SYNTHASE 1 or 9 reduces seed cellulose content and differentially affects carbon partitioning

Seed-specific down-regulation of AtCESA1 and AtCESA9, which encode cellulose synthase subunits, differentially affects seed storage compound accumulation in Arabidopsis. High amounts of cellulose can negatively affect crop seed quality, and, therefore, diverting carbon partitioning from cellulose to oil, protein and/or starch via molecular breeding may improve seed quality. To determine the effect of seed cellulose content reduction on levels of storage compounds, Arabidopsis thaliana CELLULOSE SYNTHASE1 (AtCESA1) and AtCESA9 genes, which both encode cellulose synthase subunits, were individually down-regulated using seed-specific intron-spliced hairpin RNA (hpRNAi) constructs. The selected seed-specific AtCESA1 and AtCESA9 Arabidopsis RNAi lines displayed reduced cellulose contents in seeds, and exhibited no obvious visual phenotypic growth defects with the exception of a minor effect on early root development in AtCESA1 RNAi seedlings and early hypocotyl elongation in the dark in both types of RNAi line. The seed-specific down-regulation of AtCESA9 resulted in a reduction in seed weight compared to empty vector controls, which was not observed in AtCESA1 RNAi lines. In terms of effects on carbon partitioning, AtCESA1 and AtCESA9 RNAi lines exhibited distinct effects. The down-regulation of AtCESA1 led to a ~ 3% relative increase in seed protein content (P = 0.04) and a ~ 3% relative decrease in oil content (P = 0.02), but caused no alteration in soluble glucose levels. On the contrary, AtCESA9 RNAi lines did not display a significant reduction in seed oil, protein or soluble glucose content. Taken together, our results indicate that the seed-specific down-regulation of AtCESA1 causes alterations in seed storage compound accumulation, while the effect of AtCESA9 on carbon partitioning is absent or minor in Arabidopsis.

Nutritional evaluation of conventional and increased-protein, reduced-fiber canola meal fed to broiler chickens

Experiments were conducted to evaluate conventional canola meal (Conv CM) and a new increased-protein reduced-fiber CM (Test CM). The Test CM contained higher levels of all digestible amino acids than the Conv CM as determined in 2 precision-fed rooster assays wherein Single Comb White Leghorn roosters were fasted for 24 h and then tube-fed 30 g of Conv CM or Test CM. Excreta were then quantitatively collected for 48 hours. All diets in 2 broiler experiments then were formulated to be equal in AMEn and digestible amino acids based on values from precision-fed rooster assays. In Experiment 1, diets were corn and soybean meal based and contained zero, 10, 20, 30 or 40% Conv CM from 2 to 21 d of age and zero, 10, 20 or 30% Conv CM from 21 to 37 d of age. In the starter phase of Experiment 1 (2 to 21 d), there was a significant negative effect (P < 0.05) on weight gain and feed intake for CM levels in excess of 10%. In Experiment 2, both Conv CM and the new Test CM were evaluated. For the starter phase (2 to 19 d), the diets contained no CM or 8% Test CM or 8% Conv CM. For the grower phase (20 to 44 d), the chicks were fed diets that contained either no CM or 8, 16, or 24% of Test CM (Diets 2 to 4) or the same levels of Conv CM (Diets 5 to 7). The Test CM diets contained less soybean meal and less added fat than the Conv CM diets. There were no significant differences among dietary treatments for growth performance for either phase of Experiment 2. These results indicate that the new Test CM has increased levels of digestible amino acids compared to Conv CM and that up to 24% of either type of CM could be fed to broiler chickens during the grower phase with no statistical differences (P < 0.05) in performance when diets were formulated to be equal in AMEn and digestible amino acids.

Nutrient digestibility of solvent-extracted Brassica napus and Brassica juncea canola meals and their air-classified fractions fed to ileal-cannulated grower pigs

Energy and nutrient digestibility of solvent-extracted canola meal (CM) is limited in pigs by its relatively high fiber content. The seed hull, which greatly contributes to the fiber content of CM, is denser than the oil-free cotyledon. By utilizing streams of air, air classification partially separates these seed components on the basis of their different sizes and densities to produce a low-fiber, light-particle fraction and a high-fiber, heavy-particle fraction. Compared with parent CM, ADF and NDF were reduced by 31.9% and 29.5% in the light-particle fraction and were enriched by 16.5% and 9.0% in the heavy-particle fraction (DM basis), respectively. Particle size was 638, 18.9, and 76.1 µm for the parent CM and light- and heavy-particle fractions, respectively. To determine the nutrient digestibility of CM and their air-classified fractions, Brassica napus and B. juncea CM and their 2 air-classified fractions were evaluated in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement together with a basal diet and an N-free diet. The experiment was conducted as an 8 × 8 Latin square in which diets contained 40% B. napus or B. juncea CM or their air-classified fractions and 60% basal diet. Digesta data from pigs fed the N-free diet served to subtract basal endogenous AA losses. Eight ileal-cannulated barrows (32 kg initial BW) were fed the 8 diets at 2.7 times maintenance DE for eight 11-d periods. At the end of each period, feces were collected for 48 h, and ileal digesta were collected for two 12-h periods. The DE and calculated NE values and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of GE were 6.3%, 10.0%, and 7.8% greater (P < 0.001) for B. juncea CM than for B. napus CM; 6.1%, 10.8%, and 5.3% greater (P < 0.001) for the light-particle fraction than for parent CM; and 5.4%, 7.2%, and 3.8% lower (P < 0.001) for the heavy-particle fraction than for parent CM, respectively. The standardized ileal digestibilities (SID) of His, Ile, Val, Asp, and Tyr were greater (P < 0.05) for B. juncea CM than for B. napus CM. The SID of CP and AA were greater (P < 0.01) in the light-particle fraction than in the heavy-particle fraction. The SID of Trp, Glu, Pro, and Tyr were greater (P < 0.05) in the light-particle fraction than in parent CM. In conclusion, B. juncea CM had greater energy and AA digestibility than B. napus CM because of reduced fiber content. Air classification of CM increased its energy and AA digestibility in the light-particle fraction for pigs because of the reduced dietary fiber content and decreased particle size.

Metabolic Characteristics in Meal of Black Rapeseed and Yellow-Seeded Progeny of Brassica napus-Sinapis alba Hybrids

Breeding of yellow-seeded rapeseed (Brassica napus) is preferred over black-seeded rapeseed for the desirable properties of the former. This study evaluated the metabolites and nutritive values of black-seeded rapeseed meal and yellow-seeded meal from the progeny of a B. napus–Sinapis alba hybrid. Yellow-seed meal presented higher protein (35.46% vs. 30.29%), higher sucrose (7.85% vs. 7.29%), less dietary fiber (26.19% vs. 34.63%) and crude fiber (4.56% vs. 8.86%), and less glucosinolates (22.18 vs. 28.19 μmol/g) than black-seeded one. Amounts of ash (3.65% vs. 4.55%), phytic acid (4.98% vs. 5.60%), and total polyphenols (2.67% vs. 2.82%) were decreased slightly in yellow-seeded meal compared with black-seeded meal. Yellow-seeded meal contained more essential amino acids than black-seeded meal. Levels of the mineral elements Fe, Mn, and Zn in yellow-seeded meal were higher than black-seeded meal. By contrast, levels of P, Ca, and Mg were lower in yellow-seeded meal. Moreover, yellow-seeded meal showed lower flavonol (kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and their derivatives) content than black-seeded meal. Comparison of metabolites between yellow and black rapeseed confirmed the improved nutritional value of meal from yellow-seeded B. napus, and this would be helpful to the breeding and improvement of rapeseed for animal feeding.

A review of canola meal as an alternative feed ingredient for ducks

This review provides an overview of the published data on the canola meal and its suitability for duck as an alternative plant-origin protein source to soybean meal. Canola meal is a legume origin protein source containing comparable amino acid profile to soybean meal and rich in essential minerals and vitamins. Nonetheless, it is known to contain less in energy content than soybean meal. Factors like field conditions and processing methods creates compositional variations among canola meal. Presence of anti-nutritional factors such as phenolic substances, phytate and glucosinolates which are known to reduce growth performance in livestock animals, are the major drawbacks for canola meal to be a competitive plant-origin protein source in the feed industry. This review is focused to address i) nutritional characteristics and feeding value of canola meal for ducks and ii) impacts of feeding canola meal on performances of ducks.

Nutritional evaluation of canola meals produced from new varieties of canola seeds for poultry

This study evaluated the nutritional value of 14 canola meals from new varieties of canola and compared them to conventional canola meal samples and soybean meals in chickens. Five experiments that included different sources of canola meals or soybean meals were conducted. For each experiment, a precision-fed rooster assay with conventional or cecectomized roosters was conducted to determine TMEn or amino acid digestibility. Analyzed nutritional composition of the canola meal samples indicated increases in crude protein and amino acids for all test canola meals (49.41 to 50.58% crude protein on a dry matter basis) compared to conventional canola meals (40.73 to 43.01%). All test canola meals also contained lower amounts of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. Most test canola meals had significantly higher TMEn values than the conventional canola meals (P < 0.05), but all were lower than the soybean meal (P < 0.05). The test canola meals had higher amino acid digestibility coefficients than conventional canola meals in Experiments 1, 2, and 4 (P < 0.05), and higher concentrations of digestible amino acids in all 5 experiments. The results of this study indicated that nutritional value of the canola meal from new varieties of canola was greater than conventional canola meal for poultry.

Energy concentration and amino acid digestibility in high-protein canola meal, conventional canola meal, and soybean meal fed to growing pigs

Two experiments were conducted to determine DE and ME and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in 2 sources of high-protein canola meal (CM-HP1 and CM-HP2), conventional canola meal (CM-CV), and soybean meal (SBM) fed to growing pigs. In Exp. 1, 40 barrows (51.5 ± 4.0 kg initial BW) were housed in metabolism cages and randomly allotted to 1 of 5 diets with 8 replicate pigs per diet. A corn-based diet (97.4% corn) and 4 diets that contained both corn and each of the 3 sources of canola meal or SBM were formulated. Feces and urine were collected for 5 d after a 5-d adaptation period. The DE and ME were 3,347 and 3,268 kcal/kg in corn, 3,312 and 2,893 kcal/kg in CM-HP1, 3,627 and 3,346 kcal/kg in CM-HP2, 2,798 and 2,492 kcal/kg in CM-CV, and 4,000 and 3,796 kcal/kg in SBM, respectively. Values for DE and ME were greater (P< 0.05) in SBM than in all other ingredients, but DE and ME were greater (P < 0.05) in corn and the 2 high-protein canola meals than in CM-CV. The DE and ME were also greater (P< 0.05) in CM-HP2 than in CM-HP1. In Exp. 2, 10 barrows (65.3 ± 10.4 kg initial BW) were equipped with a T-cannula in the distal ileum and randomly allotted to a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design with 5 diets and 5 periods in each square. A N-free diet and 4 corn starch-based diets that contained CM-HP1, CM-HP2, CM-CV, or SBM as the sole source of AA were formulated. Each period lasted 7 d and ileal digesta were collected on d 6 and 7 of each period. The SID of CP and all AA except Pro were greater (P < 0.05) in SBM than in the 3 sources of canola meal. With the exception of His and Lys, no differences in SID of indispensable AA were observed among the 3 sources of canola meal. The SID of His and Lys were greater (P < 0.05) in CM-HP1 and CM-HP2 than in CM-CV and the SID of CP was greater (P < 0.05) in CM-HP2 than in CM-CV, but no differences in the SID of indispensable AA were observed between CM-HP1 and CM-HP2. In conclusion, the 2 high-protein canola meals used in this experiment have ME values that are not different from corn but greater than in CM-CV. The SID of most AA is greater in SBM than in canola meals, but SID of His and Lys are greater in high-protein canola meals than in CM-CV. As a consequence, high-protein canola meals supply more ME and SID of AA for growing pigs than CM-CV.

Effects of protein concentration and heat treatment on concentration of digestible and metabolizable energy and on amino acid digestibility in four sources of canola meal fed to growing pigs

Two experiments were conducted to determine DE and ME and the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in 4 sources of canola meal (high-protein [CM-HP], high-temperature-processed [CM-HT], low-temperature-processed [CM-LT], and conventional [CM-CV] canola meal) and in conventional soybean meal (SBM) fed to growing pigs. In Exp. 1, 48 growing barrows (initial BW: 39.7 ± 1.58 kg) were individually housed in metabolism cages and randomly assigned to 6 treatments in a randomized complete block design with 2 blocks of 24 pigs and 8 replicate pigs per treatment. The 6 diets included a corn-based basal diet and 5 diets that were formulated by mixing corn and 1 of the sources of canola meal (39.0% inclusion) or SBM (28.5% inclusion). Feces and urine were collected for 5 d following a 5-d adaptation period. The DE and ME in each source of canola meal and in SBM were calculated using the difference procedure. The DE and ME in the 4 sources of canola meal were less (P < 0.05) than in corn and SBM (DE: 2,854, 2,680, 2,892, and 2,883 vs. 3,324 and 3,784 kcal/kg, respectively; ME: 2,540, 2,251, 2,681, and 2,637 vs. 3,213 and 3,523 kcal/kg, respectively). No differences in the concentrations of DE and ME were observed among the 4 sources of canola meal. In Exp. 2, 12 growing barrows (initial BW: 34.0 ± 1.41 kg) that had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were randomly allotted to a repeated 6 × 6 Latin square design with 6 diets and 6 periods in each square. Five diets that contained 35% SBM or 45% of 1 of the 4 sources of canola meal as the sole source of CP and AA were formulated, and a N-free diet was also used. Each period lasted 7 d and ileal digesta were collected on d 6 and 7 of each period. The AID and SID of CP and all AA in SBM were greater (P < 0.05) than in the 4 sources of canola meal. Compared with CM-CV, CM-HP had greater (P < 0.05) AID of Ile, Lys, Asp, Cys, and Pro and greater (P < 0.05) SID of Lys and Cys. However, no differences between CM-HT and CM-LT were observed. In conclusion, regardless of the concentration of CP and the processing used, canola meal provides less DE and ME to pigs than corn and SBM, and the SID of AA in canola meal is less than in SBM. The processing temperature used in this experiment did not affect DE and ME or SID of AA in canola meal. The SID of Lys and Cys was greater in CM-HP than in CM-CV.