Exploring opportunity feeds

Jointly held by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the Ontario Agri Business Association (OABA), the 2017 Ruminant Feed Industry Days included keynote speaker Mary Beth Hall (USDA, Wisconsin) who spoke on rumen dynamics, resulting milk components, feed analysis and manure evaluation. As part of the program, we provided an overview of “opportunity feeds” or novel feedstuffs.

Anita Heeg

Feed Ingredients and Byproducts Specialist / OMAFRA

Megan Schaik

Featured feedstuffs included commodities relatively new to the feed industry, ingredients that have gained the attention of researchers for novel uses and products or feeds that have evolved to provide greater efficacy. This article is intended to provide an overview of the feedstuffs presented at the event.

Sodium butyrate

As antimicrobial resistance awareness increases and antibiotic-free management options are explored, this feed additive is of interest for its benefit on the immune system.

Butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid, has been studied for decades for its effect on rumen papillae development but, more recently, for its benefit on the immune system. It is commonly known as one of the volatile fatty acids produced by microflora in the rumen.

While it has been available as a feed ingredient in a salt form of calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium for many years, the product is now also available in a microencapsulated form.

The form of butyrate determines its impact on the gastrointestinal tract. A microencapsulated form allows it to pass through the rumen because, in this form, butyrate is embedded in a lipid matrix and needs lipase enzymes to release and activate it.

The effects of butyric acid have been studied in livestock across multiple species (including monogastrics). An interesting research focus has been on calves, looking at the impact of butyric acid on the developing rumen and immune system.

The immune system of a newborn calf needs to build up rapidly after birth to provide protection from illness. Butyric acid production is minimal during the first week of life due to an undeveloped rumen.

Whole milk contains butyric acid and, therefore, butyric acid is routinely delivered through colostrum and then whole milk until weaning. If milk replacer is used, it may or may not include butyrate.

To study the role of butyric acid on rumen development and building the immune system, researchers have added butyrate to milk replacer and calf starter. Presented in a liquid form, such as milk or milk replacer, butyrate stimulates gastrointestinal tract development, mainly affecting the abomasum and small intestine.

Butyrate in solid feed primarily stimulates the development of the forestomach and abomasum, and has shown to positively affect rumen epithelium development and solid feed intake.

The encapsulation of butyrate enables the release of butyrate at a targeted site. In the case of the developing calf, the protected butyric acid partially escapes digestion in the rumen and abomasum, and is released in the intestinal tract.

Researchers in 2010 found it to stimulate the development and repair of the intestinal tract as well as develop and improve the function of the immune system. Other researchers had similar research findings.

An interesting study done in 2011 observed adding butyrate to both milk replacer and calf starter for its first 21 days of life; fed simultaneously, it displayed a positive effect resulting in greater papillae length and width, improved health status and increased starter intake and weight gain in calves.

High-fat, high-fibre pellets

A recent study done by a team of researchers at the University of Guelph looked at partially replacing starch with a high-fat, high-fibre pellet in an effort to evaluate alternative feeding strategies when grain-based commodities become expensive.

One of the objectives of this study was to determine whether partial replacement of starch with a high-fat, high-fibre pellet in the ration would have an impact on the performance of fattening steers. The research looked at parameters such as animal performance, visceral fat, organ mass and carcass traits in crossbred Angus steers.

This project was based on other studies which have indicated corn or barley can be replaced by high-fat pellets to increase the energy density in the diet and reduce starch content.

The control diet consisted of high-moisture corn, soybean meal, haylage, salt, vitamin and a mineral premix which included monensin. When comparing the control diet and the high-fat, high-fibre pellet diet (which replaced 30 percent of the corn in the overall diet), it contained approximately 48 percent versus 37 percent starch and 3 percent versus 5.6 percent crude fat, respectively.

Between the two treatment groups, the steers did not differ in average daily gain, feed intake or feed conversion ratio with the diet.

When looking at the carcasses, the carcass characteristics did not differ with diet but also increased with time on feed.

Although the results have yet to be published, the study results suggest partially replacing starch with a high-fat, high-fibre pellet did not impact growth, performance and carcass traits in steers and could potentially be used as part of an alternative feeding strategy for finishing cattle when grain-based commodity prices are high.

Camelina meal

Camelina sativa is an oilseed within the Brassica family, also known as “false flax” or “gold-of-pleasure.” Camelina is known to have desirable agronomic attributes, such as modest input requirements and good disease tolerance, and is a suitable fit in a crop rotation.

Typically, camelina plants grow up to 2 meters in height, have pale yellow flowers, and the seeds mature in pods. Camelina is a relatively new crop to Canada and, thus far, is primarily grown and processed in the western provinces. Oil from the seeds is typically extracted mechanically and primarily used for biofuel.

Camelina meal is a byproduct of the expeller extraction process. Camelina seeds contain approximately 40 percent oil, and approximately 90 percent of the total oil is polyunsaturated fatty acids. Camelina meal contains 30 to 40 percent crude protein, 12 percent fibre and 10 to 14 percent oil.

Nutrient specs can vary considerably due to the nature of the mechanical extraction process. Camelina meal is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Additionally, camelina meal has a greater proportion of rumen-degradable protein than canola, linseed meal and DDGS.

At this point, camelina meal is an approved ingredient in Canada for broiler and layer feeds only. However, researchers have demonstrated camelina meal is also a suitable ingredient for ruminant rations.

Researchers in 2016 showed similar growth performance among feeding camelina meal, linseed meal and DDGS in growing dairy heifers. Similarly, in 2014, it was demonstrated supplementing camelina meal at 0.33 percent of bodyweight did not affect gain or reproductive performance in peripubertal heifers, and it was concluded camelina meal is a suitable replacement for corn-soybean based supplements.

Furthermore, a study in 2007 showed feeding camelina meal can affect fatty acid composition of milk and physical attributes of butter – but recommends limiting the inclusion of camelina meal in the diet to reduce the risk of milkfat depression. Camelina meal is currently being studied as an ingredient in dairy cattle rations by University of Saskatchewan researchers.

There are some limitations to feeding camelina meal. Like other Brassica species, camelina contains anti-nutritional compounds including glucosinolates, tannins and erucic acid.

Studies have shown limiting inclusion of camelina meal in cattle rations can reduce adverse effects associated with the aforementioned anti-nutritional factors, such as impaired thyroid function and cardiovascular issues.

Sodium metabisulphite

There are plenty of studies in the literature about the exploration of various additives and their ability (or lack of ability) to degrade the deoxynivalenol (DON) molecule, a common mycotoxin.

Sodium metabisulphite is approved for use in Canada as a preservative agent; however, recent research has shown sodium metabisulphite effectively degrades DON to render it non-toxic.

Research has shown the formation of the sulphonated DON derivative (DON-S), which occurs in the presence of sodium metabisulphite and heat, results in a reduction in DON.

The difference between sodium metabisulphite and other additives with similar end goals is: This ingredient can contribute to the degradation of DON prior to ingestion by the animal. It has been demonstrated DON-S lacks emetic (vomit-inducing) activity and is non-toxic when consumed by pigs, a species extremely sensitive to DON.

Researchers in 2017 showed when sodium metabisulphite was added to pelleted piglet feed contaminated with DON, there was a tenfold reduction in analyzed DON levels, a restoration in average daily feed intake and an improvement in feed efficiency in piglets at a 1 percent inclusion rate.

Sodium metabisulphite can increase dietary sulphur and sodium concentrations, and this is something to be cognizant of when formulating ruminant rations.

Caution must be taken when using this product. Since sulphur dioxide gas can form when sodium metabisulphite is exposed to heat and moisture, care must be taken when pelleting to ensure work safety is not compromised.

Sulphur dioxide can also form in the stomach. Coated forms to protect against degradation in the stomach are being investigated.