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Alternative protein sources for poultry feeds

Conference Paper · October 2014

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Prince Chisoro
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
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 General
By P Chisoro, Department of Livestock and Pasture Science, Faculty of
Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare

Feed Industry
T
he poultry sector plays a vital Table 1: Examples of alternative protein sources with their relative crude protein,
role in improving the global lysine and methionine values on a dry-matter basis.

Processing
food security status of con- Category Examples Properties
sumers. Commercial and small-
Animal products Housefly maggot meal • Crude protein (40-60%)
holder poultry enterprises are
• Lysine (5-8,2%)
growing, thereby increasing the demand
• Methionine (1,3-3,7%)
for poultry feeds. Soya bean and fish-
meal have traditionally been the main Silkworm pupae from silk • Crude protein (50-80%)
protein sources in poultry feeds, but with production • Lysine (6-7%)
the growth of the poultry sector and the • Methionine (2-3%)

Client Focus
world’s population, they are failing to meet Leaf and seed meals Sweet potato (Ipomoea • Crude protein (26,5-32,5%)
the increasing demand. batatas) foliage • Lysine (2,3-4%)
Due to shortages and cost considera- • Methionine (0,5-2%)
tions, it is inevitable that more considera- Common vetch (Vicia • Crude protein (14,7-35,8%)
tion is given to alternative protein sup- sativa) seeds • Lysine (5,7-5,8%)
plements to be utilised in poultry feeds in • Methionine (0,9%)
the near future. The high cost and lack of By-products Hempseed cake • Crude protein (32,3%)
availability of commercial protein sources from oilseed oil • Lysine (2,6%)

Feed Science
at times, are known as some of the main extraction • Methionine ( - )
limitations of efficient animal production. Castor oil meal • Crude protein (38,5%)
In livestock and poultry production, feed ac- • Lysine (3%)
counts for the largest single cost, making up • Methionine (1,5%)
approximately 60 to 80% of the total cost.
Oilseeds and fodder Pigeon pea (Cajanus • Crude protein (10,9-24,2%)
Fishmeal and soya bean meal prices
legumes cajan) • Lysine ( - )
are on the rise. For farmers this implies
• Methionine ( - )
that fishmeal and soya bean meal will be
Rapeseed • Crude protein (39%)
less accessible. This makes the prospects
• Lysine (5,6%)

of utilising alternative sources of protein
feasible, because they are locally available
and easily accessible through most of the
year.
This article reviews options to recon-
sider locally grown fodder and alternative
animal protein sources for fishmeal. It main-
ly considers alternative protein sources for
poultry diets in order to reduce farmers’
dependence on traditional sources of
protein as well as to enhance production.
Global supply and demand
Domestic animals continue to make
* Denotes value is not available.
significant contributions to the global
food supply and as a result, animal feeds
have become an increasingly critical
component of the integrated food chain.
Not only is the demand for livestock
products increasing markedly due to
population growth, but feed suppliers
also have to cope with increasing safety
and welfare concerns. By 2050, the world’s
population is estimated to reach 9,1
Research
• Methionine (2,0%)
billion, 34% higher than what it is today.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) projects that the total global
consumption of meat and dairy products
will increase by 102 and 82% respectively,
between 2000 and 2050. Global demand
for poultry meat will increase by up to
85% and there will be an estimated 30%
increase in egg production by 2020. It
takes 16 to 18% and approximately 2kg

AFMA MATRIX ● JULY 2015 39

of protein of a quality feed to produce
a dozen eggs in laying hens and to gain
1kg body mass in broilers respectively.
Poultry production has been inade-
quate due to the shortage and sub-
sequent high prices of protein sources. A
possible way to reduce poultry feed costs
is finding alternatives to conventional
protein sources that are inexpensive, ef-
ficient and locally available. Hence, there
exists a need to consider alternative
sources of protein for the animal feed
industry.
Sustainable agriculture
Alternative protein sources are a good
idea, considering the predicted growth of
the world’s population and poultry sector.
Since the total demand for meat will
probably double by 2050, supplying such
a massive increase in livestock production
will require more implementation of
alternative feed ingredients to make the
appropriate feed amounts meet the needs
and sustain livestock production.
Also taking into consideration the
implementation of the ban on the use of
meat and bone meal, together with the
predicted demise of fishmeal in poultry
feeds, there is the realisation that a larger
market will be created for alternative
protein feed sources. In addition, greater
global concerns for a more sustainable
Table 3: Studies conducted using alternative plant protein sources in poultry diets.
Animal Experiment
Layers Cassava foliage
Broilers 6 or 7% duckweed
Local ducks Diet containing 20% of
dried duckweed
Broilers Dried sweet potato
foliage
Turkeys Common vetch seed
meal
40 AFMA MATRIX ● JULY 2015
Table 2: Studies conducted using alternative animal protein sources in poultry
diets.
Animal Experiment Results
Broilers Maggot meal included 25% maggot meal diet yielded better live
at 10-50% in the diet weights, feed intake and daily gain when
compared to the 25% fish meal diet in the
growth phases.
Broilers Snail meal included at Snail meal could replace up to 30% of the fish
30-100% in the diet meal in the starter phase of broilers and up to
100% in the grower stage with an increase in
growth rate.
Layer 6 to 8% silkworm meal Profitability, growth and egg production
chicks increased with 6% silkworm meal.
Broilers Grasshopper meal Could replace 20-40% fish meal in broiler diets
with similar growth rate and feed consumption
as the control diet.
Broilers Toad meal included at 0, Cost-benefit analysis indicated that
5 and 10% incorporation of toad meal at 5 and 10% dietary
levels reduced feed cost per kg. Toad meal can
be incorporated in young broiler chick diets by
up to a 10% level with improved results.
agriculture, with a lower environmental as it continues to have a major influence
impact, are having an increasing influence on protein supply issues and the global
on farming systems and future approaches realities of the animal feed industry.
to food production.
Hence, the need exists to find alternative Significant impact
protein sources to reduce land expansion For instance, encouraging the concept
for soya bean production and utilisation of of “home-produced protein cropping”,
animal protein sources, something which integrated crop management, organic
is considered to be a nuisance to humans. farming and non-adoption of GM crops,
Considering political support is also crucial, all have a significant impact on the search
for and utilisation of alternative protein
sources.
Results Various alternatives can be appropriate
Due to palatability problems, a limit of 5% is in different areas, taking into account the
suggested for layer diets. various merits that can be attained if al-
ternative protein sources are incorporated
No effects were observed on feed intake,
into poultry feed. Some areas of much-
weight gain, feed conversion ratio and
carcass traits. Inclusion of duckweed reduced needed improvement are where conven-
the feed cost. tional protein sources are at low supply and
where inexpensive alternatives can be uti-
No effect on egg weight, yolk weight or shell
lised in a way as to reduce costs and meet
thickness. Diets improved feed conversion
feed specifications. Additionally, small-
and yolk pigmentation.
holder poultry producers can take advan-
An optimum level of 10% has been suggested. tage of these alternatives and formulate
However, dried vines included at up to 16% suitable poultry diets, thus reducing costs
in broiler diets have been shown to be as
and bringing them into the mainstream of
effective as alfalfa meal for growth rate.
poultry production.
8% inclusion in the diet did not affect live Another area where alternatives can
weight gain or feed intake, but improved the be taken into consideration, is where
feed conversion efficiency. institutional policies have banned the use

of certain conventional protein sources.
They may aid in alleviating the crisis and
hence maintain poultry production. It
should be kept in mind that environmental
issues are a main concern. Thus, instead
of expanding for soya bean production,
alternatives can aid in maintaining poultry
production if incorporated into feeds.
Animal feed processing
Firstly, an adequate alternative protein
substitute should have an adequate supply,
be readily available, have the proper nutrient
levels and be affordable. However, some of
these alternative protein sources, especially
plant sources, contain compounds such
as tannins, oligosaccharides and enzyme
inhibitors at high levels that severely affect
growth in poultry.
Hence, these compounds have to be
taken into consideration to determine
appropriate inclusion levels. Since
processing techniques such as heat
treatment affect anti-nutritional factors
by rendering them impotent, these
compounds (anti-nutritionals) are virtually
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eliminated as a problem. Therefore, with
some processing alternative plant protein
sources may become useable ingredients.
There are numerous processes required
in preparing animal source meals, which
are conducted in a way that inactivates
bacteria and makes them edible by poultry,
something which also enforces consumer
safety. The costs and effectiveness of
these processes also have to be catered
General
for. Nevertheless, the utilisation of
such feedstuffs demands having sound
knowledge of the nutrient composition as
well as appropriate inclusion levels.
The future of feed
Within the vast tropical biodiversity, there
Feed Industry
are numerous plant resources that can
partially replace soya beans in poultry
diets. In addition, there exists a vast base
of alternative animal protein sources that
can replace fishmeal at different inclusion
levels in poultry diets. More research is
recommended on agronomy and the
further development of alternative and
Processing
novel protein supply cropping in the
short and medium term. More meaningful
and greater cooperation is advocated
between policymakers, the feed industry,
farmers and researchers to better deliver
the future protein supply potential for
animal feeds.
Client Focus
Contact the author at
201013584@ufh.ac.za for
references and more information.
Feed Science
Research
AFMA MATRIX ● JULY 2015 41