Determination of micronutrient availability resulting in improved precision formulation with canola meal in animal feeds

Term: 3 years, beginning in 2023
Status: Ongoing
Researcher(s): Rex Newkirk, University of Saskatchewan
SaskCanola Investment: $105,225
Total Project Cost: $183,000
Funding Partners: TBC

Objectives

1. Evaluate the dietary availability of selenium (Se) in canola meal in layer feeding trials.

2. Evaluate the availability of choline in canola meal in broiler feeding trials.

3. Increase local and international market competitiveness of canola meal.

4. Increase the profitability of the livestock industry by precision formulation and reduced usage of synthetic forms of choline and Se in feed rations.

Project Description

There has been a dramatic increase in canola crushing capacity in Saskatchewan over the last 15 years and recently an additional 3 million tonnes of annual crush capacity have been announced in Regina. This will result in a glut of canola meal in the region. There are three primary key outcomes of this research that will benefit Saskatchewan.

1. It supports the development and profitability of existing and future canola meal plants in Saskatchewan by increasing canola value and competitiveness in the animal feed market.

2. It supports canola meal competitiveness in the international market for function food production.

3. It supports the development and profitability of the livestock industry in Saskatchewan by precision formulation and reducing feed costs and feed waste.

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient in animal and human health and maintains several health aspects such as antioxidant defense, reproduction, and immune function. Se deficiency can cause reduced egg production, poor fertility, and muscle disease in layers. Organic and inorganic Selenium is commonly added to animal diets to improve animal production and health. However, the bioavailability of Selenium varies between the sources. The additional Se levels are commonly added in the premix at 0.1 - 0.3 mg/kg diet without consideration of the feed ingredient Se levels. In Canada, canola meal is naturally rich in Selenium due to the high soil selenium level compared to other geographic locations. Canola meal has 1.3 ppm of Selenium which is much higher than other grains: corn (0.01-0.10 ppm), oats (0.01 – 0.43 ppm), barley (0.02-0.78 ppm), wheat (0.02-0.82 ppm) and wheat middling (0.41-0.89 ppm). However, there is no information on the availability of Selenium in layer feed. If we assume that the selenium availability in canola meal is 80 %, which is similar to organic Se sources, the addition of 10% of canola meal in the diet would satisfy the selenium requirement for layers. In 2020, Canadian poultry feed consumption was estimated at 5 million tonnes. Without additional Se in the diets, the feed cost can be reduced by $2.5-3 /MT (personal communication with a nutritionist). By saving 2.5-3 dollars per tonne, the feed cost will be reduced by $12.5-15 million dollars per year. The reduced feed cost will benefit the local livestock producers to maintain a profitable business. The reduced feed waste by precise formulation will also be beneficial to the environment for sustainable livestock production. In some areas in Asia, especially in China, the low level of soil Se is significant. The selenium-rich function food is most sought after in the local market. Se-rich eggs are a premium product in the food market. The need for Se-rich feed ingredients to produce Se-rich food human food products can be a selling point for Canadian canola meals.

Choline is an essential phospholipid involved in memory, participates in lipid liver metabolism, and is a precursor of acetylcholine. Choline can be oxidized to betaine to provide methyl groups similar to methionine. It is commonly added as choline chloride in poultry feed at 1,000 mg/kg in broiler diets and 500 mg/kg in layer diets.

Canola meal contains 7.4g/kg DM basis choline which is much higher than other grains: Corn (0.62 g/kg), soybean meal (2.794 g/kg), and wheat (1.092 mg/kg). A study from 1997 found the availability of choline in canola meal was reported as 24%, which is much lower than soybean meal at 77% and peanut meal at 71%. The source of canola meal (expelled or solvent extracted) was not clear. The author also did not state the reason for the low choline availability in canola meals. One possible assumption is that a large portion of choline exists in the form of phenolic choline esters such as sinapine. Sinapine (1% DM in canola meal) can be hydrolyzed in the GI tract to release sinapic acid and choline. Choline chloride is commonly added at 1 g/kg in broiler diets and 0.5 g/kg in layer diets. In the current market, choline chloride is about $3.8/kg. If the choline content in canola meal can provide sufficient choline to poultry production, the feed cost will reduce by $1.9 to $3.8/tonne of poultry feed. With breeding efforts and oilseed processing development, it is necessary to re-evaluate the availability of choline in canola meals.