Yu: Quantify Protein Structure and Subfractions in Canola Seed and Canola Meal in Relation to Nutrient Availability in Animals Program I
Date: May 2016
Term: 5 years
Status: Completed
Researcher(s): Peiqiang Yu, David A. Christensen, John McKinnon, Tom Scott, Katerina Theodoridou, Xuewei Huang, University of Saskatchewan; Sally Vail and Kevin Falk, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon SK; Colleen Christensen, Feed Innovation Institute/Dairy Research Farm Manager, Saskatoon SK; Lisa Miller, Brookhaven National Lab, NY
SaskCanola Investment: n/a
Total Project Cost: n/a
Funding Partners: n/a
Project Summary
Program I: Effect of Processing Conditions, Different Types of Co-Products (Canola Meal and Presscake) and Yellow and Brown Meal: Comparison of Yellow and Brown-Seeded Canola Meal with the Brown-Seeded Canola Presscake
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan conducted a large multiple project canola research program over five years to quantify protein structure and subfractions in canola seed and canola meal in relation to nutrient availability in animals. The research was completed under three research program areas and eight main projects. Program I focused on the effect of processing conditions, different types of co-products and yellow and brown canola meal, and included three main projects.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan conducted a large multiple project canola research program over five years to quantify protein structure and subfractions in canola seed and canola meal in relation to nutrient availability in animals. The research was completed under three research program areas and eight main projects. The overall goal of the program is to provide a greater understanding of the canola-animal interface and advance current and basic canola protein nutrition knowledge that will benefit the canola industry. Program I focused on the effect of processing conditions, different types of co-products and yellow and brown canola meal and included three main projects.
Project 1. Effect of Processing Conditions on the Nutritional Value of Canola Meal and Canola Presscake for Ruminants: Comparison of Yellow-Seeded (Brassica juncea) and Brown-Seeded (Brassica napus) Canola Meal with Brown-Seeded (Brassica napus) Canola Presscake
Canola meal, which is a commonly used protein supplement for ruminants in Canada, contains low levels of erucic acid and anti-nutritional compounds called glucosinolates. In this study, researchers investigated the effect of processing conditions on the nutritive value of canola meal in comparison with a canola presscake for ruminants, and the effect of variety between a yellow-seeded (B. juncea) and brown-seeded (B. napus) canola meal. Canola presscake is the intermediate product in the manufacturing process of canola oil and canola meal. Various factors were assessed, including: chemical and nutrient profiles, energy value, protein and carbohydrate subfractions, rumen degradation kinetics and in vitro intestinal feed protein digestibility. The study included three dry Holstein cows fitted with a rumen cannula for the in situ rumen degradation parameters, fed 15 kg of a totally mixed ration twice daily. Locally sourced canola meal and canola presscake were used as a feed protein source.
The results of the study showed that the brown-seeded canola meal had lower protein but higher oil content than yellow-seeded canola meal and is a potential great energy supplement source for ruminants. However, the yellow-seeded canola meal had higher crude protein, digestible and metabolizable energy values and low fiber. The in vitro protein intestinal digestibility was markedly higher for the yellow-seeded than that of brown-seeded canola meal. Therefore, yellow-seeded canola has the potential for much improved quality of the meal as an animal protein feed and may be an alternative to soybean meal, the current premium protein animal feed. In plant breeding, selection programs are geared towards yellow seeded varieties in order to improve the nutritive value of canola meal.
The results also showed that the processing method, up to the stage of solvent-extraction where the production of canola presscake occurs, had significant influence on its chemical composition, effective protein degradability and protein and carbohydrates fractions. This study confirmed that, since presscake has not passed through the solvent extraction process, it had a lower protein but higher oil content than canola meal and is a potential great energy supplement source for ruminants.
Project 2. Metabolic Characteristics of the Proteins in Yellow-Seeded and Brown-Seeded Canola Meal and Presscake in Dairy Cattle: Comparison of Three Systems (PDI, DVE, NRC) in Nutrient Supply and Feed Milk Value (FMV)
In ruminants, canola co-products are good protein sources with high protein quality. However, metabolizable protein information is lacking in canola co-products, particularly newly developed yellow-type of canola co-products. The metabolizable protein value is contributed from three sources: absorbed rumen bypassed protein, absorbed microbial protein synthesis and indigenous protein sources, which are important in ruminant nutrient supply.
In this study, researchers wanted to: identify differences in the metabolic characteristics of the protein among yellow-seeded (Brassica juncea) and brown-seeded (B. napus) canola meal and brown-seeded (B. napus) canola presscake modeled for dairy cattle, determine the extent of ruminal and intestinal digestion and absorption of the protein, and determine feed milk value. Researchers also wanted to compare three evaluation systems in modeling nutrient supply to dairy cattle, namely, the DVE/OEB system (DVE = truly absorbed protein in the small intestine; OEB = degraded protein balance), the National Research Council (NRC) 2001 model and the PDI system (Protein truly Digestible in the small Intestine).
Various factors were compared including: ruminally synthesized microbial protein, truly absorbed protein in the small intestine, endogenous protein; total metabolizable protein; and degraded protein balance. The study included three dry Holstein cows fitted with a rumen cannula for the in situ rumen degradation parameters, fed 15 kg of a totally mixed ration twice daily. Locally sourced canola co-products were used as a feed protein source.
After comparing three-types of canola co-products, the study results show there were significant differences in the truly absorbed protein supply, protein degraded balance and feed milk value among the different types of canola meal. Yellow-seeded canola meal had significantly higher intestinal digestibility of rumen undegraded crude, total metabolizable protein and feed milk value, but lower degraded protein balance than brown-seeded canola meal and presscake. Overall, the yellow-seeded canola meal provided highest total metabolizable protein and lowest degraded protein balance.
Although the factors used in quantifying calculations as well as the evaluation system’s concepts differ among each other, all three protein evaluation systems employed in this study, efficiently predict the potential nutrient supply to the animal from feedstuffs as affected by processing.
Project 3. Reveal protein molecular structures of canola meal and presscake, as affected by heat processing methods, in relationship with their protein digestive behavior and utilization for dairy cattle.
Protein quality relies not only on total protein but also on protein inherent structures. The most commonly occurring protein secondary structures may influence protein quality, nutrient utilization and digestive behavior. The objectives of this study were to reveal the protein molecular structures of canola meal (yellow and brown) and presscake as affected by the heat processing methods and to investigate the relationship between structure changes and protein rumen degradations kinetics, estimated protein intestinal digestibility, degraded protein balance and metabolisable protein. The protein molecular structures were identified using FT/IR-ATR molecular spectroscopy.
Overall, the results of this study indicated that ATR-FT/IR molecular spectroscopy can be used to rapidly characterize feed structures at a molecular level and also to relate feed functionality, digestive behaviour and nutrient utilization to the specific chemical make-up of intrinsic structures of the feed. This ATR-FT/IR molecular spectroscopy technology will provide a greater understanding of the plant-animal interface, which is very important to economical and sustainable animal productions. However, a large scale in vivo research study is needed to test and verify the applicability of the protein molecular structural parameters investigated.
Scientific publications.
Theodoridou, Katerina, Yu, Peiqiang. 2013. Effect of Processing Conditions on the Nutritive Value of Canola Meal and Canola Presscake: Comparison of the Yellow-Seeded (Brassica Juncea) and the Brown-Seeded (Brassica Napus) Canola Meal with the Brown-Seeded (Brassica Napus) Canola Presscake. Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture (England). 93:1986-95 (DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.6004)
Theodoridou, Katerina, Yu, Peiqiang. 2013. Metabolic Characteristics of the Proteins in Yellow-Seeded and Brown-Seeded Canola Meal and PressCake in Dairy Cattle: Comparison of Three Systems (PDI, DVE, NRC) in Nutrient Supply and Feed Milk Value (FMV). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (USA). 61: 2820−2830 (DOI: 10.1021/jf305171z)
Theodoridou, Katerina, Yu, Peiqiang. 2013. Application potential of ATR-FT/IR molecular spectroscopy in animal nutrition: Reveal protein molecular structures of canola meal and presscake, as affected by heat processing methods, in relationship with their protein digestive behavior and utilization for dairy cattle. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (USA). 61: 5449−5458 (DOI: 10.1021/jf400301y)