Yu: Quantify Protein Structure and Subfractions in Canola Seed and Canola Meal in Relation to Nutrient Availability in Animals Program III
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 III: Graduate Research Thesis 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. Program III included two Graduate Student Research Thesis Projects focused on improvements in nutritive value of canola meal with pelleting, and characterization of newly developed canola seeds, Brassica carinata, and co-products.
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 III included two Graduate Student Research Thesis Projects focused on improvements in nutritive value of canola meal with pelleting, and characterization of newly developed canola seeds, Brassica carinata, and co-products.
Project 7. Improvements in Nutritive Value of Canola Meal With Pelleting (MSc Thesis Project) Xuewei Huang. 2015
Developing canola meal-based products that have high feed values and can be easily transported such as pelleting, is important to improve the competitiveness of canola meal domestically and internationally, as well as to develop potential markets for canola meal. While taking advantage of pelleting in order to improve feed quality, it is necessary to understand the effects of pelleting on nutrient values and the availability of canola meal pellets for feed.
The overall objectives of this study were to detect the effects of conditioning temperature and time on chemical profiles, predicted protein supply, inherent structures, protein and carbohydrate fractions, and rumen degradation kinetics and intestinal digestion characteristics of canola meal. Relationships between molecular structures and nutrient values, predicted protein supply, and rumen degradation and intestinal digestion characteristics of canola meal were also determined, using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). ATR-FTIR has been used in feed analysis as a rapid, nondestructive, and relatively precise tool to detect the inherent structures of feed ingredients.
For the study, three different conditioning temperatures (70, 80 and 90C) and two different conditioning times (50 and 75 sec) were applied. Two different batches of canola meal from a commercial feed company were selected. Molecular spectral functional groups related to protein, cellulosic compounds, and carbohydrates were used in the spectral study. Five lactating Holstein cows fitted with a rumen cannula were used in the in situ animal trial for evaluating the degradation kinetics of canola meal pellets.
The results of the study demonstrated that the pelleting process changes nutrient profiles, rumen degradation and intestinal digestion characteristics, and the predicted protein supply of canola meal. Changes in temperature and time during the conditioning stage altered protein profiles. When the conditioning temperature was set to 90C, rumen degradation of nutrients such as CP and NDF of canola meal pellets were lowest, while the highest post-rumen digestion of nutrients was observed. Increasing conditioning temperature tended to increase the metabolizable protein supply of canola meal pellets to dairy cattle. With increasing conditioning time soluble crude protein (SCP) was decreased and the neutral detergent insoluble crude protein (NDICP) was increased. Although the pelleting process tended to affect the intestinal digestibility of canola meal protein, the total digestible CP content was not significantly affected.
The study also confirmed that changes in the molecular structure of canola meal induced by pelleting can be detected by ATR-FTIR. ATR-FTIR has a great application potential in feed science because it can handle different kinds of feeds. Similar to the application of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIR) for rapid feed evaluation on site, ATR-FTIR could also be used as an effective tool for rapidly investigating chemical composition of feed on site without applying complicated, time consuming and expensive analytical procedures. ATR-FTIR can be used in fast determination of difference in protein and carbohydrates among feeds.
Overall, the results of the study revealed that increasing conditioning temperature reduced rumen degradation of protein, decreased potential N loss, increased protein intestinal digestion, and increased protein supply to dairy cattle of canola meal pellets. The ATR-FTIR successfully detected the inherent structural changes of canola meal caused by different conditioning conditions. However, more research will be required with various sources of canola meal and different processing conditions to determine the applicability of selected parameters and estimated equations. This study will provide benefits to the feed industry and animal nutrition researchers.
Final Thesis: https://ecommons.usask.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10388/ETD-2015-02-1952/HUANG-THESIS.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
Scientific publications.
X. Huang, N. A. Khan, X. Zhang, P. Yu*. 2015. Effects of Canola Meal Pellet Conditioning Temperature and Time on Ruminal and Intestinal Digestion, Hourly Effective Degradation Ratio, and Potential N to Energy Synchronization in Dairy Cows. Journal of Dairy Science (USA). 98: 8836–8845 (DOI: 10.3168/jds.2014-9295)
X. Huang, C. Christensen, P. Yu*. 2015. Effects of Conditioning Temperature and Time during the Pelleting Process on Feed Molecular Structure, Pellet Durability Index, Metabolic Features of Co-Products from Bio-Oil Processing in Dairy Cows. Journal of Dairy Science (USA). 98: 4869-4881 (DOI:10.3168/jds.2014-9290)
Project 8. Structural, Physiochemical and Nutritional Characterization of Newly Developed Canola Seeds and Brassica carinata and the Co-Products (MSc Thesis Project) Yajing Ban. 2016
Brassica carinata is popular in the biofuel industry because of its high oil content and good resistance of drought. Although the carinata meal after oil extraction is high in protein and low in fiber content, the nutritional and metabolic features of new carinata seeds and their co-products as animal feed ingredients are lacking. Determining the relationship between structural spectral features and nutrient availability of new carinata seeds and their co-products for dairy cattle can assist further development of animal diets.
The primary objectives of this study were to systematically study the structural and nutritional characteristics of the new AAFC yellow- and brown-types of B. carinata seeds and their co-products from biofuel processing in comparison with canola seeds and canola meal. Several characteristics were investigated, including: a) chemical profiles and anti-nutritional content, b) energy values for ruminants, c) protein and carbohydrate fractions, and their estimated contributions to rumen bypass protein and carbohydrate, d) rumen degradation kinetics, e) intestinal digestion of protein, f) predicted protein supply to dairy cattle, and g) protein and carbohydrate structural spectral features detected by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy.
For the study, new AAFC yellow and brown carinata seeds were collected and compared to new yellow and black canola seeds and a variety of commercial canola seed. Carinata meal and carinata presscake were then compared to canola meal. Nutritional values, chemical analyses, energy value estimation, rumen degradation, intestinal digestion and protein supply to dairy cattle were predicted based on the Dutch DVE/OEB system and the NRC Dairy 2001 system. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to detect spectral characteristics for protein and carbohydrate. The relationship between nutritional values and structure spectral parameters was revealed by correlation and regression studies.
The study results showed that carinata seeds and co-products were low in fiber content but high in protein. Carinata seeds had higher protein degradability in the rumen and higher metabolizable protein supply in dairy cows compared with canola seeds, while the two carinata co-products had higher protein degradability in the rumen but lower intestinal protein digestibility than canola meal. The new carinata seeds had lower crude fat than canola seeds, while the yellow carinata seed had the highest crude protein (CP), lowest neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). Carinata meal was similar to the commercial canola meal, but had less fiber. Both carinata seeds and the co-products were high in glucosinolate, especially allyl glucosinolate, which would have to be reduced to the industrial limit via feed processing.
In the study, cold pressing resulted in improved energy values and rumen solubility, and changed protein and carbohydrate structure spectral features, but had a negative effect on protein supply to dairy cattle. The results of the FTIR-ATR analysis detected a difference in chemical composition and molecular structural characteristics of caranita seeds compared with canola seeds. The study also showed there were significant protein and carbohydrate structural differences among different seeds and the co-products. These structural differences could be used to predict nutrient values and availability.
Overall, the study demonstrates that the newly developed AAFC carinata seeds and their co-products could be an alternative feed source applied to the ruminant feed industry, regardless of the high glucosinolate content. The protein and carbohydrate structure spectral profiles detected by FTIR can be used as predictors to estimate protein digestion characteristics and predict protein supply of Brassica carinata and the co-products. The nutritional quality of the newly developed carinata seeds and their co-products revealed in the study can contribute to the utilization and feed registration of carinata products. These findings can also be helpful to plant breeders to improve seed quality of Brassica carinata.
Final Thesis: https://ecommons.usask.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10388/7376/BAN-THESIS-2016.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Scientific publications.
X. Zhang, P. Yu. 2014 Using Non-Invasive Technique in Nutrition: SR-IMS Spectroscopic Characterization of Oil Seeds Treated with Different Processing Conditions on Molecular Spectral Factors Influencing Nutrient Delivery. J. Agric. Food Chem (USA). 62: 6199–6205 (DOI: 10.1021/jf501553g)
X. Huang, P. Yu. 2016. Investigation of Structure Interaction to Nutrient Properties and Utilization in Co-Products after Pellet Processing at Various Conditions Using Advanced Molecular Spectroscopy. Applied Spectroscopy Reviews. In press (DOI: 10.1080/05704928. 2016.1152975)