Protein co-products and by-products of the biodiesel industry for ruminants feeding

the objective of the experiment was to classify 20 protein co-products and by-products of the biodiesel industry with potential to use in ruminant feeding. the meals evaluated were: cottonseed, canudo-de-pito, crambe, sunflower, castor-oil seeds detoxified with calcium, non-detoxified castor-oil seeds and soybean; and the cakes were: cottonseed, peanut, babassu, crambe, palm oil, sunflower, licuri, macauba seeds, non-detoxified castor-oil seeds, turnip and jatropha. the samples were quantified to determine dry matter (dm), organic matter (om), crude protein (cp), ether extract (ee), neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (ndfap), non-fiber carbohydrates (nfc), acid detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (adfap), lignin, cutin and starch levels. the cp profile was characterized in fractions a, b1, b2, b3 and c. the in vitro dry matter digestibility (ivdmd), in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (ivndfd), rumen degradable and undegradable protein, intestinal digestibility, indigestible neutral detergent fiber and undegradable neutral detergent insoluble protein were evaluated. the om, cp, ee, ndfap, nfc, adfap, lignin, cutin and starch contents varied from 81.95 to 95.41%, 18.92 to 57.75%, 0.56 to 18.40%, 10.13 to 62.30%, 3.89 to 27.88%, 6.15 to 36.86%, 1.19 to 5.04%, 0 to 17.87% and 0.68 to 14.50%, respectively. the values of fractions a, b1, b2, b3 and c ranged from 5.40 to 43.31%, 0.08 to 37.63%, 16.75 to 79.39%, 1.86 to 59.15% and 0.60 to 11.47%, respectively. concentrations of ivdmd, ivndfd, rumen-degradable and undegradable protein, intestinal digestibility, indigestible ndf and undegradable neutral detergent insoluble protein ranged from 31.00 to 95.92%, 55.04 to 97.74%, 41.06 to 97.61%, 2.39 to 58.94, 9.27 to 94.26%, 1.05 to 40.80% and 0.29 to 2.92%, respectively. some of these products can replace soybean meal, specially the macauba seeds cake, cottonseed meal and peanut and turnip cakes based on digestive characteristics.