Detoxification of castor seed meal by interaction with sal seed meal

Abstract

Abstract Castor ( Ricinus communis ) seed meal was detoxified by a novel method of wet mixing with sal ( Shorea robusta ) seed meal so that the toxic constituents of castor seed meal were neutralized by tannins, the toxicants present in the sal seed meal. The resulting product was innocuous, as revealed in the feeding studies in rats. The nutritional benefit of the treated material is improved by synergistic action of a protein such as casein. The aqueous extract of castor seed meal produced a smooth‐muscle stimulant effect, whereas this effect was not observed with the extract from treated meal. This is a new concept of neutralization of two toxins by each other in two seed meals. The method can be employed to investigate the suitability of such a processed seed meal as an animal feedstuff ingredient.