Alternative protein sources to soybean meal in pig diets

Abstract

Soybean meal is a widely available feed for farm animals, rich in protein (440-500 g kg -1 ). It has high biological value and digestibility, and considerable energy content. Unfortunately, in recent years, soybean meal has become so expensive that other vegetable feedstuffs are urgently sought after by nutritionists and feed industries. The dietary inclusion of other oil seed meals in order to reduce reliance on imported soybean meal, such as sunflower meal (240-440 g kg -1 crude protein) or rapeseed meal (310-370 g kg -1 crude protein) in pig diets can provide opportunities for diversifying the feedstuff matrix by using home-grown feedstuffs, which can result in the reduction of the feeding cost without negatively affecting the performance of the animals or the meat quality. Such alternative feeds may replace soybean meal partially or entirely in swine rations, especially in the growing and finishing periods. Moreover, there are other protein sources which could be used in swine nutrition, such as cottonseed meal, flaxseed meal, peas and faba beans. In addition, algae which have high quality proteins may be considered as a non-conventional source of proteins in pig diets, comparable to soybean meal. The above mentioned feedstuffs seem to be promising materials for pig nutrition, as well as the protection of the environment by lowering the carbon footprint production.