Production of Green Biorefinery Protein Concentrate Derived from Perennial Ryegrass as an Alternative Feed for Pigs

Abstract

Perennial rye grass is a widely used forage species in Ireland, on which the ruminant sector of agriculture is heavily dependent. While this species of grass is the primary source of fodder for cows, it is also abundant in plant protein, which could form a potential alternative ingredient in monogastric animal feed using a green biorefinery approach. In this study, perennial rye grass was processed using a novel biorefining process to extract value added products including protein as a potential replacement for soybean meal in monogastric feeds. Feed trials were conducted on a commercial farm with 55 weaner pigs for 31 days until slaughter. The diets comprised a control and a trial diet which integrated the green biorefinery protein concentrate. The effects of the new diet were determined by measuring the daily feed intake (DFI), average weight gain (AWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Amino acid profiles of grass protein concentrate and soybean meal were comparable, with the latter having a slightly higher amount of total protein content, lysine and cysteine. The DFI and ADW indicated that the treatment diet was superior to the control. DFI for the treatment diet (1.512 kg/d) was 8% higher than the control diet (1.400 kg/d) by the end of the trial. Additionally, the ADW for the treatment diet was 6.44% higher than that achieved in the control sample. Meanwhile, FCR calculations indicated that the treatment diet is just as efficient as the conventional diet. Overall, the results of the study indicate positive potential for perennial ryegrass-derived green biorefinery protein concentrate as an alternative protein source for pig feed formulations in Ireland.

Readiness for Innovation of Emerging Grass-Based Businesses

“…Varied technologies to enhance the treatment and valorization of grass biomass unto high-value-added products for emerging markets have been studied and developed [10,12]. Yet, currently most of the technologies for utilizing the grassland biomass are developing at the lab scale and the further development, optimization and integration of the technologies into the existing industries or sectors are needed.…”

“…Utilizing the surplus material of otherwise unused grasslands can help valorize and maintain the biodiversity and ecosystem value of grasslands [6]. In the last few decades, varied technologies to enhance the treatment and valorization of grass biomass into high value-added products for emerging markets have been studied and developed [9][10][11][12]. However, the transfer of technologies and therewith commercialization of grass-based products into the market remains a difficult endeavor [13,14].…”

Supportive Business Environments to Develop Grass Bioeconomy in Europe

“…Grasslands are covered in recently deployed bioeconomy strategies, including the Green Deal initiative [6] and the Biodiversity Strategy [8], making grasslands more attractive for farmers than before. A common objective is the development of circular economies and sustainable supply chains to ensure that products are sustainable and competitive in the global market [44]. However, while our empirical observations reveal that some biogeographical regions have designed policies to support the bio-based economy development, most companies argued that there is not enough support for innovative grass-based products and that they still experience barriers related to inefficient and ineffective policy frameworks and instruments.…”

“…A bio-based and circular economy relies on sustainably produced biomass as raw materials for the co-production of various products, including food, feed, materials, chemicals, and biofuels [44]. Hence, the availability and quality of grass are the foundation of grass-based businesses.…”

Green Biomass-Based Protein for Sustainable Feed and Food Supply: An Overview of Current and Future Prospective

“…Among these, perennial rye grass is a widely used fodder crop. Perennial rye grass can be used as green biomass for the production of leaf protein concentrate for pigs by thermal coagulation [ 69 , 128 ]. The protein content of the protein concentrate was 33.9%, and the amounts of lysine and cysteine amino acids were significantly lower than in soybean meal.…”