Soybean Meal Retains Its Nutritional Value as an Animal Feed Following in Situ Transesterification

Abstract

The lipid‐depleted meal transesterified soybean meal (TSM) coproduct of the in situ transesterification of soybeans to produce biodiesel, and a reference commercial hexane‐extracted soybean meal (HSM), were investigated as poultry feeds. In situ transesterification removed 95 % of the lipid from soybean flakes without destroying amino acids or affecting caloric content. Trypsin inhibitor in TSM was successfully denatured by a steam/heat treatment. Two groups of broiler chicks, each consisting of 300 birds (20/pen), were fed diets whose soy meal component was either TSM or HSM. A block design was used, a ‘block’ consisting of two adjacent pens, one receiving TSM and the other HSM. Starter formulation was fed from day 1 to 21 and grower formulation from day 22 to the end of the study on day 42. Chicks accepted both the TSM and HSM diets. No acute toxicities occurred. Over the course of the study weight gain, feed consumption and feed efficiency were comparable (p ≥ 0.05) between the two test groups. Mortalities in the group receiving TSM exceeded those in the HSM group (6.8 vs. 3.4 %), but did not reach statistical significance. Histological examination of the livers of 40 birds sacrificed at the end of the study showed no evidence of pathology in either dietary group. Soybean meal subjected to in situ transesterification is an acceptable component of poultry diets.