Refining proteins from green crops for high quality feed products for monogastric animals and dairy cows

Summary

Green biorefinery concepts have the potential to become a suitable solution for production of organic protein-rich feeds from green crops. Different green crops are studied as possible feedstocks for the development of an organic biorefinery system. For production of experimental feed for different feed trials, a demo-scale set up was made for a continuous refining process that included harvesting and processing of 400 tons clover grass. The clover grass was processed into a protein concentrate, a fiber-rich press cake, and a residual stream of soluble nutrients. The protein-concentrate was used in experimental feed formulations for egg-laying hens, broilers and pigs. The fiber-rich press cake was ensiled without additives, and used as feed for dairy cows.
• a novel protein refining technique using lactic acid fermentation showed robust results in large scale
• refined proteins from clover grass have a favourable amino acid content, especially for poultry
• feed trials in mono-gastric animals (poultry and pigs) show promising results
• ensiled press residues resulted in a 5-10% increase in milk production compared with a traditional silage
• the organic feed products are very promising for organic farming of monogastric animals and dairy cows