Legume forage stems and pulp in animal nutrition

Summary

Forage plants, in particular legume forages, contain much protein and with a good amino acid profile but that are coupled with too much fibre to make them valuable feed for monogastrics. Ruminants can efficiently utilise such fibre, whereas the protein content of these forages is even too high for many categories of animals. Green biorefinery is a wide concept that includes different techniques, but all aimed to convert a biomass into a wide range of marketable products. Applied to forages, green biorefinery can separate the plants into two fractions, one enriched in protein and low in fibre, the other where fibre is concentrated and low in protein. This Working Paper gives practical recommendations on harvest, preservation of stems and pulp and their usage in livestock feeding, as well as nutritional information.