Utilization of Distillery Grains as a Feed Source for Fattening Sheep Lambs
Vijaylaxmi I.M1., Kotresh Prasad C2., Mahanthesh M.T2., Prahlad Ubale, Mahesh C.
1 M.V.Sc. scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, Veterinary College, Bengaluru
Scientists (Animal Science) University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur (Karnataka)
Practical utility of distiller’s grain in sheep industry
Sheep has got special importance among all other livestock species due to their multifaceted utility (Prabhu et al., 2009). In recent days intensive system of rearing in small ruminants is one of the option due to the scarcity of grazing land. In southern peninsular zone most sheep breeds are of meat type and they are reared mainly for mutton production (Acharya, 1982). Sheep productivity is influenced by breed, dietary factors (Ratan, 2004) and rearing environment (Karim et al., 1984). The post weaning stress caused by abrupt change in the feed and lack of dam’s milk can be overcome by high quality concentrate feed in lambs (Silva et al., 2014). Stall feeding with minimal inputs is one of the options for future farming and sustainable sheep production. Supplementation with concentrate is reported to increase production performance (Venkataramanan et al., 2015).
Intensive system of rearing small ruminants is always not economical. It is, therefore important to pay close attention to feed costs, weight gains and the market value of the additional weight gained (Prasad et al., 2015). Sheep farming provides the employment and regular income to the farmers and its viability is influenced by the factors of nature. As of 1999-2000, the total meat consumption in India was of 3.1 million tonnes. It has been projected to rise to 8.0-9.0 million tonnes by 2020, in which contribution of mutton would be substantial (Birthal and Taneja, 2006). To meet the domestic and international demands for mutton and wool products, the domestic production of sheep has to be enhanced (Suresh et al., 2008). So, alternative source or by-products from agro based industries need to be used for decreasing feed cost.
Dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) is a co-product of ethanol production formed when wet distiller’s grains are combined with condensed distiller’s solubles (CDS), and the resulting mixture is dried. In the Midwest, DDGS is the co-product of most interest to sheep producers, because they have the greatest potential for application as a feedstuff. Because DDGS is a dried product, it can be stored longer than wet distiller’s grains, and has more practical implications for small- to medium-sized sheep producers.
The information on feeding ethanol co-products to sheep is less available in both research results and educational publications. Sheep producers also tend to have fewer animal units, thus bulk commodity use is less common than in the dairy industries. Typical dietary inclusion levels of dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) on a dry matter basis in feed for livestock species other than sheep has been approximately 20% for beef and dairy cattle, 10% for swine, and 5% for poultry (Lemenager et al., 2006). However, because use of DGS is not widespread in the sheep industry when compared to other livestock industries, sheep producers need to be thought about levels of DGS to feed.
Types of distiller’s grains (Siroj, 2011)
- Wet Distiller’s Grain (WDG)
Corn starch is fermented to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide (CO2), after which the leftover liquid is centrifuged and the ethanol is distilled. WDG is the residue left over after centrifugation. This grain includes 65 to 70% moisture and 30 to 35% dry matter (DM). WDG also includes minerals (3%), fat (15%), protein (30%), and fibre (44%) (Ham et al., 1994; Weiss et al., 2007)
- Dried Distiller’s Grain (DDG)
The dried residue left over after starch is fermented with particular yeasts and enzymes in an ethanol production facility yields DDG. According to research, DDG can be an excellent source of protein for cattle raised in feedlots (Tjardes et al., 2002). Typically, the protein in distiller’s grains has a UIP or bypass protein content of around 50% and a degraded intake protein content of the remaining 40% (DIP). DDG comprise roughly 35% moisture and 65% UIP. When fed at a rate of less than 15% of the diet’s dry matter, distiller’s grain has been suggested as a protein supplement. DDG’s are regarded as a source of energy if included more than 15% (Stalker et al., 2005).
- Wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS)
Wet distiller’s grains with solubles (WDGS, 30 to 35% DM) are produced by adding thin stillage, which is produced after the centrifugation (5 to 10% DM) step and evaporated to create condensed distillers solubles (CDS) (Stock et al., 2000). The average nutritional composition of WDGS was observed by Ham et al. (1994) and was starch (36.7%), crude protein (16.4%), fibre (27.3%), fat (8.2%), and mineral (5.3%).
- Dry distillers grains with solubles (DDGS)
The distiller’s grain that results from mixing DDG from ethanol facilities with solubles is known as DDGS. At least three times as many nutrients (protein, energy) are present in this kind of distiller’s co-product as compared to processed grain. According to reports, DDGS has a nutritional composition of 27% protein, 11% fat, and 9% fibre (Minnesota Nutrition Conference, 2001).
Process of obtaining wheat Distillers Grain
Process of Wheat distillers grain production (Credits: Valérie Heuzé / AFZ).
Wet grains and thin stillage are Distillers byproducts of bio-fuel manufacturing industry obtained by fermenting and distilling cereals grains to produce ethanol. Enzymatic hydrolysis and yeast fermentation of cereal grains produce ethanol and CO2 from the starch in the grains. About two thirds of the whole grain is made up of starch, while the remaining nutrients are concentrated three times more than in the original feedstock. At the end of the fermentation process, ethanol is distilled using steam, and the leftovers (whole stillage) are often pressed to remove thin stillage from distillers’ grains. Thin stillage may undergo centrifugation to separate it into a liquid (distillers’ solubles) and a solid (centrifuged solids) component (Wu et al., 1984; Lee et al., 1991).
Wheat dried distillers’ grain (WDDG) is a sustainable byproduct of the biofuel manufacturing sector that is made through the dry milling of cereal grains, which are broken up for ethanol production through fermentation and distillation. The fermentation process transforms starch into ethanol and carbon dioxide. About two thirds of the whole grain is made up of starch, while the remaining nutrients are concentrated three times more than in the original feedstock (Erickson et al., 2012). Following fermentation, stillage is divided into distillers grains and distillers soluble, which, on a DM basis, comprise about 800 and 200 g/kg WDDGS, respectively. Since distillers’ solubles are a significant source of protein and fat and also include phosphorus and sulphur, they are frequently added back to the distillers’ grain (Corrigan et al., 2007). To create dry distillers’ grains with soluble (DDGS; 880–920 g/kg DM), the final wet distillers’ grains with soluble (WDGS; 300–350 g/kg DM) are regularly dried. When markets are far from the ethanol plant, DDGS are the preferred source of fuel rather than wet distillers grains, which are often only transported over short distances to adjacent livestock farms.
Table 1. Nutritive value of DDGS (Adapted from Pezzanite, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, West Lafayette, IN 47907)
| Nutrient (DM basis) | Maize | DDGS |
| Crude Protein % | 8.5-9.9 | 28 – 32 |
| NDF % | 9.0-10.0 | 37 – 45 |
| Fat % | 3.5-4.7 | 9.0 – 12.0 |
| Phosphorus % | 0.28-0.34 | 0.7 – 1.3 |
| Sulfur % | 0.12 | 0.4 – 0.8 |
Feeding of Distiller grains to animals
Distillers’ grains are abundant source of both energy and protein. Concentrates are replaced by wet or dried distillers’ grains which increases the ruminal undegraded protein and fermentable fiber content of ruminant diets. However, quality of distillers’ grains influences the production of ruminant.
Anderson et al. (2006) concluded that either WDGS or DDGS can be used to feed dairy cows at 10% or 20% of diet DM with similar production and performance. Moreover, there is an advantage of feeding WDGS because it increases the milk fat and protein. Larson et al. (1993) and Ham et al. (1994) mentioned that the corn-based WDG-fed cattle exhibited improved gains and feed efficiency compared to corn-fed cattle. The improved performance was attributed to a superior energy content of WDG compared to corn and to high RUDP levels. Ham et al. (1994) found that replacing the dry rolled corn with wet or dried corn distillers’ grains up to 40% of the diet increased ADG and feed efficiency of finishing steers. Addition of distiller’s grains to in place of soybean meal to the ration will be beneficial in finishing lamb diets (Kawecka et al., 2018).
Wet distiller grain is the primary co-product of ethanol production from grains with most concern to sheep producers, because they have the greatest potential for application as a feedstuff comprising higher levels of protein, fibre, and fat (Reddy et al., 2017) and has more practical implications for small- to medium-sized sheep producers. Feeding of wet distiller’s grains can be economical as the cost spent in drying the WDG can be bypassed and loss of protein quality due to heat treatment can also be minimized (Schingoethe et al., 2009). The distiller’s grains usually have a lower cost when compared to corn (Tomaz et al., 2021).
Maize dried distillers grains with solubles (MDDGS) is the main co-product of ethanol production industry. In recent years, the dramatic expansion of the bioethanol industry led to availability of large quantities of DDGS for use as ruminant feed (Yogi et al., 2017). This byproduct is an excellent source of rumen undegradable protein (Powers et al., 1995) containing about 50-55% bypass protein (Kleinschmit et al., 2007b). Therefore, MDDGS is being used in animal feed particularly for dairy cattle (Schingoethe et al., 2009). In India, rice grains (mainly broken rice) is used in distilleries for the production of ethanol. So, rice DDGS (RDDGS) is available in plenty particularly in West Bengal, Haryana and Punjab. DDGS may be used as a partial replacement for feed concentrates in the diets of dairy cattle (Zhang et al., 2010). The partial replacement (50-75%) of oil cakes with rice DDGS in concentrate did not have any detrimental effect on in vitro rumen fermentation profile whereas the methane production was also decreased (Yogi et al., 2017).
Maize dried distillers grains (MDDGS) with solubles, is the primary byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process. The phenomenal growth of the bioethanol sector in recent years made a lot of DDGS available for use as ruminant feed (Yogi et al., 2017). This byproduct, which contains 50–55% bypass protein, is an excellent source of rumen undegradable protein (Powers et al., 1995). MDDGS is therefore utilized in animal feed, especially for dairy cattle (Schingoethe et al., 2009). In distilleries in India, rice grains—mostly broken rice—are used to make ethanol. Rice DDGS (RDDGS) is therefore widely available, especially in West Bengal, Haryana, and Punjab. In the diets of dairy cattle, DDGS may be used as a partial replacement for feed concentrates (Zhang et al., 2010). The in-vitro rumen fermentation profile was unaffected by the partial replacement (50–75%) of oil cakes with rice DDGS in concentrates, however methane generation was reduced (Yogi et al., 2017). Also, concluded that raising lambs by feeding distiller’s grains with 20 % inclusion will be highly beneficial, economical in term of growth, health and cost of feeding under stall feeding system and DG is a fermented product and bi-product of ethanol production, and has more practical implications for small- to medium-sized sheep producers.
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