Chemical Composition and Available Energy Contents of Canola Meal from Canadian Crushing Plants

Abstract

Samples of canola meal (CM) were collected from thirteen canola crushing plants in Canada. On average, the contents of various components in % dry mater (DM) were as follows: crude protein (CP) 40.3; ether extract (EE) 2.9; acid hydrolyzed EE (AEE) 6.0; sucrose 5.92; oligosaccharides 3.22; total phosphorus (P) 1.13; non-phytate P 0.33; neutral detergent fiber 30.7; total dietary fiber 40.0; neutral detergent insoluble CP 5.0; lignin and polyphenols 11.7; lysine 2.19; arginine 2.28; methionine 0.74; cystine 0.92 and threonine 1.57 and in µmol/g DM, glucosinolates 2.75. The apparent metabolizable energy content of CM averaged 1,789 kcal/kg. Digestibilities of EE and AEE averaged 81 and 53%, respectively. In summary, variations in the chemical composition of CM would indicate different processing practices between crushing plants. Low digestibility of AEE would indicate that soapstocks and gums poorly digested and contribute less energy to the AMEn content of CM than EE.