Evaluation of Brassica carinata meal as a protein supplement for growing beef heifers1,2

Abstract

Brassica carinata is a new oilseed crop in Florida with the potential of producing high-quality jet biofuel. A high-protein meal (~40% crude protein; CP) is obtained as a byproduct of oil extraction; however, limited research is available on the utilization of this meal as a protein supplement for beef cattle. A generalized randomized block design was used to evaluate the effects of supplementation with B. carinata meal pellets on performance and attainment of puberty in growing beef heifers consuming bermudagrass hay (Cynodon dactylon) ad libitum. Sixty-four Angus crossbred heifers (240 ± 39 kg initial body weight; BW) were stratified and blocked (2 blocks: light and heavy) by initial BW and randomly allocated into 18 pens over 2 consecutive years (10 in year 1 and 8 in year 2). Within block, pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 0 (CTL) or 0.3% of BW/d (as fed) of B. carinata meal pellets (BCM). Blood samples and BW were collected weekly for 70 d, before daily supplementation. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS with repeated measures. Model included the fixed effects of treatment, day, treatment × day interactions, block, and block × treatment interactions, with the random effect of year. Plasma was analyzed for concentrations of progesterone, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), ceruloplasmin (Cp), and haptoglobin (Hp). An effect of treatment was observed (P ˂ 0.01) for ADG between CTL (0.14 kg) and BCM (0.42 kg). There was no treatment or block (P > 0.05) effect for concentrations of T3, T4, or Hp; however, there was an effect of day (P < 0.01) for T3, T4, and Cp. An effect of treatment (P ˂ 0.01) was observed for Cp, with CTL having greater concentrations compared with BCM. Time to attainment of puberty did not differ (P = 0.93) between treatments. Feeding B. carinata meal as a protein supplement at 0.3% of BW/d is a viable option for increasing ADG of growing beef heifers, without affecting attainment of puberty, thyroid hormone status, or eliciting an acute phase response.

Brassica carinata: Biology and agronomy as a biofuel crop

“…However, carinata meal must contain less than 2.0% erucic acid and less than 30 μmol g −1 of GSLs like sinigrin due to their detrimental effects on the health of animals by reducing palatability and interfering with iodine uptake (Nega & Woldes, 2018;Tripathi & Mishra, 2007). Therefore, carinata meal is restricted to 10% of the total diet or 0.3% of body weight per day (Paula et al, 2019;Schulmeister et al, 2019). The seed meal containing high GSL levels (44-168 μmol g −1 ) can be used as a soil amendment due to its biofumigant properties to suppress pest and disease activity (Gimsing & Kirkegaard, 2009;Mazzola & Manici, 2012;Pattison et al, 2006).…”

“…Carinata is widely adaptable to diverse growing regions, cropping systems, and management regimes with demonstrated potential to be grown on the continents of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia either as a spring or winter crop in double-cropped systems. Carinata is a biomolecular platform for fuel, meal, and co-products (McVetty et al, 2016;Schulmeister et al, 2019;Taylor et al, 2010) shown to increase farmer incomes and provide ecosystem goods and services (Basili & Rossi, 2018;Christ et al, 2020). Producers need to connect the ancillary value of growing carinata in their rotation with their entire cropping system.…”

“…Erucic acid (41%-43%) forms the primary fatty acid component, followed by linoleic, linolenic, and oleic acids (Kumar et al, 2020). After hexane extraction, the seed meal has 43.6% crude protein, 23.6% neutral detergent fiber, 13.2% acid detergent fiber, and 2.5% crude fats making carinata meal a high-value protein feed (Schulmeister et al, 2019). The species possesses agronomic traits allowing it to be grown either as a winter crop in the humid subtropical regions or as a spring-planted crop in humid continental climates.…”

Tillage system and seeding rate effects on the performance of Brassica carinata

“…These traits allow the production of carinata as a high-energy biofuel crop, with less energy required during processing and having similar physical and chemical properties and performance compared to petroleum-based jet fuel, with the potential to produce 50% less greenhouse gas emissions (Cardone et al, 2003;Choudhary et al, 2000;Seepaul et al, 2016;. Due to its high protein content and low fiber content, carinata seed can also be used to produce meal for animal feed after oil extraction, provided that it has undergone processing to reduce glucosinolate content to levels safe for animal health (Rosenthal et al, 2017;Schulmeister et al, 2019;Xin & Yu, 2014). Carinata seeds are also a source of sinapic acid, a starting material for organic and polymer synthesis (Shen, 2019).…”

Common Hazards Associated with Sheep and Goat Feed

“…Glucosinolates occur in plants of the Brassica genus of the mustard family, including cabbage, broccoli, rapeseed, and carinata. Rapeseed (canola) and carinata meal can be used as livestock feed, but the presence of glucosinolates needs to be considered in a risk assessment (Schulmeister et al 2019; Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain 2008). Caution is advised when using new alternative feed ingredients or industrial by-products that may contain high levels of antinutrients.…”