Chemical Composition and Digestible and Metabolizable Energy Contents in Cold-pressed Canola Expellers Fed to Growing Pigs

Cold-pressed canola expellers (CPCE) is a by-product of canola oil production obtained using pressing method without thermal and chemical treatment. While CPCE is a valuable source of dietary energy and protein in swine nutrition, the discrepancy in processing conditions leads to variability in the nutritional quality of CPCE from different sources. This study aimed to determine the chemical composition, and digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) values of CPCE when fed to growing pigs. Samples of CPCE were collected from five processing facilities across Western Canada. The physical appearance of the CPCE samples hinted a potential quality variation. Samples were subjected to a complete chemical characterization. Variations (P<0.05) were observed in the chemical composition, with the exception of non-phytate phosphorus, xylose, mannose and galactose. On a g/kg dry matter (DM) basis, CPCE samples ranged as follow: ether extract (EE) from 85 to 177; crude protein (CP) from 351 to 419; neutral detergent fiber (NDF) 231 to 300; total dietary fiber from 326 to 373; glycoproteins from 30 to 76; non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) from 188 to 204, non-phytate phosphorus from 5.5 to 6.4, and gross energy (GE) in kcal/kg 5,027 to 5,635. The total glucosinolates (GLS) ranged from 5.0 to 9.7 µmol/g DM. Thirty-six (36) growing barrows, with an average initial body weight of 19.2 ± 1.0kg, were individually housed in metabolism crates and assigned to one of six experimental diets in a completely randomized design, with six pigs per diet. The diets included a corn-soybean meal (SBM)-based basal diet (100%) and five (5) experimental diets in which 18% of the basal diet was substituted with CPCE from different producers. Pigs were fed the experimental diets for 10 days, with 5-day adaptation period, followed by a 5-day period for the total, but separate, collection of feces and urine. Significant differences (P < 0.05) among processing plants were observed in the DE and ME contents of CPCE, which averaged 3,531 and 3,172 kcal/kg DM, respectively. Differences (P<0.05) were noted in the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of GE, nitrogen (N), as well as in the retention of DM, GE, and N in CPCE samples. In conclusion, while the chemical composition and values of DE and ME in cold-pressed canola expellers vary among processors, the by-product obtained through cold pressing process can be a valuable source of energy and protein for pig nutrition.