Guar Meal Can Partially Substitute Soybean Meal In Animal Ration

A high-protein feed stuff showcased by a local distributor at the recent Agrilink trade show can be used to partially substitute soybean meal as an ingredient in animal feed ration. Called processed Guar Meal it widely used in other countries and in India where it originated but was introduced to the country only few years ago.

As a primary product of a fodder plant called guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), guar gum is extensively used as emulsifier, thickener, and stabilizer in food and oil industries. After the gum is extracted, guar meal is processed by toasting the guar seeds at high temperature to remove the natural trypsin inhibitor, thus enhancing its nutritive value and digestibility.

Guar Meal can also be used as a binding agent in feed formulation. It is characterized as free flowing, has light greenish color and coarse texture, 100% non-transgenic, and contains a minimum of 45% oil and albuminoid. More importantly, guar meal is free from salmonella, E. coli, and aflatoxin.

Data provided show that guar meal is comparable to soybean meal in terms of nutritional content. For instance, the minimum crude protein percentage of guar meal is rated at 50% compared to 48% of soy bean meal. Its crude fiber is at 6.8% maximum, while that of soybean meal is at 3%; It has a minimum crude fat content of 5% versus 1% of soybean meal, and has a higher protein solubility of 89% than soybean meal with 78%.

Analysis for amino acids also showed that guar meal has 3.22% lysine, 0.79% cystine, 1.94% threonine, 3.62% arginine, 3.7% leucine, 0.73% methionine, 1.51% meth+cystine, 0.68% tryptophan, 2.31% isoleucine, and 2.35% valine. It has metabolizable energy of 3,450 k/cal for swine and 2,520 k/cal for poultry.

When mixed with feed formulation, guar meal can be given at 5% to 7% of total feed production for layers. In broilers, the recommended inclusion rate is 5%-7% for starter feeds, and 5%-12% for grower feeds.

For swine, the following dosages are recommended: 5%-7% (pre-starter), 59% (starter), 5%-12% (grower/finisher), and 5%-10% (breeder).

Guar meal is also suitable for use in ruminant feeds at a rate of 5%-7%, and for aquaculture feeds at 10%-20%.