Jul.31,2020

With more ethanol in production and a greater ability to upcycle co-products into animal feed ingredients, companies are creating custom products and partnering with University of Illinois researchers to test for quality and digestibility.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Animal Science, Illinois researchers show a new high-protein distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) product from Marquis Energy has greater energy and protein digestibility than conventional DDGS.

"We've never seen a corn co-product with such a high energy concentration or amino acid digestibility," says Hans H. Stein, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Illinois and co-author on the study. "It's clearly a high-value product."

The product, branded ProCap DDGS, contains 48% crude protein, far higher than conventional de-oiled DDGS, which the research team evaluated at 31% in a nutrient analysis of each ingredient. ProCap DDGS also provided approximately 1,200 kcal per kilogram of metabolizable energy more than conventional DDGS, according to the analysis.

"The ethanol industry is clearly moving toward trying to separate the different streams that come out after fermentation so they can identify high-value, high-quality products. I think we'll see even more innovation and new feed ingredients in the future thanks to more advanced technologies in ethanol plants," Stein says.

By University of Illinois | July 30, 2020

Ethanol Producer Magazine