Nutritional evaluation of ammoniated mustard meal for use in swine feeds

Mustard meal was prepared in a pilot plant by expelling and hexane-extracting brown mustard seed (Brassica juncea (L.) Coss.). Steam, ammonia and water were applied during the final stages in the desolventizer. Ammoniated mustard meal (MM) was compared in a swine feeding trial (60 pigs, 25–100 kg) with canola meal (CM; low glucosinolate rapeseed meal), with MM in three combinations with CM and soybean meal (SBM) and with CM + SBM as the protein supplements in six barley:wheat (2:1) diets. Each diet was also fed with and without 0.15% supplementary lysine until pigs weighed 54 kg. Pigs were penned in groups of four and individually fed. Digestibility was determined separately. Ammoniation reduced glucosinolates by over 80% and reduced lysine by 20% but increased crude protein from 44.6 to 51.1%, dry basis. Digestibility values of energy and protein in MM were 72 and 75%, respectively. Digestible energy (10.5% moisture, air-dry basis) was 13.0 MJ/kg and digestible crude protein was 30.25%. Daily gain, daily feed intake and efficiency of feed utilization were poorer with pigs fed MM as the only protein supplement than with pigs fed any other supplement. Key words: Mustard meal, ammoniation, feeding trial, digestibility, lysine, pigs