Liquid starch-urea ruminant feed and method of producing same

Abstract

A low-cost, highly nutritious starch-NPN liquid feed supplement and method of producing same is provided wherein the supplement exhibits markedly superior protein synthesis and growth-inducing properties as compared with conventional, unprocessed NPN-fortified supplements notwithstanding the fact that the supplements hereof generally have lower theoretical nutritive values than such prior feeds. The preparative method preferably includes the steps of passing an aqueous slurry of a starch-bearing food source and an NPN substance such as urea through a hydrothermal-type cooker along with direct steam for turbulently heating, disrupting and gelatinizing the starch source in the presence of the NPN substance to thereby yield a reacted product which can be fed to ruminants as a low-cost, high-protein food source. A wide variety of NPN substances can be employed in the supplements hereof, along with a large number of starch sources such as grains or industrial wastes such as starch-bearing food and beverage processing waste liquors. In addition, the liquid supplements hereof can be modified either before or after processing by adding energy sources such as molasses thereto.