World Grain - May 2023 - 42

FEED OPERATIONS
sources fed to growing pigs and to compare in vivo determined
digestibility values with those obtained from in vitro
digestibility procedures and published prediction equations
to determine the accuracy of using these nutritional evaluation
methods. Pigs (n = 36; initial body weight = 16.37 ± 1.9
kg). Additionally, digestible and metabolizable energy digestibility
were 5,071 and 4,922 kcal/kg on a dry matter basis,
respectively, compared to corn that only contains 3,928 and
3,875 kcal/kg, respectively.
Other forms of food waste also were determined for protein
and energy digestibility in the study. One of those forms
was fish waste, which contained greater energy content than
corn and improved protein digestibility compared to reported
values of fish meal. The last form of food waste analyzed
was fruit and vegetable waste. This form of waste contained
a significantly less amount of energy and decreased protein
digestibility.
Strategies for use of food waste
To consider using food waste for animal feed, moisture removal
and processing of the food waste must be considered
to determine if it may be considered an economically valuable
option. There are also additional value-added scenarios
that potentially could be considered for upcycling food waste.
One potential option is to use it as a fermentation medium to
produce astaxanthin, a keto-carotenoid that has been shown
to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Lai et
al., 2022). The use of astaxanthin commonly is used in the
aquaculture industry for its ability to pigment farm-raised fish.
Other potential uses included the use of food waste as a potential
input in the production of insects, which would be later
used as a feed ingredient (Elleby et al., 2022).
42
To consider using food waste for
animal feed, moisture removal
and processing of the food
waste must be considered to
determine if it can be considered
an economically valuable option.
In conclusion, the livestock and feed industries are already
significant recyclers, utilizing byproducts and end materials
that otherwise would have little to no purpose for human consumption.
However, there is an opportunity to take that one
step further to include food waste from further down the food
supply chain.
Multiple studies have shown that there are several ways to
feed different types of food waste and that it has the promising
possibility to be an effective feedstuff. There are multiple efforts
currently working to find efficient and effective ways to make it
available as a potential feed ingredient, but continued work and
research is needed to fully understand the impact on animal performance,
feed mill application, logistics, and costs.
Chad Paulk is an assistant professor of feed science and management in the
Department of Grain Science and Industry at Kansas State University. He may
be reached at: cpaulk@ksu.edu.
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World Grain - May 2023

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