Abstract

It is possible to add up to 15% rapeseed cake (canola cake) to weaner feed without adversely affecting productivity. Rapeseed meal (canola meal) can also be used, but production value tended to drop when German and Polish rapeseed meal was used (7.3 and 8.3% lower than control, respectively). No differences in health were found between the groups. The current production value (including the current price of the diets) revealed a small difference between control and the groups with rapeseed cake from Scanola and Danraps and German rapeseed meal.

Compared with control, production value dropped by 8% with Emmelev Mølle rapeseed cake and by 13% with Polish rapeseed meal. Consequently, these products are too expensive (autumn 2010) compared with control and the other rapeseed products. With the prices used in this trial (autumn/winter 2010), an economic advantage is obtained by adding approx. 10% rapeseed to weaner diets.

The trial comprised five different rapeseed products available in Denmark (2009):

Initial analyses of the rapeseed products revealed differences in the content of feed units (FUgp), lysine and glucosinolates. These results were included in the formulation of the diets. When formulating diets with rapeseed products, it is essential to consider the fact that nutrient content varies to ensure an optimum nutrients composition.

Emmelev Mølle rapeseed cake contained fewer FUgp and less lysine than the other rapeseed cakes. Analyses revealed a lower glucosinolate content in rapeseed cake from Emmelev Mølle and in rapeseed meal from Germany and Poland. This was attributed to more intense heat-treatment during the oil recovery process as these three products had a low content of 4-hydroxy-glucobrassicin. A content of 4-hydroxy-glucobrassicin below 2.0 micromol/g rapeseed product generally indicates that the product was damaged during heat-treatment.