Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles(DDGS) in Poultry feed

Pashu Sandesh, 12 March 2022

Dr V. Rajendra Prasad

The Distillery Dry Grain Soluble(DDGS) from different sources like corn, rice, wheat, sorghum is highly useful for livestock and poultry. Among that corn, DDGS is an excellent feed ingredient for use in layer, broiler, duck and turkey diets and contains approximately 85% of the energy value in corn, has moderate levels of protein and essential amino acids, and is high in available phosphorus.

DDGS (Distillery Dry Grain Soluble) is a by-product of ethanol production suitable for Poultry feed. During the fermentation process starch from the grain is converted to ethanol and CO2, concentrating the remaining nutrients in DDGS by 2-3 times. When ethanol plants produced ethanol, they use starch only from grains like rice, corn and wheat.

After starch extraction, the byproduct is called DDGS. It is a protein-rich raw material widely used in Poultry, Livestock and fish industries globally. DDGS is an acceptable ingredient for use in poultry diets and can be safely added at levels of 5-8% in starter diets for broilers, 12-15% in grower-finisher diets for broilers, and laying hens (Swiatkiewicz and Korelski, 2008) as a partial substitute for the corn and soybean meal, currently being fed.

The main problem of DDGS is the presence of high amounts of mycotoxins which negatively affect productivity. Mould growth can be due to the production process and improper storage conditions. It can be also due to adulterated or impure grains.

One ton of corn will produce around 300 kgs of DDGS. The conversion rate of corn to distillers grains is:

One tonne of corn produces 378 L of ethanol and 479 kg WDG (70% moisture content), or 309 kg of DDGS (10% moisture content).

The conversion rate of wheat to distillers grains is:

One tonne of wheat produces 372 L of ethanol and 457 kg WDG (70% moisture content), or 295 kg of DDGS (10% moisture content)

Mycotoxins are a common problem for the ethanolDDGS (Distillery Dry Grain Soluble) which is a by-product of ethanol production suitable for Poultry feed.

Advice to Poultry farmers is to always work with suppliers of DDGS willing to share product composition data and mycotoxin information. Feed to the food chain is interlinked and need a holistic focus on safety. Hygiene and safety of feed can be achieved by choosing the right Toxin binders that only binds Mycotoxins.

Effective mycotoxin management is about seeing the whole challenge:

a) from the farm to feed mill and from risk assessment to feed management.

b) The symptoms can be many and varied,

c) but the outcome in all cases will be reduced performance and lost profit.

Right Toxin Binder to neutralize and deactivate Mycotoxins, use Toxifree of Norel at 1 to 2 kg for a ton of feed which minimises the chances of mycotoxins in feed.

a) Toxin free is a dipolar phyllossillicate formulated to absorb aflatoxin, T-2 and ochratoxin up to 5000 ppb level.

c) Toxifree is compatible with all feed ingredients and doesn’t absorb vitamins, minerals and amino acids.