Meat and bone meal, meat meal, slaughterhouse by-product meal

Description:

Meat and bone meal is prepared from the wastes materials associated with slaughtering operations (carcass trimmings, condemned carcasses, condemned livers, inedible offal (lungs) and bones) and also from the rendering of dead animals.

 There can be a wide variation between plants and batches in what goes into the meat and bone meal that is being prepared. If the ash content is high, this indicates that it contains a higher amount of bones and is referred to as meat and bone meal. If the ash content is lower it is referred to as meat meal. Typically when the phosphorus content is above 4.5 % P, then it is called meat and bone meal and when it is below that level it is referred to as meat meal or some other term. In addition to the protein (amino acids) meat and bone meal is an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus and some other minerals (K, Mg, Na, etc.). The ash content of the meat and bone meal normally ranges from 28 to 36 %; calcium is 7 to 10 % and phosphorus 4.5 to 6 %. When using meat and bone meal as the primary supplemental protein source the mineral levels may limit its use in some diet formulations. Meat and bone meal like with other animal products is a good source of Vitamin B-12. Like other animal protein sources meat and bone meal has a good amino acid profile. Digestibility of the protein fraction is normally quite high, ranging from 81 to 87 % (Kellems, 2000). Its protein quality is lower than fish meal or soybean meal for applications in feeding swine or poultry when used to supplement CP in cereal based diets. In ruminant it can readily be used to replace most other supplemental protein sources. The CP is less ruminally degradable, and will pass thorough the rumen without being degraded when compared to many other supplemental protein sources. Processing temperature will also effect the availability of the protein fraction. Often pepsin digestibility of the protein fraction is used as a means of determining the extent of processing and availability of the protein fraction. Excessive heating during processing can reduce the digestibility of the CP.

Caution:
Proper heat treatment is required to control the spread of disease. Salmonella and BSE links. Many of the developed countries of the world has restricted the feeding of meat and bone meal and some only allow meat and bone meal derived from monogastric animals to be fed to ruminant animals and vice versa, like the USA and some of the Western European Countries.

Source:
Slaughterhouse wastes and dead animals are used to prepare meat and bone meal. Slaughterhouse wastes consist of portions of animals that are not suitable for human consumption; normally hair, hooves and blood are not included. After animals have died their carcasses can be rendered to destroy disease organisms and made also into meat and bone meal.

Feed Systems:
Meat and bone is an excellent source of supplemental protein and has a well-balanced amino acid profile. It is well suited for use in feeding monogastric and provides not only a well-balanced protein
source, but also a highly available source of calcium and phosphorus. Excessive heating during processing will reduce the digestibility of the protein fraction. Limiting amino acids for swine when combined with cereal grains are lysine, methionine and threonine and for poultry it is methionine and cystine (Kellems, 2000). Meals that have higher protein content, often contains blood and isoleucine may become the first limiting amino acid.

Feeding Experiments:
Meat and bone meal when fed to swine lowered performance when replacing soybean meal (DA)(CAB 741421708)(Kennedy, 1974); (DR)(CAB 981412211)(Partanen, 1998) and other reports observed no differences (DG)(CAB 821433683)(Gomes, 1981). When it replaced fish meal
performance was found to be similar in swine (DE)(CAB 831448508) (Mishev, 1982). It was found to be superior to feather when used in swine ration formulations (DF)(CAB 811429490)(Kalous, 1981). Feed conversion and nitrogen digestibility was lower for meat and bone meal as compared to soybean meal in feeding applications in swine (DB) (CAB 741421709)(Kennedy, 1974). When meat and bone meal replaced fish meal in broiler chicks diets growth was similar, but feed conversion
was lower (DP)(CAB 991403326)(Al-Mulsi, 1998). Up to 10 % replacement levels for soybean meal in chick diets showed no differences in gain and feed conversion (DQ)(CAB 991403356)(Leitgeb, 1998). In turkeys diets meat and bone meal replaced 20 to 60 % of the soybean meal with no effect on performance (DW)(CAB 981408912)(Robaina, 1997). In ruminant species response to meat and bone meal used to replace other supplemental protein sources were mixed. Goats performed similarly when meat and bone meal replaced fish meal (DZ)(CAB 971410429)
(Kunjikutty, 1992). Dietary nitrogen digestibility was found to be lower when meat and bone meal was used to replace soybean meal in diets for sheep (DH)(CAB N888956)(Lee, 1986). Summarization of a 127 trials where ruminally by-pass protein sources, including meat and bone meal, were fed to lactation dairy cattle, only 17 % showed an increase in milk production (DZ6)(CAB 990401364)(Santo, 1998). Milk production of grazing lactating dairy cattle was increased when
supplemented with meat and bone meal (DT)(CAB D452259)(Davison, 1990). Methionine is considered to be the limiting amino acid in ruminant applications (DY)(CAB 981402907)(Klemesrud, 1997). Growth was similar in tilapia when meat and bone meal was fed, but feed conversion and the Protein Efficiency Ratio were lower (DX)(CAB 981410062)(El-Sayed, 1998). Crude protein digestibility was similar and energy digestibility was higher than soybean and cottonseed meals in striped bass (DZ2)(CAB 961401703)(Sullivan, 1995). Feeding and Handling Characteristics: Flow rate decreased as the fat content increased and lumps in the meat and bone meal started to form when the fat content was about 10 % (DK)(CAB N656150)(Kwietniak, 1984).