RUMINANT FEEDS CONTAINING pH-ADJUSTED EDIBLE BYPRODUCTS AND HIGH DIGESTIVE EFFICIENCY GRAINS

• US 20080279981A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Byproduct Feed Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Byproduct Feed Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Miller, Mark D., Murphy, Timothy A.
• Application Number:
  US11/745,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20080279981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/31
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/30 from material of plant origin, e.g. roots, seeds or hay; from material of fungal origin, e.g. mushrooms obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes, e.g. using yeasts or enzymes, A23K10/10
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/38 from distillers' or brewers' waste
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/10 for ruminants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

Improved ruminant feeds are provided which include a pH-adjusted first ingredient selected from the group consisting of ruminant-edible, initially low pH commercial byproducts and initially low pH grain or forage-derived products, combined with a second ingredient comprising a high digestive efficiency feed grain such as flaked corn. An improved process (10) for the production of a ruminant feed (50) as an adjunct to a fuel ethanol plant is also provided wherein starch-bearing grain (12) is processed to yield ethanol (30) and whole stillage (32). The whole stillage (32) is then treated to remove water and to yield a wet distiller'"'"'s grain product (WDG) (38). The pH of the WDG (38) is then elevated (46) by the addition of base to a pH of from about 5-8, and the pH-adjusted WDG (46) is optionally dried (47) and combined with a high digestive efficiency feed grain (HDEG) such as flaked grain (48). The ruminant feeds (50) of the invention do not generate low rumen pH levels when consumed, and thus avoid rumen acidosis and related problems.

Claims

1. A ruminant feed comprising respective quantities of a first pH-adjusted ingredient selected from the group consisting of edible commercial byproducts, low pH grain or forage-derived products, and mixtures thereof, and a second ingredient comprising high digestive efficiency feed grain.

2. The feed of claim 1, said byproduct selected from the group consisting of distiller'"'"'s grain products, corn gluten feed, whey permeate, corn steep, and mixtures thereof, and said low pH grain or forage-derived products selected from the group consisting of grain silages, haylages, and mixtures thereof.

3. The feed of claim 2, said distiller'"'"'s grain products selected from the group consisting of wet distiller'"'"'s grain products and dry distiller'"'"'s grain products.

4. The feed of claim 1, said pH-adjusted first ingredient being present at a level of greater than about 15% by weight, dry basis.

5. The feed of claim 4, said level being from about 16-80% by weight, dry basis.

6. The feed of claim 1, said high digestive efficiency feed grain selected from the group consisting of flaked grain, dry rolled grain, ground grain, high moisture, early harvested, ensiled grains, and mixtures thereof.

7. The feed of claim 6, said high digestive efficiency feed grain comprising flaked corn.

8. The feed of claim 1, said first ingredient being adjusted to a pH of from about 5-8.

9. The feed of claim 8, said pH being from about 5.5-6.5.

10. The feed of claim 1, said first ingredient being treated with a base to adjust the pH thereof.

11. The feed of claim 10, said base having a solubility in water of at least about 60 g/100 ml at 25°

C.

12. The feed of claim 1, said first ingredient selected from the group consisting of wet distiller'"'"'s grain products and dried distiller'"'"'s grain products.

13. The feed of claim 12, said first ingredient derived from ethanol production.

14. A method of producing a ruminant feed comprising the steps of mixing together respective quantities of a first pH-adjusted ingredient selected from the group consisting of edible commercial byproducts, low pH grain or forage-derived products, and mixtures thereof, and a second ingredient comprising high digestive efficiency feed grain.

15. The method of claim 14, said byproduct selected from the group consisting of distiller'"'"'s grain products, corn gluten feed, whey permeate, corn steep, and mixtures thereof, and said low pH grain or forage-derived products selected from the group consisting of grain silages, haylages, and mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, said distiller'"'"'s grain products selected from the group consisting of wet distiller'"'"'s grain products and dry distiller'"'"'s grain products.

17. The method of claim 14, said pH-adjusted first ingredient being present at a level of greater than about 15% by weight, dry basis.

18. The method of claim 17, said level being from about 16-80% by weight, dry basis.

19. The method of claim 14, said high digestive efficiency feed grain selected from the group consisting of flaked grain, dry rolled grain, ground grain, high moisture, early harvested, ensiled grains, and mixtures thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, said high digestive efficiency feed grain comprising flaked corn.

21. The method of claim 14, said first ingredient being adjusted to a pH of from about 5-8.

22. The method of claim 21, said pH being from about 5.5-6.5.

23. The method of claim 14, said first ingredient being treated with a base to adjust the pH thereof.

24. The method of claim 23, said base having a solubility in water of at least about 60 g/100 ml at 25°

C.

25. The method of claim 14, said first ingredient selected from the group consisting of wet distiller'"'"'s grain products and dried distiller'"'"'s grain products.

26. The method of claim 25, said first ingredient derived from ethanol production.

27. A method of producing a ruminant feed comprising the steps of:

providing a source of starch-bearing grain;

processing said grain to yield ethanol and aqueous whole stillage;

treating said whole stillage to remove at least some of the water therefrom, and to yield a distiller'"'"'s grain product;

adjusting the pH of said distiller'"'"'s grain product to a level of from about 5-8 to give a pH-adjusted distiller'"'"'s grain product; and

combining said pH-adjusted distiller'"'"'s grain product mad high digestive efficiency feed grain to give a ruminant feed.

28. The method of claim 27, said ruminant feed including greater than 15% by weight of said distiller'"'"'s grain product, dry basis.

29. The method of claim 28, said feed including from about 16-80% by weight of said distiller'"'"'s grain product, dry basis.

30. The method of claim 27, including the step of treating said whole stillage to yield thin stillage, evaporating the thin stillage to give a solubles syrup, and adding said solubles syrup to said distiller'"'"'s grain product.

31. The method of claim 27, said pH level being from about 5.5-6.5.

32. The method of claim 27, said pH adjustment step comprising the step of adding a base to said distiller'"'"'s grain product.

33. The method of claim 32, said base having a solubility in water of at least about 60 g/100 ml at 25°

C.

34. The method of claim 27, said grain processing step comprising the steps of forming an aqueous slurry of said grain, cooking the aqueous slurry, fermenting the cooked slurry to yield a process beer, and distilling said beer to yield said ethanol and said whole stillage.

35. The method of claim 27, said high digestive efficiency feed grain selected from the group consisting of flaked grain, dry rolled grain, ground grain, high moisture, early harvested, ensiled grains, and mixtures thereof.

36. The method of claim 35, said high digestive efficiency feed grain comprising flaked grain.

37. The method of claim 36, said flaked grain comprising flaked corn.

38. The method of claim 27 including the step of at least partially drying said pH-adjusted distiller'"'"'s grain product, prior to said combining step.

39. The method of claim 38, including the step of substantially completely drying said pH-adjusted distiller'"'"'s grain product to give a pH-adjusted dried distiller'"'"'s grain product, and combining said pH-adjusted dried distiller'"'"'s grain product with said high digestive efficiency feed grain.

40. A ruminant feed product comprising a distiller'"'"'s grain product having an adjusted pH of from about 5-8, and combined with high digestive efficiency feed grain.

41. The feed product of claim 40, said distiller'"'"'s grain product being a wet distiller'"'"'s grain product and having an adjusted pH of from about 5.5-6.5.

42. The feed product of claim 40, said distiller'"'"'s grain product being a dried distiller'"'"'s grain product and having said adjusted pH prior to drying thereof.

43. The feed product of claim 40, said distiller'"'"'s grain product being pH-adjusted with sodium hydroxide.

44. The feed product of claim 40, said distiller'"'"'s grain product being derived from the production of ethanol.

45. The feed product of claim 44, said distiller'"'"'s grain product also including a quantity of solubles syrup derived from said production of ethanol.

46. The feed product of claim 40, said distillers grain product being present in said feed at a level of greater than 15% by weight, dry basis.

47. The feed product of claim 46, said level being from about 16-80% by weight of said distiller'"'"'s grain product, dry basis.

48. The feed product of claim 40, said high digestive efficiency feed grain selected from the group consisting of flaked grain, hard rolled grain, high moisture early harvested, ensiled grains, and mixtures thereof.

49. The feed product of claim 48, said high digestive efficiency feed grain comprising flaked grain.

50. The feed product of claim 49, said flaked grain comprising flaked corn.