Palm kernel meal, also known as oil palm expeller, is an essential component of animal feed. It’s a by-product of palm oil extraction.
It is a high-fibre, medium-grade protein feed ideal for ruminants due to its low moisture content and high energy value.
Contents
Energy
Palm kernel meal is a by-product of oil production from Elaeis guineensis palm fruit and can be used as a dietary supplement in drought-stricken regions.
It is a high-fibre, medium-grade protein feed. Its protein quality is similar to copra meal and cocoa pod husk.
However, its energy content is significantly lower than that of soya bean meal and corn.
Palm kernel meal does not affect rumen fermentation, unlike soybean meal. Therefore, supplementing total feed with 2.5% palm oil is safe for rumen health and flavor – particularly when the overall nutrient composition is moderate.
Protein
Palm kernel meal is the principal by-product of palm oil extraction. It’s a high-protein, high-energy feed that has good rumen stability and can be fed to cattle.
Palm kernel meal contains 14% protein, as well as being an excellent source of fat, minerals and fibre.
Palm kernel meal is also free from harmful pathogens such as foot and mouth disease virus, making it an ideal feed option for dairy cows.
Palm kernel meal has become widely adopted into dairy cow diets as a dietary supplement, usually combined with forage. Research has been done to investigate how adding palm kernel cake affects intake, digestibility, and metabolic profile of lactating dairy cows at pasture.
Fat
Palm kernel meal is an economical supplementary feed for cattle raised on pasture. It also provides protein to beef and dairy cattle’s diets.
This ingredient’s fat content varies between 5-11% (mechanical extraction) and 0.5-2.3% (solvent extraction), making it an ideal supplement for cattle fed on grass or hay.
When feeding an animal, the amount of palm kernel meal that can be included depends on their body weight, age and health status. Furthermore, exogenous enzymes present may influence energy digestibility; beta-mannanase for instance increases it by 2 to 3 percentage units when fed to pigs as part of their diet.
Fiber
Palm kernel meal is a high-fiber, low protein feed primarily intended for feeding ruminant animals. It’s made from Elaeis guineensis oil palm fruit through mechanical extraction or solvent extraction.
The fiber content of palm kernel meal and palm kernel expellers varies depending on species and method of extraction. On average, they contain more than 81% non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs), including b-mannans, galactomannans, arabinoxylogalactans, cellulose, as well as lignin.
PKM and palm kernel expellers are commonly used in animal feed, though they must be customized to each animal’s requirements. They should not be the sole source of fiber since they tend to swell in the stomach, leading to decreased intake.
Minerals
One of the by-products produced by palm oil milling in Southeast Asian countries is palm kernel meal. This substance, which remains after oil has been extracted from the kernel, provides protein, roughage, minerals like vitamins B and E as well as manganese, potassium and silicon.
Feed to cattle, palm kernel meal can enhance performance and weight gain as well as milk output. Furthermore, this feed increases tryptophan coefficient and amino acid digestibility in ruminants.
Palm kernel meal has a crude protein content between 14-20%. Furthermore, it contains essential minerals like phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and sodium in small amounts.
