Protection of protein from ruminal degradation by alkali‐induced oxidation of chlorogenic acid in sunflower meal

Lactating ruminants require an adequate supply of absorbable amino acids for the synthesis of milk protein from two sources, that is crude protein (CP) synthesized microbially in the rumen and ruminally undegraded CP (RUP) from feed which can both be digested in the small intestine. Several chemical and physical methods have been identified as being effective in increasing the proportion of RUP of total CP of a feedstuff, yet there is a continuing need for developing and establishing methods which protect feed protein from ruminal degradation with acceptable expenditure of labour and other costs. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify effects of and interactions between chlorogenic acid and protein in solvent‐extracted sunflower meal (SFM) as induced by alkali treatment. Response surface methodology was employed to investigate the influence of pH, reaction time and drying temperature on the resulting SFM and, subsequently, its protein value for ruminants estimated from laboratory values. For this purpose, alkali‐treated SFM was subjected to a fractionation of feed CP according to the Cornell net carbohydrate and protein system as a basis for estimating RUP at different assumed ruminal passage rates (K_p). To estimate the intestinal digestibility of the treated SFM and its RUP, a three‐step enzymatic in vitro procedure was applied. Alkaline treatment of SFM increased RUP values with factors ranging from approximately 3 (K_p=.08/hr) to 12 (K_p=.02/hr). Furthermore, the intestinal digestibility of the alkali‐treated SFM was enhanced by approximately 10% compared to untreated SFM. Increasing pH and reaction time led to both increasing RUP values and intestinal digestibility. In conclusion, a targeted alkaline treatment of naturally occurring compounds in feedstuffs might be a promising approach to provide high‐RUP feeds for ruminants which, at the same time, have improved intestinal digestibility values.