Dr HADJ OMAR K. FEEDING COURSE« Bromatology » I.S.V.

Blida 1 Second Year 2024-2025 1

Unlike forages, concentrated feeds have a very high nutritional value in relation
to DM (dry matter) and are characterized by a high net energy content (UFL,
UFV). Some concentrated feeds also have a high nitrogen value and contain less
than 15% cellulose in DM. 02 main categories can be distinguished:

 Simple concentrated feeds

 Concentrated compound feeds

I. Simple concentrated feeds:

These are concentrated raw materials produced on the farm, or the result of
industrial processing of agricultural production :

- Cereals (wheat, barley, maize, rice)

- Oilseeds

- Protein seeds (beans, soybeans, rapeseed), as well as some of their by-products

(bran, milling waste, spent grain, oilcake).

II. Concentrated compound feeds

These are concentrated feeds made up of 02 or more simple concentrated feeds

and, where appropriate, dehydrated forages. These compound concentrated feeds
can be divided into 02 groups:

- Complete concentrated feeds: covering the needs of animals (poultry, cattle)

on their own, these feeds are called production feeds.

- Complementary compound concentrates: are added to the basic ration, either

to balance it or to supplement it. The composition and nutritional value of these
feeds vary according to the type of ration or animal for which they are intended.

1. Cereals and their by-products : Cereal grains comprise a husk or pericarp,

an embryo (germ) and a highly-developed albumen containing starch and
protein.

Cereal grains are generally low in nitrogenous matter (10 to 15% DM), but have a
high energy value (0.9 to 1. 3 UFL or UFV/ Kg DM) due to their high starch content
(40 to 55% DM). However, starches of different botanical origins do not have
similar structures, which has repercussions on their ability to be more or less
easily digested in the rumen; thus, corn, sorghum, rice and millet starches are
 Dr HADJ OMAR K. FEEDING COURSE« Bromatology » I.S.V. Blida 1 Second Year 2024-2025 2

degraded more or less rapidly (15 to 30%/hour) in the rumen than those of wheat,
barley and oats (40 to 60%/hour).

As a result, the latter offer a greater risk of digestive interaction and sudden
ruminal acidosis.

The husk or pericarp of cereal grains constitutes an obstacle to digestive agents,

which is why they are subjected to treatments (grinding) that break up the
pericarp and increase the accessibility of constituents to digestive agents.

Hydrothermal treatment (flaking and extrusion) increases the proportion of

starch digested in the rumen, and alters the orientation of fermentation in the
rumen (increased production of propionic acid) and reduced methane production.

Cereal by-products or co-products:

These are mainly by-products of the milling, fermentation (brewing), starch and
semolina industries, according to their cell wall content, in ascending order: low
flour (4% grain), remilling (5% grain), remilling bis (3% grain), fine bran (5%),
coarse bran (7% grain). Although their cell walls are not easily digestible, these
products comprise the grain's protein base and are richer in nitrogenous matter
(15 to 48% MA).

cross-section of a cereal grain

2. Protein and oilseed crops and their by-products

a) Protein seeds :
 Dr HADJ OMAR K. FEEDING COURSE« Bromatology » I.S.V. Blida 1 Second Year 2024-2025 3

Protein seeds belong to the legume family: faba beans, peas, lupins and vetches.
They are rich in protein (20 to 30% MA) and contain varying proportions of starch.

The constituents of protein seeds, in particular proteins, are rapidly degraded in

the rumen (80% of proteins), and consequently their PDIA value is low (<.3.5%
MS). It is desirable to make these proteins less degradable (tanning), as the cell
walls of these seeds are easily degraded in the rumen.

b) Oilseeds: (rapeseed, soybean, sunflower):

These seeds are rich in fatty matter (20 to 40% DM), which gives them a high
energy value. They can be used as they are, or after heat treatment to destroy
toxic substances and make the protein fraction less degradable. Ex: extruded
soybean.

By-products

The main by-products of protein crops are oil cakes (see course; oil cakes).

3. Practical use of grain

a) For ruminants

Grain is an energy-concentrated feedstuff used to supplement forage whenever

it is necessary to feed an energy-dense ration. Grain is therefore used for high-
performance ruminants, especially lactating and fast-growing animals.

 In lactating animals (cows, goats, ewes), grains are :

- The balancing concentrate when the basic ration is energy-deficient and

nitrogen-surplus.

- Most of the production concentrate. A “classic” farm production concentrate

for a dairy cow is made up of :

* 84% barley

* 14% soybean meal (protein concentrate)

* 1.7% calcium carbonate

This concentrate is distributed at a rate of 1 kg of concentrate per 2.7 kg of milk.

 For fattening animals, the most commonly used grains are corn, barley and
wheat. The amount of grain used depends on the animal's performance and
the feed value of the forage.
 Dr HADJ OMAR K. FEEDING COURSE« Bromatology » I.S.V. Blida 1 Second Year 2024-2025 4

Caution when using grains:

The use of whole grains reduces digestibility, particularly in cattle. Indeed,

unchewed whole grains can pass through the rumen outlet (due to its larger
diameter in large ruminants) and end up in the faeces without having been
digested. In sheep, on the other hand, consumption of whole grains barely reduces
their digestibility. It is therefore possible to use this presentation as soon as
lambs exceed 10kg live weight.

In the rumen, starch is rapidly fermented into volatile fatty acids (VFA). The
consumption of a large quantity of starch-rich grain will result in the rapid
production of a large quantity of VFA. This large quantity of acid will overflow the
rumen wall absorption and buffer systems for varying lengths of time, depending
on the quantity of grain consumed. This leads to a drop in pH, responsible for
rumen dysfunction: ruminal acidosis. Depending on the severity of this acidosis,
symptoms of varying degrees of severity can be observed, including :

 Reduced ration digestibility

 Soft dung
 A drop in the butyrate of milk
 Lameness
 Acute or even fatal ruminal acidosis.

To limit and prevent ruminal acidosis, you need to :

- Do not feed large quantities to ruminants, except when the animal's energy
requirements demand it.

- Adapt animals gradually. The amount of grain introduced into the ration should
be increased over a period of 2 to 3 weeks.

- In this way, ingestion of concentrates is as slow and spread out over the day as
ingestion of forages, and does not cause a sudden drop in ruminal pH.

- Keeping the ration as fibrous as possible is particularly important for forages.

As far as grains are concerned, the method of treatment comes into play.

- Simultaneously use buffer substances (sodium bicarbonates at a rate of : 1.5%

of ration dry matter for sodium bicarbonate).