Canada - Scientists Explore Potential of Barley Hulls as Feed Supplement

Researchers at the University of Manitoba plan to explore the potential value of hulls, removed from fusarium infected barley, as a feed supplement for the dairy and beef industries. Deoxynivalenon or DON, a mycotoxin produced by fusarium graminearum, is a particular problem in swine ration and will result in feed refusal and reduced productivity. Research conducted by the University of Manitoba's Department of Animal Science has shown pearling, or dehulling, severely infected barley will remove 70 percent of the contamination. Associate Professor Dr. Jim House, on hand for the Prairie Swine Centre's focus on the future conference in Winnipeg, says scientists are now looking at using the hull fraction of the barley to produce a value added product for dairy and beef cattle. "We've actually show, through the use of heat treatment in combination with an agent called sodium carbonate, that you can actually reduce the DON content, in some cases right down to unmeasurable levels. What we're doing is basically treating barley hulls with a little bit of water and sodium carbonate, which is a safe feed additive, and exposing those to heat and we actually see a reduction in the level of DON. What we don't know at this time is the feeding value of this particular material. In order to assess that we're going to be doing some digestibility trials with cattle to determine how well this material is used and whether or not there is potential to use this as a value added product that potentially could have application in ruminant feeding, feeding to dairy and beef animals as an energy supplement and also as a rumen buffering agent." Dr. House says this particular the project is expected to run for two years and he anticipates initial results by the fall of the 2005.