Dr. Denise Beaulieu, an assistant professor of monogastric nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan, said if they can resolve the flow, pea starch can provide an excellent energy source in swine rations.
Research conducted by the University of Saskatchewan in partnership with the Prairie Swine Center and the Canadian Feed Research Centre in North Battleford showed pigs fed pelleted rations containing 40 per cent pea starch grew well with great feed efficiency.
“We’re seeing an increased interest in pea starch primarily because of availability, and we expect availability to increase. The pea starch is a byproduct of the pea protein industries.”
As meat substitutes become more available, many have peas as their base, and removing the protein leaves the pea starch. So there’s a lot of interest in it because it’s available and a good energy source in pig diets.
Regarding cost and availability, several plants in western Canada produce pea protein and thus have pea starch available as a byproduct.
However, the main factor in removing pea starch is the process results in a product that needs a larger particle size and becomes easier to handle.
“It doesn’t handle well in our feed systems while mixing. So when using it in our diets, we must be aware that we may have to pellet or process our diets somehow to get it through our systems.”
Dr. Beaulieu said if a producer can find pea starch at a reasonable cost, it can be an excellent ingredient. However, it’s good to pellet the ration to address the flow issues or restrict the amount included in the diets to 10 per cent.
This research evaluating the potential value of including pea starch in swine rations also has implications for human nutrition.
Dr. Beaulieu said while a good source of energy in pig diets for humans, pea starch is a resistant starch which means it may not all break down immediately in the digestive tract and can act as a prebiotic, which can benefit microbes in the gut.
“I’m collaborating with livestock scientists and those interested in using it from a human nutrition side. We’re using the pig as a model to see how it acts or the potential of the pea starch as a prebiotic and to use in human diets.”
For livestock, the researchers want to see how much to include in the pig diets and still have it as a good energy source and what might be the adverse effects of this tiny particle size.
By small, she means the diets are typically between 400 and 600 microns; the particle size and this pea starch are down around 10 to 20 microns, which can have implications for the animal’s health and the flow through to the systems.
“We need to address these flow issues and whether or not we have an issue, whether or not this potential for causing ulcers is a problem. We can address this ulcer issue by adding more fibre to the diets or adding some ingredients with huge particle sizes. So we will conduct those experiments this summer.”
Dr. Beaulieu said for hog producers, the first recommendation is to find pea starch at a reasonable cost and price on its contribution to the diets. It can undoubtedly be a very good ingredient. •
—By Harry Siemens