Juncea (Brassica junced) Meal Can be Utilised as an Alternative Vegetable Protein Source in Growing Pig Diets

摘要

Juncea (Brassica junced) has been bred as a crop for low rainfall regions in Australia producing a seed with similar properties to that of traditional canola (Brassica napus). There is currently commercial interest in the use of juncea oil for bio-diesel production, and as such the remaining meal may become available as a source of vegetable protein for animal feed. Juncea meal, like canola meal, contains glucosinolates which are secondary plant metabolites that can reduce feed intake when consumed in high concentrations. As such, there is a need to determine the growth response of growing pigs to increasing concentrations of juncea meal in the diet. This experiment tested the hypothesis that expeller extracted juncea meal could be included in the diet of growing pigs at up to 240 g/kg without negatively affecting feed intake or growth performance.