Sunflower meal and soybean cake in livestock and poultry feed

Two by-products of the same industry

When oilseeds are crushed for oil, the solid part that remains is rich in protein. From sunflower seeds it is sold as sunflower meal, from soybeans as soybean meal or soybean cake. Together with rapeseed meal, these are the main plant protein sources for compound feed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The trade names are used loosely. Strictly, cake or expeller is what is left after mechanical pressing and usually holds more residual oil, while meal comes from solvent extraction and holds less. In practice suppliers use both words, so always buy on the specification sheet: protein, fat, fibre and moisture tell you more than the product name.

This article compares the two ingredients from a feed buyer's point of view, using our own sunflower meal and soybean cake specifications as a reference.

Ukraine is one of the largest producers and exporters of sunflower meal in the world, because it crushes a very large share of the global sunflower crop. For importers in the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, that makes Ukrainian sunflower meal a regular part of the protein mix, often bought alongside soybean products from several origins. Knowing how the two behave in a ration helps you switch between them when prices move.

Side by side

Our contract specifications, plus general characteristics of each ingredient.

Protein quality: lysine and methionine

Crude protein is only the starting point. What animals need are the essential amino acids, and here the two ingredients differ. Soybean protein is rich in lysine, the first limiting amino acid in most pig diets and one of the key ones for broilers. That is the main reason soybean products are the reference protein in monogastric feed.

Sunflower protein contains much less lysine per unit of protein but relatively more methionine and cystine. In a ration this can work in your favour: sunflower meal complements cereals and soy, and its lysine gap is easy to close with feed grade lysine. Nutritionists who formulate on digestible amino acids, rather than crude protein, get the most out of sunflower meal.

Digestibility also differs. Sunflower protein is generally well digested, but its high fibre dilutes the energy and some of the protein is bound in the hull fraction. Dehulling before pressing raises the protein level and lowers the fibre, which is why high-protein sunflower meal of 35% and more is priced differently from low-protein grades.

Fibre and energy: where each one fits

Fibre is the biggest practical difference. With up to 20% crude fibre, sunflower meal brings less metabolisable energy than soybean cake. For a broiler that needs an energy dense diet, that limits how much sunflower meal you can use before you have to add fat to compensate.

For ruminants the picture turns around. Dairy and beef cattle digest fibre well, and sunflower meal is a valued protein source in cattle rations. It also has good palatability. Soybean cake remains useful for cattle where high protein density is needed, for example in high-yielding dairy herds or calf starters.

Laying hens, sows and older growing pigs tolerate more fibre than broilers and piglets, so sunflower meal can take a larger share in their diets. Some fibre can even support gut health and satiety in sows.

How the two ingredients fit by species

General guidance. Final inclusion rates depend on the full formula, enzyme use and the nutritionist's targets.

Processing quality checks for soybean cake

Raw soybeans contain trypsin inhibitors that reduce protein digestion in monogastric animals. Heat treatment during processing destroys them, but too much heat damages the protein, especially lysine. Two lab tests tell you whether the balance is right.

Urease activity, expressed as the rise in pH, shows whether the product was heated enough. Values of roughly 0.05 to 0.20 pH units are widely used as a target; a high value points to underprocessing. Protein solubility in potassium hydroxide (KOH) shows the opposite risk: values of around 73 to 85% are commonly considered good, while low solubility points to overheating. Our recent soybean cake analysis showed a urease value of 0.06 and KOH solubility of 83.79%.

Sunflower meal does not need this check, because sunflower seeds do not contain trypsin inhibitors at relevant levels. With sunflower meal, watch protein, fibre and moisture, and keep an eye on colour: its chlorogenic acid can turn the product darker or greenish under some conditions, which affects appearance more than value.

Reading a sunflower meal lab report

A good lab report names the method for every result, so you can compare it with your own lab. On a sunflower meal report you will typically see moisture by ISO 771, crude protein (N x 6.25) by ISO 5983-1, fibre by ISO 6865, oil by ISO 734 and ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid by ISO 5985.

Each line answers a practical question. Moisture tells you about storage risk and how much water you pay for. Protein and fibre together show how well the seed was dehulled. Oil content adds some energy. Acid-insoluble ash is a measure of sand and soil: a low figure means clean seed and good cleaning before pressing.

As an example, one recent analysis of our granulated sunflower meal showed 9.39% moisture, 36.04% crude protein, 16.92% fibre, 0.74% oil and 0.17% acid-insoluble ash. That lot sat inside the specification on every line. Ask for a report like this for the lot you are buying, not only a general specification sheet.

Using them together

Most feed mills do not choose one or the other. They use soybean cake to meet lysine and protein targets in the most demanding diets and sunflower meal to cut cost where fibre and energy allow. When soy prices rise, a well balanced formula with more sunflower meal, synthetic lysine and sometimes an enzyme can hold performance at a lower cost per tonne.

The fair way to compare prices is cost per unit of digestible protein or digestible lysine, not cost per tonne. A cheap tonne of a low-protein grade is not a bargain if you need more of it plus extra fat to reach the same energy.

For grain-based rations, the cereals themselves matter too. Our farms grow wheat, corn and feed barley alongside oilseeds, and you can read more about our crops on the grain farming page.

Buying, storage and delivery

Moisture is the first thing to check at arrival. Above about 12 to 13%, the risk of mould and heating in storage rises, especially in warm climates. Store both ingredients dry, ventilated and away from direct sun, and use the oldest stock first. Granulated sunflower meal flows better, takes less space and produces less dust than loose meal, which helps in automated feed mills.

Our granulated toasted sunflower meal is produced to DSTU 4638:2006, with an annual capacity of 44,000 tonnes. It ships in trucks with big bags of 22 tonnes, in 40' HC containers of 24 tonnes, and by rail in lots of 1,800 tonnes. Our soybean cake is made to GOST 8057-95 with min 44% protein; transport options and lot sizes for it are agreed per contract.

Ask for the laboratory report of the lot before shipment and compare it with your own analysis on arrival. Agreeing the sampling method in advance avoids most quality disputes. For rail and container lots, also agree where the sample is taken: at loading, at the border or at your plant.