SUNFLOWER– Quality and Nutritional Characteristics by Dr V Ramasubba Reddy Retd Professor, ANGR Agrl UNIV Rajendranagar, Hyderabad

1. SUNFLOWER– Quality and Nutritional Characteristics
V Ramasubba Reddy # 103 Dwarakamai Apt, Navodaya colony
Retd Professor, ANGR Agrl UNIV Yellareddyguda, Hyderabad, 500073
Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030 +914023752023, +914023751859
PRODUCTION IN 2003
Sunflower production in India, during 2004-05, is about 1.58 million mt.
SUNFLOWER MEAL
Sunflower meal is obtained from sunflower seed after oil extraction. Depending on the
extraction method, the meal may be expeller or solvent extracted. Solvent extracted
meal can be obtained from expeller processed meal by further extraction of oil. The
sunflower meal obtained from solvent extraction of expeller processed sunflower meal
appears lumpy and cake type and is the material, the livestock feed manufacturers are
familiar with. Sunflower meal obtained by solvent extraction of sunflower seed directly
by improved technology appears as flake type. Nutritionally, both the types of meals are
similar in nutritional characteristics and result in similar performance when included in
livestock diets. The sunflower meal, flake type and cake type, are presented in Fig 1.
Fig 1. Sunflower seed and meals
Sunflower seed Sunflower meal – Sunflower meal –
Flake Type Cake type
The nutritional characteristics of sunflower meal and other protein ingredients are given
in Table 1 to 4 and Fig 2 and 3. Sunflower meal is low in lysine and better in methionine
than soybean meal. Methionine as % of essential amono acids is very high in sunflower
meal than in other protein sources (Table 2, 3; Fig 2). Digestibility coefficients of amino
acids particularly of methionine is high in sunflower meal than in other meals (Table 4,
Fig 3).

2. Sunflower meal is low in energy and protein because the commercial processing
methods do not dehull the seed for oil extraction. Sunflower meal is high in fibre.
Inclusion of fibre higher than 3-5% in poultry diets depresses the performance of
poultry. However, inclusion of sunflower at 48% in broiler starter diets and 43% in broiler
finisher diets and 40% in layer diets as sole source of protein did not lower the
performance. Higher inclusion levels limit the energy concentration of diets and as such,
sunflower meal at high levels cannot be included in high energy diets particularly for
broilers.
The performance of broilers and layers on diets containing sunflower meal at high level
in the diet is given in Table 5. These experiments were conducted at Acharya N G
Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad in NATP Project.
Table 1. Nutritional characteristics of Soya and other protein meals
Feed Name / Description DM TDN- ME CP RUP NDF ADF Lignin Ash
% IX Kcal % Digest% % % % %
% /kg
Canola seed 89.9 127 20.5 50 17.8 11.6 2.7 4.6
Canola Meal, mech. Extr 90.3 70 37.8 75 29.8 20.5 9.5 7.4
Cotton seeds, with lint 90.1 77 23.5 80 50.3 40.1 12.9 4.2
Cotton seed Hulls 89.0 34 6.2 50 85.0 64.9 22.5 2.8
Cotton seed Meal, sol, 90.5 66 2320 44.9 92 30.8 19.9 7.6 6.7
41% CP
Peanut meal, solvent 92.3 75 2200 51.8 90 21.4 13.5 4.6 5.8
Safflower Meal, solvent 93.5 53 1193 29.0 75 53.8 39.1 14.5 4.7
SB Hulls 90.9 67 13.9 70 60.3 44.6 2.5 4.8
SB Meal, expellers 45% 89.6 89 2230 46.3 93 21.7 10.4 1.5 20.0
CP
SB Meal, solvent, 44% CP 89.1 80 49.9 93 14.9 10.0 0.7 6.6
SB Meal, solvent 48% CP 89.5 81 2440 53.8 93 9.8 6.2 0.5 6.4
SB Seeds, whole 90.0 101 39.2 85 19.5 13.1 1.2 5.9
SB Seeds, whole roasted 91.0 99 3300 43.0 85 22.1 14.7 3.1 5.0
SF Meal, solvent 92.2 60 1543 28.4 90 40.3 30.0 9.5 7.7
SF seeds, whole 91.8 122 19.2 80 24.0 16.7 6.0 5.1

3. Table 2. Amino acid content of soya and other protein ingredients
Feed Name / CP Arg Ile Lys Met Cys TSAA Thr Trp Val
Description % %CP. %CP %CP %CP %CP %CP %CP %CP %CP
Canola seed 20.5 7.01 3.83 5.62 1.87 2.54 4.41 4.42 1.46 4.73
Canola Meal, mech. Extr 37.8 7.01 3.83 5.62 1.87 2.54 4.41 4.42 1.46 4.73
Cotton seeds with lint 23.5 11.52 3.20 4.35 1.71 1.76 3.47 3.46 1.27 4.70
Cotton seed Hulls 6.2 11.42 3.39 4.66 1.83 1.62 3.45 3.81 1.42 5.00
Cotton seed Meal, solv, 41% CP 44.9 11.05 3.09 4.13 1.59 1.68 3.27 3.23 1.21 4.24
Peanut Meal, solvent 51.8 11.07 3.27 3.34 1.17 1.38 2.55 2.69 0.98 3.94
Safflower Meal, solvent 29.0 8.72 2.86 3.16 1.45 1.62 3.07 2.78 1.41 5.04
SB Hulls 13.9 5.18 3.86 6.27 1.16 1.76 2.92 3.60 1.08 4.56
SB Meal, expellers 45% CP 46.3 7.40 4.56 6.27 1.45 1.48 2.93 3.98 1.27 4.71
SB Meal, solvent, 44% CP 49.9 7.38 4.56 6.28 1.45 1.52 2.97 3.98 1.27 4.69
SB Meal, solvenet 48% CP 53.8 7.32 4.56 6.29 1.44 1.50 2.94 3.96 1.26 4.64
SB Seeds, whole 39.2 7.52 4.42 5.98 1.47 1.46 2.93 3.96 1.30 4.70
SB Seeds, whole roasted 43.0 6.79 4.22 5.98 1.40 1.44 2.84 3.80 1.13 4.59
SF Meal, solvent 28.4 8.18 4.09 3.56 2.29 1.77 4.06 3.72 1.19 4.95
SF seeds, whole 19.2 8.18 4.09 3.56 2.29 1.77 4.06 3.72 1.19 4.95
Table 2. Amino acid Composition
7
Lys Met TSAA Thr
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Canola CSM PNM Saf SBM SFM
L
y
s M
e
t T
S
A T
h
r
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

4. Table 3. Lysine, methionine and methionine+cystine as per cent of critical amino
acids (CEAA) in soya and other protein ingredients
Feed Name / CP TEAA Lys Met
Description % %CP %EAA %EAA
Canola seed 20.5 42.56 13.20 4.39
Canola Meal, mech. Extracted 37.8 42.56 13.20 4.39
Cotton Whole seeds with lint 23.5 44.51 9.77 3.84
Cotton seed Hulls 6.2 47.68 9.77 3.84
Cotton seed Meal, solvent, 41% CP 44.9 42.55 9.71 3.74
Peanut Meal, solvent 51.8 40.13 8.32 2.92
Safflower Meal, solvent 29.0 39.01 8.10 3.72
SB Hulls 13.9 39.43 15.90 2.94
SB Meal, expellers 45% CP 46.3 45.47 13.79 3.19
SB Meal, solvent, 44% CP 49.9 45.43 13.82 3.19
SB Meal, solvenet 48% CP 53.8 45.30 13.89 3.18
SB Seeds, whole 39.2 44.51 13.44 3.30
SB Seeds, whole roasted 43.0 41.98 14.24 3.33
SF Meal, solvent 28.4 41.61 8.56 5.50
SF seeds, whole 19.2 41.61 8.56 5.50
F ig 3. Digestibility coefficients of amino acids %
Arg Ile Lys Met Cys Thr Val
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Canola CSM PNM Soy SFM

5. Table 4. Digestibility coefficient of amino acids (NRC, 1994)
Arg, % Ile, % Lys, % Met, % Cys, % Thr, % Val,%
Canola meal 90 83 80 90 75 78 82
Cotton seed meal 87 75 67 73 73 71 78
Peanut meal 84 91 83 88 78 82 88
Sesame meal 92 92 88 94 82 87 91
Soybean meal 92 93 91 92 82 88 91
Sunflower meal 93 90 84 93 78 85 86
Table 5. Performance of broilers and layers on diets containing sunflower meal
(SFM)
Broiler Broiler Layers
Starter Finisher
22.09 to 03.11-2001 23-10 to 15-01-2001
Cobb 100 males BV 300 Layers
1-42d; 24-40 wk (4 x 28d);
Battery Cages
7b X 8/diet 4bX11 feed/diet
Maize g/kg 490.200 543.500 500.000
SFM g/kg 480.000 430.000 400.000
L-lysine HCl g/kg 5.600 5.100 2.500
DL-methionine g/kg 1.200 0.900
DCP g/kg 13.000 11.000 5.000
LSP/Stone grit g/kg 7.000 7.000 90.000
Salt g/kg 3.000 2.500 2.500
Trace minerals g/kg 1.000 1.000 1.000
Vitamin AB2D3K g/kg 0.100 0.100 0.100
Vitamin B12 g/kg 0.100 0.100 0.100
Vitamin BE mix g/kg 0.100 0.100
Choline chloride 50% g/kg 0.500 0.500
Coccidiostat g/kg 0.500 0.500
Probiotic g/kg 0.500 0.500
Antioxidant g/kg 0.200 0.200 0.200
ME kcal/kg 2368 2471 2269
Protein % 17.75 16.78 15.32
Crude Fibre % 14.04 12.81 11.90
Calcium % 0.61 0.56 3.16
Nonphytin Phosphorus % 0.30 0.27 0.16
Lysine % 0.89 0.83 0.61
Methionine % 0.44 0.39 0.28
Methionine + cystine % 0.71 0.66 0.53

6. Table 5. Continued
Broiler Broiler Layers
Starter Finisher
Weight gain g 1694
Feed intake g 3812
Feed/gain 2.25
Dressing % 74
Livability % 97 98
Body weight kg 1167
Egg Production % These experiments 93
Feed intake g/b/d were conducted at 115
Egg weight g Acharya N G Ranga 51.5
Feed/12 eggs kg Agricultural University, 1.50
Shell thickness mm Hyderabad in NATP 0.355
Albumen index Project. 0.093
Yolk index 0.410
Haugh unit score 84