Abstract
Dehulling sunflower seeds can increase meal protein content by up to 35–36%. However, high variability in seed quality constitutes an obstacle to optimizing the dehulling process. This study has sought to identify the parameters that influence the protein content of sunflower seeds and the ease with which they can be dehulled. Genetic, climatic and crop management effects were studied using seed samples taken from farmers’ fields in south-west France. Soil and climatic effects were revealed to be important for protein content and ease of dehulling (hullability). Some cultivars were found to be significantly more difficult to dehull than others. No relationship was observed between oil content and protein content expressed as a proportion of DDM (defatted dry matter), but there was a significant negative linear relationship between hullability and oil content. Due to the wide range of locations and agricultural practices encountered in the farmers’ fields, it was not possible to verify with confidence the influence of other interactions such as nitrogen fertilization and the potential fertility of the fields. This work nevertheless showed that locality and growing conditions affect the quality of sunflower seeds. This variability in quality could be measured by crushers in order to optimize the dehulling process and thereby produce a meal of consistent quality, with a guaranteed protein content.
Highlights
The sunflower market’s current economic situation, alongside rising energy costs, renders profitable the process of dehulling prior to crushing
Whole Seed Sunflower Meal (WSSM) has both a relatively high proportion of poorly digestible fiber, and a relatively low protein content: only 27–29% of raw matter (Dauguet et al, 2012a)
The climatic effect is revealed by the significant differences for the NK Countri hybrid in 2008 and 2009, concerning oil content (46.2% vs. 48.4% of dry matter (DM) respectively), protein content (31.8% DDM vs. 30.8% DDM) and hullability (23.8% vs. 19.5% of extracted hulls)
Summary
The sunflower market’s current economic situation, alongside rising energy costs, renders profitable the process of dehulling prior to crushing. Whole Seed Sunflower Meal (WSSM) has both a relatively high proportion of poorly digestible fiber (which comes from the hulls; they account for approximately 25% of the seed’s mass and 45% of the mass of the meal), and a relatively low protein content: only 27–29% of raw matter (Dauguet et al, 2012a). These are quite attractive characteristics for animals like ruminants, and rabbits, as well as some poultry that require low-energy nutrition. This WSSM is not suitable as a feed for animals that require higher energy and protein contents like dairy cows, pigs and chickens (Peyronnet et al, 2012)
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