written by: dr. jacquie jacob, university of kentucky
in the united states, millions of tons of animal by-products are produced annually. in the past, the only options for using the by-products were as rendered products for use in animal diets or disposal in landfills. new uses of meat and bone meal are being explored, including its use as a fuel or a phosphorus fertilizer. more recently, researchers at south carolina’s clemson university have been looking at the use of meat and bone meal in petroleum-free bioplastics that can be used in items such as skis and snowboards.
slaughter by-products are routinely recycled for use in animal feeds. they are cooked (rendered) to produce a nutritional and economical feed ingredient. the by-products used in feeds include meat trimmings, inedible parts and organs, fetuses, and
there are a number of different types of meat and bone meal. the raw materials in meat and bone meal in the united states are typically beef and pork by-products.
meat and bone meal is an excellent source of protein. in poultry diets, meat and bone meal is typically limited to less than 5% of the diet content because of the high calcium, phosphorus, and lysine content of the meal.
nutrient content of slaughterhouse by-products (source: feedstuffs ingredient analysis table: 2016 edition of the feedstuffs reference issue, by amy batal and nick dale, university of georgia)
| ingredient | dm | me | cp | ee | cf | ca | met | lys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| meat and bone meal, 45% | 92 | 2375 | 45.0 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 11.00 | 0.53 | 2.20 |
| meat and bone meal, 50% | 93 | 2530 | 50.0 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 9.20 | 0.67 | 2.60 |
| meat meal, 55% | 93 | 2685 | 55.0 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 7.60 | 0.75 | 3.00 |
dm = dry matter, %; energy = kcal/kg; cp = crude protein, %; ee = crude fat (ether extract), %; cf = crude fiber, %; ca = calcium, %; met = methionine, %; lys = lysine, %