Distillers Grains-Terminology

It has long been recognized that distillers grains are available in composition.  In the April 9th issue of Feedstuff, Bryan McMurry wrote a scholarly article on distillers grains and new problems involved in defining this new feed ingredient.   The nutritionist is becoming familiar with distillers grains; a by-production of ethanol production from corn.  Dr. McMurry points out the situation is about to become more complex with the production of ethanol from other grains (milo, wheat, etc); with distiller products containing different moisture levels; and from the addition of various forms and levels of solubles added to the distillers grains.  He indicated that the nutritionist would need to become less concerned with the name of the product and more concerned with the safety, palatability and nutrient composition of the feed ingredient being used in the feed formulation.  He suggested that developing a program to sample, analyze and use the individual nutrient data generated in the formulation of feeds can get around the highly variable distillers grains on the market.  His suggested focus is on the nutrients contained in an ingredient and not the generic name of the ingredient.

McMurry, Bryan.  2007.  Distillers grains: What’s in a name?  Feedstuffs 79(15): 21.